Richard Armstrong, Director, Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum
and Foundation, and Claus-Dietrich Lahrs, Chairman and CEO, HUGO BOSS AG, have announced
the finalists for the Hugo Boss Prize 2012,
the biennial award established in 1996 to recognize
significant achievement in contemporary art. The finalists
for the Hugo Boss Prize 2012 are: Trisha Donnelly (b. 1974, San Francisco), Rashid
Johnson (b. 1977, Chicago), Qiu Zhijie (b. 1969, Zhangzhou, China), Monika Sosnowska
(b. 1972, Ryki, Poland), Danh Vo (b. 1975, Bà Rịa, Vietnam), and Tris
Vonna-Michell (b. 1982, Southend-on-Sea, United Kingdom).
Regarding the short list, Armstrong said, “On behalf of the
jury, we are delighted to announce the ninth biennial Hugo Boss Prize
finalists. Since its inception in 1996, the Hugo Boss Prize has become one of
the world’s most noted juried prizes. The selection of these six exceptional
artists for the 2012 short list offers insight into some of today’s most
dynamic practices.” The winner will be selected and announced in fall 2012,
followed by an exhibition of the artist’s work to be presented in 2013 at the
Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, New York.
The Hugo Boss Prize is given to an artist whose work
represents a significant development in contemporary art. The award sets no
restrictions in terms of age, gender, nationality, or medium, and the
nominations may include emerging artists as well as more established
individuals whose public recognition may be long overdue. Previous winners include Matthew Barney (1996),
Douglas Gordon (1998), Marjetica Potrč (2000), Pierre Huyghe (2002), Rirkrit
Tiravanija (2004), Tacita Dean (2006), Emily Jacir
(2008), and Hans-Peter Feldmann (2010). The 2012 prize carries an award of $100,000.
The 2012 jury is chaired by Nancy Spector, Deputy Director
and Chief Curator, Solomon R. Guggenheim Foundation, and the jurors are Magali
Arriola, Curator, Colección Jumex, Ecatepec de Morelos, Mexico; Suzanne Cotter,
Curator, Abu Dhabi Project, Solomon R. Guggenheim Foundation; Kate Fowle,
Executive Director, Independent Curators International, New York; Nat Trotman,
Associate Curator, Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum; and Theodora Vischer, Senior
Curator at Large, Fondation Beyeler, Basel.
Richard Armstrong at the announcement of the 2010 Hugo Boss Prize. Photo: Billy Farrell