Sotheby’s has taken the rather genius step of launching an annual prize to help fund groundbreaking museum exhibitions and curatorial initiatives. The Sotheby’s Prize consists of a grant valued at up to $250,000 which will be available to institutions, curators, and museum directors with ambitions to realize what Sotheby’s describes as “trailblazing, potentially landscape-changing, projects in the cultural field.” The Prize has been developed by Robin Woodhead, Chairman of Sotheby’s International, and Allan Schwartzman, Chairman and Executive Vice President of Sotheby’s.
The nominees and ultimate winner will be identified by a jury chaired by Allan Schwartzman who will be joined by a broad spectrum of leading art world identities from within Sotheby’s as well as from across the museum, curatorial, and academic communities, namely: Sir Nicholas Serota (Chair, Arts Council England), Connie Butler (Chief Curator at the Hammer Museum in Los Angeles), Okwui Enwezor (Director of the Haus der Kunst museum in Munich), and Donna de Salvo (Senior Curator at the Whitney Museum of American Art in New York).
According to Allan Schwartzman, the Prize aims to counter the trend for funding to be given to what he describes as “crowd-pleasing, ‘sure sell’ projects and exhibitions” by supporting less obvious initiatives – initiatives that focus on art and periods that are either obscure but ready for deeper exploration or known but ripe for reevaluation. “To my mind, while single-artist retrospectives and blockbuster thematic shows are important, it is nonetheless critical that the art-loving public has the opportunity to see and experience a full gamut of probing and paradigm-advancing shows,” he said.
The Sotheby’s Prize will extend the auction house’s ongoing engagement with the curatorial sphere, which includes the presentation of its own curated exhibitions through its Sotheby’s S|2 spaces, the launch of its Museum Network online portal, as well as the sponsorship and support of a number of commissions, exhibitions, institutions, charitable events, and fundraising ventures. The strategic move will place Sotheby’s further towards the forefront of collaboration between the commercial and curatorial spheres, giving it even greater access to the knowledge, talents, and connections of some of the world’s most influential art world influencers.
