On Tuesday 11 October 2022, Luxembourg's Minister of Culture, Sam Tanson, congratulated the artist Berthe Lutgen for having been chosen as the winner of the Luxembourg Art Prize ("Lëtzebuerger Konschtpräis") 2022 by the jury of the new prize in the field of visual arts.
"For her tireless commitment to the arts and society, for the development of a clean and unequivocal artistic language, for her formidable work and professional career, my congratulations and my thanks go to the winner Berthe Lutgen", said Minister Tanson. “I am convinced, dear Mrs Lutgen, that the renown enjoyed by the Luxembourg art scene today bears your mark. Indeed, it is journeys like yours that have the power to act as powerful sources of inspiration and guidance for a whole generation of artists and citizens.”
The jury was made up of:
- Jamie Armstrong, art historian and head of the Lëtzebuerger Konschtarchiv,
- Marie-Claude Beaud, art historian, exhibition curator, museum director e.r. and president of the jury,
- Lucien Kayser, art critic and president of the arts and letters section of the Grand-Ducal Institute,
- Paul Reiles, jurist, director of the National Museum of History and Art e.r. and former President of the National Cultural Fund,
- Edmond Thill, museum educator, former head of the educational service at the National Museum of History and Art and secretary of the arts and letters section of the Grand-Ducal Institute.
The jury said in a statement: "The members of the jury set up by the Ministry of Culture for the first edition of the 'Lëtzebuerger Konschtpräis' unanimously chose the artist Berthe Lutgen, who seemed to them to meet all the criteria set out during the creation of the prize: a career and a set of recognised works, a very personal place on the Luxembourg artistic scene".
Berthe Lutgen is one of the generations of artists born between 1930 and 1950, the best of whom were at the origin of a real break in the practice of art in the country; op art, happening and land art, were then unknown. These new orientations were associated with social and political commitment, in a context where a great deal of initiative and courage was needed.
Like her contemporaries, Berthe Lutgen then began a long trajectory without the slightest concession. For her, founder in 1971 of the MLF in Luxembourg, art has always been linked to her feminism, to denounce injustices and fight against violence against women.
Thus, the jury identified in Berthe Lutgen and wanted to recognise the way of combining artistic excellence and civic struggle, a work where on the one hand she imposed a dexterously colorist painter, on the other a draughtswoman.
Finally, the jury considers that this first Luxembourg Art Prize, beyond the entirely fair choice of the winner, can prove to be beneficial in the perspective of a new, broader, more differentiated look at the history of art in the Grand Duchy.
Endowed with €10,000, this biennial prize distinguishes an artist for all of his/her work, career as well as lasting commitment to the Luxembourg artistic scene. Eligible artists are to be active in the field of visual arts, of Luxembourg nationality, living/working in Luxembourg or having a strong cultural anchorage in the artistic scene of the country.
The award ceremony will take place on 11 November 2022 as part of Luxembourg Art Week.
The creation of this prize is part of the implementation of the Kulturentwécklungsplang 2018-2028 and its recommendation No 21: "Set up a system for awarding prizes highlighting cultural and artistic creations".