Inaugural Art Basel Awards, presented by BOSS, honors 36 medalists with ceremony and reception during Art Basel's historic swiss edition by undefined

Inaugural Art Basel Awards, presented by BOSS, honors 36 medalists with ceremony and reception during Art Basel's historic swiss edition

EN 

WHAT

On June 19, Art Basel celebrated a historic milestone with the debut of Art Basel Awards in Basel, Switzerland, celebrating 36 visionary Medalists who are redefining the contemporary art landscape. The inaugural award ceremony took place at Rathaus Basel, the city’s iconic medieval Town Hall, during the 55th edition of Art Basel’s flagship fair. The evening continued with an exclusive Medalist Reception at Kunstmuseum Basel, hosted by actor, artist, writer, and Talk Art podcast host Russell Tovey, with a DJ set by Vegyn (Frank Ocean, Kali Uchis).

Art Basel Awards is the first global honors dedicated to recognizing and advancing excellence across the contemporary art ecosystem — from path-breaking artists and cross-disciplinary creators to curators, institutions, collectors, behind-the-scenes allies, and media. Presented in partnership with BOSS, the Awards amplify individuals and organizations shaping the future of contemporary art through boundary-breaking practices across art, fashion, music, design, publishing, and beyond. Announced in May, this year's 36 Medalists were selected by an International Jury of renowned museum directors and curators spanning five continents. At the ceremony, each Medalist was honored with remarks by Vincenzo de Bellis, Chief Artistic Officer and Global Director of Art Basel Fairs, who was joined by Art Basel CEO Noah Horowitz and President of the Government of the Canton of Basel-Stadt, Conradin Cramer, for the official conferral of awards. The Medalist Pins were designed by French jeweler Lorette Colé Duprat.

"On behalf of the Jury and all gathered here tonight, and with the utmost privilege and admiration, I congratulate you and thank you for your unwavering commitment to practice," said de Bellis to the Medalists, before addressing the crowd. "Each of [this year's Medalists], with radical vision, conceptual rigor, and technical virtuosity, speaks to the urgencies of their own contexts and communities — and in doing so, expands the conversation for all of us. It is my profound honor to speak on behalf of a platform designed to recognize and support those shaping the most urgent and forward-looking currents in contemporary art today."

At Kunstmuseum Basel, nearly 400 VIP guests gathered to toast the honorees in the museum’s courtyard surrounded by works by Auguste Rodin, Alexander Calder, and Dan Flavin. The program featured a monologue by Tovey and remarks from Art Basel leaders and partners. Among the evening's highlights was the announcement of the BOSS Award for Outstanding Achievement, delivered by Marco Falcioni, Senior Vice President of Creative Direction at HUGO BOSS. Presented by Art Basel and BOSS as part of the annual Art Basel Awards cycle, the award celebrates a singular work, produced within the last 18 months, that has catalyzed cultural change at the intersection of art, technological innovation, social dialogue, and identity. The selected artist will receive USD 50,000 for a cause of their choice, with an additional USD 50,000 toward a new project developed with BOSS.

“The BOSS AWARD for Outstanding Achievement aligns BOSS with forward-thinking and culturally relevant creativity, echoing our brand values of innovation, style leadership, and authenticity. The recipient will also be a ‘BOSS’ who shares these qualities,” said Falcioni.

Also announced: the Koyo Kouoh Fellowship, created by Art Basel Awards in collaboration with RAW Material Company, to honor the late curator, museum leader, and Art Basel Awards founding juror. Each year for three years, one art professional from Africa will be selected for a fully funded professional development program at Art Basel in Basel.

On June 20, Art Basel hosts the inaugural Art Basel Awards Summit in Hall 1.0 of the fair, free and open to the public, featuring keynotes and discussions with this year's Medalists, jurors, and leaders across the cultural field. The Summit is presented with the Canton of Basel-Stadt.

