Japan Art Association Honors Toyo Ito with 2010 Praemium Imperiale Prize

Today, the Japan Art Association named the 2010 Praemium Imperiale Laureates. The winners of this year's prestigious Praemium Imperiale arts awards are Toyo Ito (Architecture, Japan) , Sophia Loren (Theater/Film, Italy), Enrico Castellani (Painting, Italy), Rebecca Horn (Sculpture, Germany), and Maurizio Pollini (Music, Italy).

The Japan Art Association also named the Asian Youth Orchestra winner of its annual Grant for Young Artists award. The award of 5 million yen (approximately $56,000) is presented to a group or institution that encourages the involvement of young people in the arts.

Praemium Imperiale candidates are nominated by a distinguished panel of International Advisors and selected by the Japan Art Association. William H. Luers, the American Advisor, said, “We are honored to recognize this year’s distinguished group of Praemium Imperiale Laureates. This illustrious prize celebrates both their individual excellence and the vital contribution of art in building international pathways of communication, enlightenment and joy.”

Other International Advisors include Lamberto Dini (Italy), François Pinault (France), Christopher Patten (UK), and Yasuhiro Nakasone (Japan). The Japan Art Association also named Prof. Dr. h.c. Klaus-Dieter Lehmann to succeed the late Dr. Otto Graf Lambsdorff as Germany’s International Advisor. Honorary Advisors are David Rockefeller, Jacques Chirac, Helmut Schmidt, David Rockefeller, Jr., and Richard von Weizsäcker.