In Basel this June, the art world will gather not just for the landmark fair that helped define it, but for a new moment of celebration: the first-ever public presentation of the Art Basel Awards.
Announced today, the inaugural cohort comprises 36 artists, curators, institutions, and cross-disciplinary figures shaping the future of contemporary culture. It ranges from pioneering painter Lubaina Himid to design provocateurs Formafantasma, and activist technician group Art Handlxrs*.
‘The Art Basel Awards are not a competition, but a beacon,’ says Vincenzo de Bellis, Chair of the Awards and Director of Fairs and Exhibition Platforms at Art Basel. Unlike conventional prizes, the Art Basel Awards emphasize long-term impact over single achievements, acknowledging both emerging and established voices across art and its adjacent fields. They also recognize that art is not the work of artists alone, but the fruit of an ecosystem – curators, patrons, institutions, and collaborators – who sustain and amplify creative practices.
Among the standout names in this year’s list is Lubaina Himid, the UK representative at the next Venice Biennale, who is honored in the Icon Artist category for her trailblazing role in the British Black Arts Movement. She is joined by fellow Icons, including David Hammons and Cecilia Vicuña, whose poetic, multidisciplinary practice bridges Indigenous wisdom, environmental activism, and contemporary sculpture.
Among the Medalists in the Established Artist category is Cao Fei, whose groundbreaking work in video, virtual reality, and installation probes the contradictions of the new digital reality. Other recipients in this category are Ibrahim Mahama, known for monumental installations addressing histories of labor and migration, and Delcy Morelos, whose immersive earthworks connect traditional knowledge with contemporary material practice.
Rising talents include Saodat Ismailova, honored as an Emerging Artist for her evocative films reviving the spiritual memory of Central Asia, and Pan Daijing, also recognized in the same category for her experimental fusion of sound, performance, and installation.
In the Cross-Disciplinary Creator category, Grace Wales Bonner is honored for reimagining fashion through a cultural and historical lens, while Italian duo Formafantasma (Andrea Trimarchi and Simone Farresin) are recognized for their critical investigations into the ecological and social dimensions of design. Also in this group is Saidiya Hartman, whose literary and academic work reshapes narratives of Black life and history.
Institutional change-makers to be recognized include ART + PRACTICE (Los Angeles), Jameel Arts Centre (Dubai), and RAW Material Company (Dakar), all awarded in the Museums and Institutions category for their commitment to community, experimentation, and access. In the Curator category, Candice Hopkins, Shanay Jhaveri, and Eungie Joo are honored for their advancement of the art historical narrative and traditional approaches to exhibition making.
The Allies category celebrates those working behind the scenes to make art possible, including Art Handlxrs*, a Bay area-based support network for Queer, nonbinary, trans people, BIPOC, and womxn working behind the scenes in contemporary art, Gasworks / Triangle Network (London), and KADIST and AFIELD co-founder Sandra Terdjman (Paris), all recognized for their contributions to production, collaboration, and artistic infrastructure.
Patronage also takes the spotlight, with Shane Akeroyd, LUMA founder Maja Hoffmann, and Joel Wachs of The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts acknowledged in the Patron category for their unwavering commitment to cutting-edge practices.
In the Media and Storytellers category, Negar Azimi, Editor in Chief of Bidoun; writer and curator Barbara Casavecchia; and The Journal of Curatorial Studies are recognized for advancing critical discourse and elevating underrepresented voices.
The 36 Medalists will be celebrated at a reception at Kunstmuseum Basel on June 19, coinciding with Art Basel’s flagship fair. The following day, 21 Medalists and jurors will convene for the first Art Basel Awards Summit, a public conference exploring the future of art’s global ecosystem supported by the Canton of Basel-Stadt. Featured speakers include artists Cecilia Vicuña and Ibrahim Mahama, museum leaders Elena Filipovic (Kunstmuseum Basel), Suhanya Raffel (M+, Hong Kong), and Franklin Sirmans (Pérez Museum of Art Miami); the Milanese design duo Formafantasma; and leading philanthropist Joel Wachs (The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts); among many others.
Browse the Art Basel Awards Summit's full program and book your free seat here.
Later this year, the 36 Medalists will participate in a peer-driven process to select up to 12 Gold Medalists – half of them artists. With a focus on artist recipients in the pilot year, Gold Medalists in the Emerging artist category will receive an unrestricted honorarium of USD 50,000; Gold Medalists in the Established artist category will also be awarded an honorarium of USD 50,000, alongside a large-scale public commission to debut during Art Basel in Basel in June 2026; and for Gold Medalists in the Icon category, a donation of USD 50,000 will be made by Art Basel to an organization of the Medalist's choosing, gifted in their name.
The Gold Medalists will be announced during the Official Night of the Art Basel Awards in Miami Beach this December, during Art Basel’s US edition, in a landmark celebration designed to reflect Miami’s leading role as a global hub of creative exchange.
‘The Art Basel Awards shine a light on those working with radical vision, skill, and commitment to building communities of practice and exchange,' says de Bellis. 'We are thrilled to honor this year’s Medalists — artists and allies whose work is reshaping how art is created, experienced, and channeled across contemporary culture.’
The Jury
The 2025 Medalists were selected by an international jury composed of some of the most respected figures in the museum world. Vincenzo de Bellis served as non-voting chair alongside jurors Hoor Al Qasimi, President and Director of the Sharjah Art Foundation; Elena Filipovic, Director of Kunstmuseum Basel; Koyo Kouoh (1967-2025), former Executive Director and Chief Curator of Zeitz Museum of Contemporary Art Africa (Zeitz MOCAA) and Curator of the 2026 Venice Biennale; Jessica Morgan, Nathalie de Gunzburg Director of the Dia Art Foundation in New York; Hans Ulrich Obrist, Artistic Director of the Serpentine in London; Adriano Pedrosa, Artistic Director of Museu de Arte de São Paulo (MASP); Suhanya Raffel, Museum Director of M+ in Hong Kong; Franklin Sirmans, Director of the Pérez Art Museum Miami (PAMM); and Philip Tinari, Director and Chief Executive of UCCA Center for Contemporary Art in Beijing.
About the Art Basel Awards
Launched by Art Basel in 2025, the Art Basel Awards are the world’s first global honors dedicated to recognizing excellence across the contemporary art world. Each year, an international jury of experts awards medals to individuals and organizations spanning the industry whose practices and contributions are shaping the future of contemporary art. The Art Basel Awards are presented in partnership with BOSS.
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In loving memory of Koyo Kouoh
December 1967 — May 2025
Koyo Kouoh was a visionary curator, cultural leader, and advocate whose impact on contemporary art was nothing short of transformative. Rooted in rigor, generosity, and conviction, her profound contributions in the fields of curatorial practice, institutional leadership, and critical discourse were instrumental to bringing contemporary Pan-African art and thought to the fore on a global scale.
The Art Basel Awards are deeply grateful for Koyo's spirited participation as a Juror of this year's edition and her unwavering commitment to the Awards' mission to uplift the next generation of cultural changemakers, of which she was emblematic. As we continue this work, we honor Koyo's memory and carry forward her enduring example and legacy.