Sally Mann Awarded £82,000 Prix Pictet for Photography Series on Wildfires and History
Sally Mann has been awarded the 9th Prix Pictet, an international accolade recognizing photography and sustainability, accompanied by a prize of 100,000 Swiss Francs (£82,000). Her series Blackwater (2008–12) captures the wildfires in the Great Dismal Swamp of southeastern Virginia, connecting this devastation to its past as a sanctuary for escaped slaves. Mann articulated that these fires represent America's ongoing racial tensions, encompassing the Civil War and the Civil Rights Movement. Hailing from Lexington, Virginia, she pursued photography in the late 1960s and held her inaugural solo exhibition at the Corcoran Gallery of Art in Washington, DC, in 1977. The award ceremony occurred at the Victoria & Albert Museum in London, showcasing works from all 12 shortlisted artists until 9 January 2022.
Key facts
- Sally Mann won the 9th Prix Pictet with a cash prize of 100,000 Swiss Francs (£82,000).
- Her winning series Blackwater (2008–12) documents wildfires in the Great Dismal Swamp in southeastern Virginia.
- Mann connects the wildfires to the site's history as a refuge for runaway slaves and racial strife in America.
- The award ceremony was held at London's Victoria & Albert Museum.
- Works by all 12 shortlisted artists are on view at the V&A through 9 January 2022.
- Mann's first solo museum exhibition was in 1977 at the Corcoran Gallery of Art, Washington, DC.
- She is a Guggenheim fellow and three-time recipient of the National Endowment for the Arts fellowship.
- Her survey show A Thousand Crossings debuted at the National Gallery of Art, Washington, DC, in 2018 and toured to Paris's Jeu de Paume.
Entities
Artists
- Sally Mann
- Joana Hadjithomas
- Khalil Joreige
- Rinko Kawauchi
- Christian Marclay
- Fabrice Monteiro
- Lisa Oppenheim
- Mak Remissa
- Carla Rippey
- Mark Ruwedel
- Brent Stirton
- David Uzochukwu
- Daisuke Yokota
Institutions
- Prix Pictet
- Victoria & Albert Museum
- Corcoran Gallery of Art
- National Gallery of Art
- Jeu de Paume
- Guggenheim
- National Endowment for the Arts
Locations
- London
- United Kingdom
- Virginia
- United States
- Washington, DC
- Paris
- France
- Alabama
- Mississippi
- Louisiana
- Lexington