The 10th anniversary of the Prix Pictet, now recognised as the world’s leading award in photography, will be celebrated with a major retrospective exhibition of the work of the winners over the past ten years at Les Rencontres d’Arles in France opening on Thursday 5 July 2018.
Prix Pictet winners will attend a special screening that evening in the spectacular setting of city’s great landmark, the Théâtre Antique, focusing on the critically important issues identified by the artists shortlisted for the prize since its founding ten years ago.
Launched in 2008 with a groundbreaking mandate to document and highlight the global issue of sustainability, Prix Pictet immediately attracted the best photographers in the world to participate. The project has grown over the past ten years, now attracting nominations from more than 300 world class experts internationally, representing the work of more than 4,000 artists through seven cycles of the Prix Pictet. 87 exhibitions in major cities have been shown including at the Prix Pictet’s partner museum, the V&A Museum in London, as well as at the Musée d’Art Moderne in Paris.
The exhibition in Arles will feature a selection of works by all seven of the Prix Pictet winners, each responding to a specific theme relating to the challenge of sustainability in today’s world. They are:
Sir David King, Chair of the Prix Pictet Jury, said, “For ten years the Prix Pictet has campaigned through powerful images to bring global attention to critical issues of sustainability – especially environmental, but also social and governance issues. I am immensely proud of that. Many of the finest photographers on the planet have turned their lenses on what are arguably the greatest threats facing humankind in the 21st century. And they have appeared on our shortlists. Have we made a difference? I sincerely believe so, and we can celebrate that. But we cannot relax our vigilance, for the sustainability challenges we are up against are even more pressing than they were back in 2008.”
Sam Stourdzé, Director of Les Rencontres d’Arles, said: “When it started, the Prix Pictet’s main thematic of sustainability was almost unknown to most of us. It is now a crucial issue. Within 10 years, the Prix Pictet has done an amazing job supporting many of the best artists with one of the most important awards in the field of photography. It is a great honour for Arles 2018 to present the works of the 7 winners. »
An announcement will be made in Arles of the theme for the next cycle of Prix Pictet, which will lead to an exhibition and winner announcement at the V&A in London in autumn 2019
Prix Pictet Laureates exhibition
5 July – 23 September 2018
Les Rencontres d’Arles, Croisière, 65 boulevard Emile Combes, Arle
Prix Pictet screening
10pm Thursday 5 July 2018 Théâtre Antique, Arles