Sonja Keppler with the sculpture “Widerstandshelm IV”, Rika Pütthoff-Glinka with the digital art work “Lebenfreude” and Frank Schult with the painting “Kopflos durch die Zeit” made it. The artists living in Pforzheim, Dortmund and Celle have prevailed from over 220 applicants from 22 countries and can now call themselves winners of the 2023/24 GERMANY ART PRINZE. The award ceremony took place on April 6, 2024 at the STEIGENBERGER Parkhotel Braunschweig.
In front of a good 100 artists and guests from all parts of Germany, the spokesman for the five-member expert jury, Prof. em. Erich Kruse (HBK Braunschweig), the decisions of the jury from various federal states in detail. The three art prizes endowed with gold awards in the categories painting, sculpture/object, photography/digital art were presented by Prof. em. Erich Kruse, Dr. Prince Asfa-Wossen Asserate and Franz-Friedrich of Prussia.
The Frankfurt best-selling author and art prize patron Dr. Prince Asfa-Wossen Asserate gave a remarkable speech on the topic “Art as a catalyst for communication”, grand-nephew of the last Ethiopian emperor Haile Selassie. Quote: “There is an exchange across borders, without diplomacy, without economic interests, just through curiosity about a common intellectual world. The work of art is an open letter, an impetus for the exchange of ideas.”
The moderator of the art award ceremony was the chairman of the Hannover Artists’ Association, Constantin Barzantny. He emphasized: “Art is more than decoration. It is communication.”
The jury work was carried out by Dr. Carsten Voss (art historian, Hannover), Prof. Erich Kruse (HBK Braunschweig), Bettina Breidbach (author and artist, Bremen), Thorsten Heinze (gallery owner, Berlin) and Dr. Georg Trivisas (artist and ex-gallerist, Hannover). Art prize organizer Albin Homeyer thanks all artists involved, jury members, the patron, the moderator and everyone else involved.