Carnegie Prize Goes to Vija Celmins

Vija Celmins, “Untitled #10,” 1994-95, charcoal on paper. Courtesy the artist and Hammer Museum.

Vija Celmins (Season 2) has been awarded the Carnegie Prize for her work Night Sky in the Carnegie International’s Life on Mars exhibition.  In addition to a monetary award of $10,000, the honor from the nation’s oldest survey of contemporary art also comes with a bronze medal designed by the American realist sculptor Augustus Saint-Gaudens, given at every Carnegie International since the series began in 1896.

The 55th Carnegie International at the Carnegie Museum of Art runs through January 11, 2009 and recognizes the work of forty emerging and established artists, including Art:21’s Mark Bradford (Season 4), Barry McGee and Mike Kelley (both Season 1).