Taiwanese director Ang Lee (李安) was selected as the winner of this year’s Praemium Imperiale in the film and theater category. Lee is the first Taiwanese artist to receive the award, which is known as the Japanese Nobel Prize of the Arts.
Speaking at a press conference held for the five laureates of the 35th Praemium Imperiale on November 18, Chairman of the Japan Art Association Hisashi Hieda pointed out that this year marks the first time that artists from Taiwan and Colombia won the award.
Lee, who has won two Oscars for Best Director for his movies “Brokeback Mountain” and “Life of Pi,” said that Japanese cinema has always had a profound cultural influence on the world, especially on other Asian filmmakers such as himself. He described feeling surprised, humbled, and grateful to receive this recognition.
The four other laureates are French artist Sophie Calle in painting, Colombian artist Doris Salcedo in sculpture, Japanese architect Shigeru Ban in architecture, and Portuguese pianist Maria João Pires in music. The winners this year were recommended by an international advisory group that included former U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton, former Italian Prime Minister Lamberto Dini, and former president of the Goethe-Institut Klaus-Dieter Lehmann, among others.
The Praemium Imperiale was established in 1988 by the Japan Art Association to commemorate its 100th anniversary, and in honor of the late Prince Takamatsu’s wish to contribute to the enhancement and promotion of culture and art worldwide. Recipients are given medals and a 15 million yen (USD$97,000) prize.