Anne Teresa De Keersmaeker becomes the second Belgian ever to receive the “Nobel Prize for the Arts” – the Praemium Imperiale.
Published on 15.07.2025, 15:14
The Japan Art Association has announced the laureates of the 36th edition of the Praemium Imperiale, one of the most prestigious international art prizes in the world. These five outstanding artists are recognized for their lifelong artistic achievements, their global impact, and their significant contributions to the enrichment of the arts and culture worldwide.
2025 Laureates
- Painting: Peter Doig (United Kingdom)
- Sculpture: Marina Abramović (Serbia)
- Architecture: Eduardo Souto de Moura (Portugal)
- Music: András Schiff (United Kingdom / born in Hungary)
- Theatre/Film: Anne Teresa De Keersmaeker (Belgium)
On the 22nd of October, choreographer and dancer Anne Teresa De Keersmaeker will receive the Praemium Imperiale, often referred to as the Nobel Prize for the Arts. The award is presented annually by the Japan Art Association under the honorary patronage of the Imperial House of Japan. De Keersmaeker will become only the second Belgian ever to receive this honor since the prize was established in 1988 — the first was Pierre Alechinsky in 2018.
She is also the very first Belgian artist ever to be awarded in the category of theatre/film since the inception of the Praemium Imperiale. In doing so, she follows in the footsteps of celebrated choreographers and dancers such as Mikhail Baryshnikov (2017), Merce Cunningham (2005), Pina Bausch (1999), and Maurice Béjart (1993), under whom she trained at the Mudra dance school in Brussels.
The Awards Ceremony will take place in Tokyo on October 22, 2025, in the presence of His Imperial Highness Prince Hitachi, Honorary Patron of the Japan Art Association.
About the Praemium Imperiale
Established in 1988 to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the Japan Art Association, the Praemium Imperiale honors the legacy of the late Prince Takamatsu, who served as Honorary Patron of the Association for 58 years. Often referred to as the “Nobel Prize of the Arts,” the award recognizes individuals or groups whose achievements have had a profound international influence in their respective fields.
The 2025 Laureates join a list of 180 artists that includes Ingmar Bergman, Leonard Bernstein, Peter Brook, Anthony Caro, Christo and Jeanne-Claude, Dietrich Fischer- Dieskau, Norman Foster, Frank Gehry, Jean-Luc Godard, David Hockney, Willem de Kooning, Akira Kurosawa, Renzo Piano, Robert Rauschenberg, Mstislav Rostropovich, and Ravi Shankar.
About the Japan Art Association
Founded in 1887, the Japan Art Association is the oldest cultural foundation in Japan. It manages the Ueno Royal Museum in Tokyo’s Ueno Park and organizes a wide range of art exhibitions and cultural initiatives. The Association’s Honorary Patrons have traditionally been members of the Imperial Household, starting with Prince Arisugawa and, since 1987, Prince Hitachi.
The Praemium Imperiale was established in 1988 to mark the Association’s centenary and to fulfill the wish of the late Prince Takamatsu: “to contribute to the enhancement and promotion of the cultures and arts of the world.”
Each year, nomination committees chaired by International Advisors submit candidate lists across five disciplines. Current Advisors are:
- Mr. Lamberto Dini (former Prime Minister of Italy)
- Lord Patten of Barnes (former Chancellor of the University of Oxford)
- Prof. Klaus-Dieter Lehmann (former President of the Goethe-Institut)
- Mr. Jean-Pierre Raffarin (former Prime Minister of France)
- Secretary Hillary Rodham Clinton (former U.S. Secretary of State)
The final selections are made by committees within the Japan Art Association and approved by its board of trustees. Former International Advisors such as David Rockefeller, Jr. and François Pinault (President of the Pinault Collection) continue to support the award as Honorary Advisors.