Julian Charrière and Cecilia Vicuña Share Inaugural Schmidt Environment and Art Prize
Julian Charrière and Cecilia Vicuña have been announced as the inaugural recipients of the Eric and Wendy Schmidt Environment and Art Prize by the Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles (LA MoCA). Each artist will be awarded $100,000 USD and will have a project commissioned for display at LA MoCA in 2026. Originally meant for a single artist, the jury ultimately decided to honor both. Charrière, a 1987 native of Morges, Switzerland, investigates ecological locations, while Vicuña, born in Santiago in 1948, crafts textile sculptures that confront climate change and social justice issues. This biennial award, created by Eric and Wendy Schmidt, aims to support artists focused on environmental themes. The jury comprised Johanna Burton, Carson Chan, Dan Hammer, John Kenneth Paranada, and Maria Seferian.
Key facts
- Julian Charrière and Cecilia Vicuña won the inaugural Eric and Wendy Schmidt Environment and Art Prize
- Each artist receives $100,000 USD
- LA MoCA will commission and present projects by both artists in 2026
- The prize was awarded to two artists instead of one after intense jury deliberations
- Charrière was born in Morges, Switzerland in 1987 and studied under Olafur Eliasson
- Vicuña was born in Santiago in 1948 and went into exile after the CIA-backed coup against Salvador Allende
- The prize is biennial and established by philanthropists Eric and Wendy Schmidt
- Eric Schmidt is the former CEO of Google
Entities
Artists
- Julian Charrière
- Cecilia Vicuña
- Olafur Eliasson
- Salvador Allende
Institutions
- Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles (LA MoCA)
- Institute for Spatial Experiments
- Museum of Modern Art, New York
- Sainsbury Centre
Locations
- Morges
- Switzerland
- Santiago
- Los Angeles
- United States
- New York
- UK