Praemium Imperiale Laureates for 2025 Announced by Japan Art Association

The Japan Art Association announced the names of the 2024 Praemium Imperiale laureates in Tokyo on July 15. We are pleased to introduce the 2025 recipients as follows:

Painting: Peter Doig (United Kingdom)
Sculpture: Marina Abramović (Serbia)
Architecture: Eduardo Souto de Moura (Portugal)
Music: András Schiff (United Kingdom)
Theater/Film: Anne Teresa De Keersmaeker (Belgium)

As one of the world's most prestigious international arts awards, the Praemium Imperiale is presented annually in the fields of Painting, Sculpture, Architecture, Music, and Theatre/Film. Laureates are recognized and awarded for their international achievements in the arts and their role in enriching the global community.

Announcing the awards, the Japan Arts Association emphasized that these five outstanding artists were recognized for their lifetime achievements, global impact, and significant contributions to the enrichment of the arts and culture worldwide.

Each recipient will receive an honorarium of ¥15 million yen (approximately $103,000 USD), a testimonial letter, and a medal. The Awards Ceremony will take place in Tokyo on October 22, 2025, in the presence of His Imperial Highness Prince Hitachi, Honorary Patron of the Japan Art Association.

Introducing the New Laureates

1. Peter Doig, Painting

The artist, born April 17, 1959 / Edinburgh, Scotland, UK, is widely recognized as a leading figure in the "New Figurative Painting" movement. Peter Doig has, over a career spanning more than three decades, redefined the expressive potential of painting. Personal memories and imagery sourced from photographs, postcards, and films create vivid, emotionally resonant paintings of landscapes and figures, characterized by rich colors and a distinctive brushwork. His work often merges the real and surreal in hauntingly poetic ways, revisiting images that build a sense of a hidden narrative where mystery and dreamlike elements coexist.

*At his studio in London, April 2025. (©The Japan Art Association / The Sankei Shimbun)*

Doig spent his early childhood on the Caribbean island of Trinidad, and his youth in snowy Canada, two vastly different environments that left a lasting impression on his visual sensibility. "Those experiences have had a huge impact on my painting," he also says. Each of his works takes a long time to come into being, often developing over years. "I feel my paintings are deeply connected to my life. They're like a journey—an expression of the life I've lived," he reflects.

Today, Doig divides his time between London and Trinidad. He also continues to be celebrated as one of the world's most important living painters, with works held in major public and private collections worldwide.

2. Marina Abramović, Sculpture

Abramović was born November 30, 1946, in Belgrade, Serbia, which was then part of Yugoslavia. A pioneering figure in performance art, Abramović has used her own body as a means of expression, often involving the audience as part of the artwork itself. Pushing the limits of both body and mind, she has consistently challenged the boundaries of art in pursuit of its essence.

*Marina Abramović, The Artist Is Present, 2010, The Museum of Modern Art, New York. (Photo: Marco Anelli, Courtesy of the Marina Abramović Archives)*

She gained international attention with Rhythm 0 (1974), a performance in which she surrendered her body to the audience. It was an act so extreme that at one point a loaded gun was held to her head. Despite repeatedly facing life-threatening situations, her fearless exploration of self-expression has captivated audiences around the world.

In 2010, at the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) in New York, she presented The Artist Is Present, a silent performance in which she sat face-to-face with visitors for over 700 hours. The piece broke MoMA's attendance records. Passionate about education, in 2012 founded the Marina Abramović Institute (MAI), devoted to long-duration performance and interdisciplinary collaboration. Although based in New York, she continues to travel to make work that is emotional and passionate, that challenges not only herself but also audience.

3. Eduardo Souto de Moura, Architecture

Eduardo Souto de Moura is a leading figure in Portuguese architecture. Born July 25, 1952, in Porto, he was a protégé of Álvaro Siza (1998 Praemium Imperiale laureate). Later, he established his own practice in 1980. He is known for his belief that "there is no universal architecture; everything is rooted in its own place," and he consistently creates work that resonates with its time and context. He carefully selects materials with attention to local traditions and culture.

*De Moura at his office in Porto, Portugal, April 2025. (Photo: Shun Kambe, ©The Japan Art Association)*

De Moura's notable projects include the Pousada Mosteiro de Amares (1997), a state-run hotel converted from a former monastery; the Estádio Municipal de Braga (2003), a municipal stadium; and the Paula Rego Museum (2009). He received the Pritzker Prize in 2011 and the Golden Lion at the Venice Biennale in 2018. In 2024, he was awarded the Ordre des Arts et des Lettres by France.

He also teaches at architecture schools around the world, sharing his knowledge with the next generation. He believes that the most pressing need for architecture today is to solve current problems, highlighting the importance of ecological awareness and the intelligence and culture necessary to address it.

4. András Schiff, Music

András Schiff, born December 21, 1953 in Budapest, Hungary, is widely regarded as one of the foremost pianists of our time. He is also celebrated for his interpretations of composers from Bach to Bartók. Schiff began playing the piano at the age of five and studied at the Franz Liszt Academy in Budapest. Later, he continued his training in London under the renowned harpsichordist George Malcolm.

