Steven Holl Wins Praemium Imperiale

John Hill

16. July 2014

Steven Holl. Photo courtesy of Steven Holl Architects

New York architect Steven Holl has been named a recipient of the Japan Art Association’s 2014 Praemium Imperiale International Arts Award, one of the world's most prestigious awards for architects and other artists.

Holl is one of five laureates named by the Japan Art Association for 2014:

Architecture: Steven Holl
Music Arvo Pärt
Painting: Martial Raysse
Sculpture: Giuseppe Penone
Theatre/Film: Athol Fugard

The prize describes Steven Holl as a "NYC architect with an international practice," acknowledging the few projects realized in his home city (including the Storefront for Art and Architecture and Pratt Institute's Higgins Hall Insertion) but calling attention to notable projects elsewhere in the United States (Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art Bloch Building in Kansas City and Chapel of St. Ignatius in Seattle) and those built overseas (Kiasma Museum of Contemporary Art in Helsinki and the Vanke Center in Shenzhen, China).

Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art Bloch Building. Photo: Andy Ryan

The Japan Art Association bills its annual prize as "[recognizing] lifetime achievement in the arts in categories not covered by the Nobel Prize." Holl's award comes with a 15 million yen (approximately $150,000) prize. Holl and the other laureates will receive the award at a ceremony in Tokyo on October 15, 2014.