WHO

Among the honorees at the Medalist Reception: Cecilia Vicuña in the Icon Artists category; Nairy Baghramian, Tony Cokes, Cao Fei, Ibrahim Mahama, Delcy Morelos, and Ho Tzu Nyen in the Established Artists category; Mohammad Alfaraj, Pan Daijing, Saodat Ismailova, Lydia Ourahmane, and Sofia Salazar Rosales in the Emerging Artists category; Formafantasma in the Cross-Disciplinary Creators category; Maja Hoffmann and Joel Wachs in the Patrons category; Sophia Belsheim (ART + PRACTICE), Antonia Carver and Fady Jameel (Jameel Arts Centre), and Fatima Bintou Rassoul Sy (RAW Material Company) in the Institutions category; Candice Hopkins, Shanay Jhaveri, and Eungie Joo in the Curators category; Marcel Pardo Ariza and Ambrose Trataris (Art Handlxrs*), Robert Leckie (Gasworks / Triangle Network), and Sandra Terdjman in the Allies category; as well as Jim Drobnick and Jennifer Fisher (The Journal of Curatorial Studies), and Barbara Casavecchia in the Media and Storytellers category.

Jurors in attendance included: Elena Filipovic (Director, Kunstmuseum Basel); Hans Ulrich Obrist (Artistic Director, Serpentine, London); Adriano Pedrosa (Artistic Director, Museu de Arte de São Paulo); Suhanya Raffel (Museum Director, M+, Hong Kong); and Philip Tinari (Director and Chief Executive, UCCA Center for Contemporary Art, Beijing).

Among the distinguished guests were artists such as Christoph Büchel and Katharina Grosse; patrons including Karen Boros, James Keith (JK) Brown and Eric Diefenbach, Richard Chang, and Heiner Vischer; gallerists such as Sadie Coles, Jeremy Epstein (Edel Assanti), Felix Gaudlitz, François Ghebaly, Xavier Hufkens, Peter Kilchmann, Rachel Lehmann, Edouard Malingue, Monica Manzutto, Kamel Mennour, Philomene Magers, Monika Sprüth, and Andrée Sfeir-Semler; and leading curators, museum and foundation representatives, and Art Basel fair directors, including Giovanni Carmine, Aby Gaye-Duparc (Fondation Cartier), Ulrike Erbslöh (Fondation Beyeler), Jenny Gheith (SFMOMA), Stefanie Hessler (Swiss Institute, New York), Damiano Kounellis (L'Archivo Kounellis), Andrea Nitsche-Krupp (ICA London), Lisa Phillips (New Museum of Contemporary Art), Yasmil Raymond, Bruna Roccasalva (Fondazione Furla), Xue Tan (Haus der Kunst, Munich), Eugene Tan (National Gallery Singapore); Maike Cruse, Director, Art Basel in Basel; Clément Delépine, Director, Art Basel Paris; Bridget Finn, Director, Art Basel Miami Beach; and Angelle Siyang-Le, Director, Art Basel Hong Kong.

WHERE

The prestigious award ceremony was hosted at the 16th-century Rathaus Basel, the seat of Basel's government and parliament. A symbol of Basel’s centuries-long legacy as a center of artistic innovation and intellectual exchange, the venue reflects the city’s enduring role as a crossroads for culture in Europe, further reinforced by Art Basel and Art Basel Awards.

The Art Basel Awards Medalist Reception was held at Kunstmuseum Basel, home to the world’s oldest public art collection and one of Europe’s most influential art institutions. Spanning from the 15th century to the present, the museum's collection features masterpieces by Holbein, Rembrandt, Cézanne, Monet, Van Gogh, Picasso, and Warhol. During Art Basel week, current exhibitions include a major retrospective of Italian-French sculptor Medardo Rosso.

See full press release here.

All Medalists: Art Basel Awards 2025

ICON ARTISTS

  • David Hammons
  • Lubaina Himid
  • Joan Jonas
  • Adrian Piper
  • Betye Saar
  • Cecilia Vicuña

ESTABLISHED ARTISTS

  • Nairy Baghramian
  • Tony Cokes
  • Cao Fei
  • Ibrahim Mahama
  • Delcy Morelos
  • Ho Tzu Nyen

EMERGING ARTISTS

  • 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

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In loving memory of Koyo Kouoh (December 24, 1967 – May 10, 2025)
Art Basel Awards is 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. The Awards honor Koyo's life and carry forward her enduring example and legacy.