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Cathy Wilkes Wins First Maria Lassnig Award with €50,000 Prize and MoMA PS1 Solo Exhibition

award · 2026-04-20

Cathy Wilkes has been awarded the first-ever Maria Lassnig Award, a biennial honor created in June 2016 to recognize midcareer artists. The artist from Glasgow will receive €50,000 (around £43,600) and will showcase a solo exhibition at MoMA PS1 in Autumn 2017. This award was envisioned by the late Maria Lassnig prior to her passing in 2014. Each edition of the prize collaborates with a different institution to curate the winner's exhibition. A jury of seven, which included MoMA PS1 curator Peter Eleey and Sharjah Art Foundation president Sheikha Hoor Al-Qasimi, selected Wilkes. The announcement was made by the Maria Lassnig Foundation.

Key facts

  • Cathy Wilkes is the first winner of the Maria Lassnig Award
  • The award was established in June 2016
  • Wilkes will receive €50,000 (approx. £43,600)
  • A solo exhibition at MoMA PS1 is scheduled for Autumn 2017
  • The prize is biennial and honors midcareer artists
  • Maria Lassnig conceived the award before her 2014 death
  • The award partners with different institutions for each edition
  • A seven-person jury selected Wilkes

Entities

Artists

  • Cathy Wilkes
  • Maria Lassnig
  • Zoe Leonard

Institutions

  • Maria Lassnig Foundation
  • MoMA PS1
  • Sharjah Art Foundation
  • MoMA
  • Lenbachhaus

Locations

  • Glasgow
  • United Kingdom

Sources