Art Basel Awards: Advancing Excellence Across the Contemporary Art World and Celebrating Visionaries Shaping the Next Generation
- Miami Living Team
- 5 days ago
- 2 min read
Art Basel has launched its inaugural Art Basel Awards, honoring leading figures across the contemporary art world for their innovation, skill, and impact. The awards recognize a wide spectrum of contributors, including path-breaking artists, cross-disciplinary creators in fashion, design, music, and performance, curators, institutions, patrons, foundations, writers, journalists, and specialists behind the scenes.
Medalists will be celebrated during Art Basel’s flagship fair in Switzerland in June and through year-round campaigns, with the awards’ culmination taking place at Art Basel Miami Beach, where Gold Medalists will be revealed during the Official Night of the Art Basel Awards, offering global visibility to artists and contributors within one of the world’s premier contemporary art fairs.
An International Jury selected 36 Medalists from a global pool of influential voices and emerging talents. Among the recognized artists are Lubaina Himid, the British Black Arts pioneer representing the UK at the 2026 Venice Biennale, and Adrian Piper, a first-generation Conceptual artist known for exploring race, identity, and power.
Emerging artists Meriem Bennani and Pan Daijing were also recognized for their innovative work in video, sculpture, and immersive performance.
Cross-disciplinary creators celebrated include Grace Wales Bonner, who integrates fashion, literature, and diasporic storytelling, and the Italian design duo Formafantasma. Curatorial and institutional excellence is highlighted through figures such as Candice Hopkins and organizations like RAW Material Company, Dakar’s experimental art incubator founded by the late curator Koyo Kouoh.
The Art Basel Awards present Medals across nine categories: Icon Artists, Established Artists, Emerging Artists, Cross-Disciplinary Creators, Patrons, Institutions, Curators, Allies, and Storytellers. Chair of the Art Basel Awards, Vincenzo de Bellis, emphasized that the awards “shine a light on those working with radical vision, skill, and commitment to building communities of practice and exchange.”
On June 20, Medalists will participate in the first annual Art Basel Awards Summit, a thought leadership conference convening leaders in the global art and creative industries. Later this year, Medalists will vote to select up to 12 Gold Medalists, representing the awards’ highest honor, with funding and support totaling nearly USD 300,000. Gold Medals will be announced in December 2025 at the Official Night of the Art Basel Awards in Miami Beach.
The awards are presented in partnership with HUGO BOSS, reflecting the brand’s commitment to fostering dialogue at the intersection of fashion and art.
Full List of Art Basel Awards Medalists:
Artists – Icon:
David Hammons, Lubaina Himid, Joan Jonas, Adrian Piper, Betye Saar, Cecilia Vicuña
Artists – Established:
Nairy Baghramian, Tony Cokes, Cao Fei, Ibrahim Mahama, Delcy Morelos, Ho Tzu Nyen
Artists – Emerging:
Mohammad Alfaraj, Meriem Bennani, Pan Daijing, Saodat Ismailova, Lydia Ourahmane, Sofia Salazar Rosales
Cross-Disciplinary Creators:
Formafantasma, Saidiya Hartman, Grace Wales Bonner
Patrons:
Shane Akeroyd, Maja Hoffmann, Joel Wachs
Institutions:
ART + PRACTICE, Jameel Arts Centre, RAW Material Company
Curators:
Candice Hopkins, Shanay Jhaveri, Eungie Joo
Allies:
Art Handlxrs*, Gasworks / Triangle Network, Sandra Terdjman
Media and Storytellers:
Negar Azimi, Barbara Casavecchia, The Journal of Curatorial Studies