Established in 1989, the Praemium Imperiale is a global arts award given annually by the Japan Art Association in recognition of outstanding contributions to the development, promotion and progress of the arts. Laureates are chosen in five fields: painting, sculpture, architecture, music and theatre/film.
David Chipperfield was presented the award by HIH Prince Hitachi, brother of Emperor Akihito, at a ceremony in Tokyo on 16 October 2013.
The other laureates for the 2013 edition of the award are the Italian Arte Povera painter Michelangelo Pistoletto; British sculptor Antony Gormley; Spanish tenor and conductor Placido Domingo and American film director, producer and screenwriter Francis Ford Coppola.
The Japan Art Association was founded in 1879 by the Emperor Meiji in order to revive and promote Japanese art and culture. Subsequent governors of the Association have all been members of the Japanese Imperial Family.
Image © Sankei Shimbun/Japan Art Association