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Sebastião Salgado, James Turrell Win Praemium Imperiale; Ajlan Gharem Takes Jameel Prize

award · 2026-04-20

The Japan Art Association has honored Brazilian photographer Sebastião Salgado and American sculptor James Turrell with the Praemium Imperiale, a prestigious award valued at 15 million yen (£99,000), recognized as the most significant art accolade globally. Salgado, celebrated for his painting, has recently captured the essence of the Amazon in Brazil, while Turrell has been exploring light as a sculptural element since the late 1960s. The advisory committee features notable figures including former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and Christopher Patten. Other recipients include Australian architect Glenn Murcutt and American cellist Yo-Yo Ma. Additionally, Saudi Arabian artist Ajlan Gharem was awarded the £25,000 Jameel Prize for his 2015 work, Paradise Has Many Gates, which Tristram Hunt commended for its innovative materials and cultural interplay. These announcements follow Nairy Baghramian's recent win of the $100,000 Nasher Prize.

Key facts

  • Sebastião Salgado and James Turrell each won the Praemium Imperiale, worth 15 million yen (£99,000).
  • The Praemium Imperiale is awarded by the Japan Art Association and the imperial family of Japan.
  • Salgado is a social documentary photographer who recently photographed the Amazon with indigenous communities.
  • Turrell has worked with light as sculpture since the late 1960s, inspired by Quaker meditation.
  • The Praemium Imperiale advisory committee includes Shinzo Abe and Christopher Patten.
  • Ajlan Gharem won the £25,000 Jameel Prize for contemporary design in the Islamic tradition.
  • Gharem's winning work is Paradise Has Many Gates, a 2015 mesh-fencing mosque installation.
  • Tristram Hunt, V&A director, chaired the Jameel Prize jury.

Entities

Artists

  • Sebastião Salgado
  • James Turrell
  • Ajlan Gharem
  • Glenn Murcutt
  • Yo-Yo Ma
  • Nairy Baghramian

Institutions

  • Japan Art Association
  • V&A
  • University of Oxford

Locations

  • Brazil
  • Japan
  • Saudi Arabia
  • France
  • Amazon
  • Hong Kong

Sources