*András Schiff is widely regarded as one of the foremost pianists of our time. (Photo: Pablo Castagnola, © The Japan Art Association)*

Recognizing that "a pianist's life is often a solitary one," Schiff founded his own chamber orchestra, Cappella Andrea Barca, in 1999. He also conducts, believing that "conducting broadens one's perspective." Furthermore, he is active as a musician well beyond the traditional role of a pianist. Passionate about sharing music and mentoring the next generation, Schiff often speaks to his audience during concerts. He views "being a musician not as a profession but a privilege."

Schiff was knighted by Queen Elizabeth II in 2014for his services to music. His writings, including Music Comes from Silence, offer valuable insights into his musical philosophy. He is married to the Japanese violinist Yūko Shiokawa.

5. Anne Teresa De Keersmaeker, Theatre/Film

Born June 11, 1960, in Mechelen, Belgium, De Keersmaeker is a Belgian choreographer and dancer. Since founding her dance company Rosas in 1983, she has been a leading force in the global contemporary dance scene. She studied dance at Mudra, the performing arts school founded by Maurice Béjart (1993 Praemium Imperiale laureate), and at the Tisch School of the Arts at New York University. After returning to Belgium, she gained wide recognition with Fase (1982), set to the music of Steve Reich (2006 Praemium Imperiale laureate).

*Once, 2002 (© Herman Sorgeloos, Courtesy of Rosas)*

De Keersmaeker is known for her exploration of the structural relationship between music and movement, engaging in dialogue with a wide range of musical styles of several periods, from minimal and classical to blues. Her choreography often begins with everyday movements like walking, which she abstracts to create a fusion of physicality and intellect. Rain (2001) and EXIT ABOVE (2023) are two of her major works.

The artist also has a long-standing connection with Japan, and she directed Toshio Hosokawa's opera Hanjo in 2004. De Keersmaeker founded P.A.R.T.S. (Performing Arts Research and Training Studios), a performing arts school in Brussels to support the next generation of artists. Over the past 10 years, her work has also engaged with the visual arts in museum contexts such as the Louvre, Tate Modern and MoMA.

2025 Grant for Young Artists

The Japan Art Association also announced the 2025 Praemium Imperiale Grant for Young Artists. As announced in London on July 15, it has been awarded to the National Youth Theatre (United Kingdom). International Advisor Lord Patten of Barnes presided over the announcement.

Members warm up in the classroom.
National Youth Theatre (North London), April 2025
(© The Japan Art Association / The Sankei Shimbun)

A diploma and a grant of ¥5 million JPY (approximately $34,000 USD or £25,000 GBP) was presented to the National Youth Theater at the event.

Established in 1997, the Praemium Imperiale Grant for Young Artists supports organizations or individuals that nurture young artists and play a significant role in fostering the next generation of creative talent. Recipients may include early-career professionals or those in professional training across any artistic discipline.

Each year, a recipient is selected by one of the International Advisors in consultation with the relevant nomination committee, on a rotating basis. Final selections are also approved by the Japan Art Association. The announcement is made alongside that of the Praemium Imperiale laureates.

About the Praemium Imperiale

Established in 1988 to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the Japan Art Association, the Praemium Imperiale honors the legacy of the late Prince Takamatsu, who served as Honorary Patron of the Association for 58 years. Often referred to as the "Nobel Prize of the Arts," the award recognizes individuals or groups whose achievements have had a profound international influence in their respective fields.

The 2025 Laureates join a list of 180 artists that includes Ingmar Bergman, Leonard Bernstein, Peter Brook, Anthony Caro, Christo and Jeanne-Claude, Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau, Norman Foster, Frank Gehry, Jean-Luc Godard, David Hockney, Willem de Kooning, Akira Kurosawa, Renzo Piano, Robert Rauschenberg, Mstislav Rostropovich, and Ravi Shankar.

Each year, nomination committees chaired by International Advisors submit candidate lists across five disciplines. Current Advisors are:

Mr Lamberto Dini (former Prime Minister of Italy)
Lord Patten of Barnes (former Chancellor of the University of Oxford)
Professor Klaus-Dieter Lehmann (former President of the Goethe-Institut)
Mr Jean-Pierre Raffarin (former Prime Minister of France)
Secretary Hillary Rodham Clinton (former US Secretary of State)

The final selections are made by committees within the Japan Art Association and then approved by its board of trustees. Former International Advisors such as David Rockefeller, Jr, and François Pinault (President of the Pinault Collection) continue to support the award as Honorary Advisors.

About the Japan Art Association

Founded in 1887, the Japan Art Association is the oldest cultural foundation in Japan. It manages the Ueno Royal Museum in Tokyo's Ueno Park and organizes a wide range of art exhibitions and cultural initiatives. The Association's Honorary Patrons have traditionally been members of the Imperial Household, starting with Prince Arisugawa and, since 1987, Prince Hitachi.

The annual Awards Ceremony, attended by Prince and Princess Hitachi, is a highlight of Japan's cultural calendar. Ceremonies were not held in 2020 and 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. However, they resumed in 2022. The 2025 Ceremony will be held on October 22 in Tokyo.