The winners of the ninth edition of the Luxembourg Art Prize (LAP), organised by the Pinacothèque private art museum, have been unveiled.
The independent jury has selected three winners out of the 24 finalists previously selected by the museum.
The LAP 2023 winners are:
1st prize (€20,000): Naoko Sekine (Japan)
2nd prize (€10,000): Fred Kleinberg (France)
3rd prize (€5,000): Ulla Hase (Germany; Belgium)
Naoko Sekine was born in Tokyo, Japan in 1977. She currently lives and works in Chiba, Japan. She draws inspiration from artists such as the late Dutch painter Piet Mondrian and the American composer Steve Reich, among others.
Her selected work, titled "Mirror Drawing - Straight Lines and Nostalgia" (2022), was "inspired by the urban landscape of New York". She added that she "created this work thinking that Mondrian's compositions were actually landscapes." The work is made up of nine panels of different sizes.
"I have thought at length about landscapes, considering them as influential entities rather than mere expanses of space," explained Naoko. "Our modern world is shaped by humans, filled with intentional images and spaces. [...] My artistic creation explores this complex relationship by painting sensory experiences, seeking to expand the meaning of painting through consciousness and structure."
Fred Kleinberg was born in Paris, France in 1966; he currently lives and works in the French capital. Artists who inspire him include Anselm Kiefer, Caravaggio and Diego Velázquez, among others.
His selected work "Mars" - an oil painting made in 2023 - forms part of a new series "exploring themes of ambiguity and the boundaries between the interior and the exterior". It has also been "influenced by various aspects related to confinement during the COVID-19 pandemic."
Ulla Hase was born in Kiel, Germany in 1966. She currently lives and works in Brussels, Belgium. Artists who inspire her include Agnes Martin and Anni Albers.
Ulla explained: "My artistic work is the result of a fusion of materials, thoughts and actions, exploring their natures and intensities. Through lines on paper, I connect the past and present, transforming my perception. [...] My selected work, 'Untitled' (2019), is an example of this transparent and complex weaving, executed with a Pilot G-2 pen on satin-finish Arches paper, framed in wood and painted white."
Since its creation in 2015, the Luxembourg Art Prize by Pinacothèque aims to launch or boost the careers of artists at the international level by giving them a sound reference to add to their curriculum vitae. The winners are free to use their prize money as they please.
