Wolfgang Tillmans awarded 2026 Roswitha Haftmann Prize

Wolfgang Tillmans has won the 2026 Roswitha Haftmann Prize, worth CHF 150,000. The German photographer, based between London and Berlin, rose to fame in the 1990s with intimate portraits of the European club scene and LGBTQIA+ community. Over nearly four decades, his practice has expanded to still life and landscape, with a focus on social critique and materiality. He has also been politically active, launching an anti-Brexit campaign in 2016, encouraging voting in German and European elections, and founding the Between Bridges foundation in 2017 to support arts, LGBTQIA+ rights, and anti-racism. Bernhart Schwenk, board member of the Roswitha Haftmann Foundation and head of contemporary art at Pinakothek der Moderne, praised Tillmans as a trailblazer whose work fosters democratic consciousness. The award ceremony is set for 17 September at Kunsthaus Zürich.