The 31^st Praemium Imperiale Laureates Announced

On September 17, the laureates of the 31^st Praemium Imperiale in Honor of Prince Takamatsu (organized by the Japan Art Association), which publicly honors individual world artists, were announced. In relation to art, the laureates were William KENTRIDGE in the Painting category, who has expressed the pain of the dark history of his native South Africa through his unique amination known as ‘monochromatic drawing’; Mona HATOUM in the Sculpture category, who has continued to express the suffering of displaced people through installations and a variety of other forms of expression; and in the Architecture category, Tod WILLIAMS and Billie TSIEN, American architects whose works are highly regarded for their use of diverse materials and harmony with the environment. (Japanese)