Montblanc Culture Arts Patronage Awards

Created in 1992 by the Montblanc Cultural Foundation, these annual awards pay tribute to the extraordinary efforts of today’s patrons who work tirelessly and altruistically to extend the influence of culture and the arts.

This year, eleven patrons saw their names added to the prestigious list of previous laureates, including in particular the Prince of Wales, the British conductor Sir Simon Rattle, Italian architect Renzo Piano and Japanese artist Yoko Ono. Each winner was chosen from a shortlist of candidates by an international jury composed of prominent figures from the world of art.

The nominees in 2015 come from China, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Korea, Mexico, Spain, the United Kingdom, the United States, and, for the first time, Switzerland. In each country, the winner is presented with one of eleven Patron of Arts writing instruments produced specially for the occasion in a limited edition in the studios of Artisan Montblanc, as well as the sum of 15,000 Euros to finance their cultural organisation or a project of their choice. To highlight support for the world of art, each year the writing instrument presented to laureates bears the name of an historic patron.

In 2015, the limited edition Montblanc Patron of Art Luciano Pavarotti is a homage to the iconic operatic figure who not only introduced opera to a wide audience but also proved himself to be a humanist and committed patron of the arts. Away from the spotlight, Luciano Pavarotti devoted considerable time to young, promising singers who were able to benefit from free singing lessons given by the master.

The award is presented during ceremonies organised all over the world, in the presence of previous laureates and members of the international jury. This year, the event took place at the Kunsthalle in Basel on 18 June. Since the creation of the Montblanc Culture Arts Patronage Awards, more than 3.3 million Euro have been distributed and more than 220 projects supported.

The first Swiss woman to receive the Montblanc Award, Maja Hoffmann,
works behind the scenes to promote the arts, cinema and environmental programmes around the world. She actively supports artists through her Luma Foundation and sits on the board of many cultural institutions, helping to implement their innovative projects by putting them in touch with the most talented artists and architects. Her foundation promotes artistic projects that are particularly relevant to environmental causes, human rights, education and culture. She collaborates widely, not least with the New Museum of Contemporary Art (New York), the CCS Bard College (Annandale-on-Hudson, New York), the Serpentine Gallery and the Tate Modern (London), as well as the Zurich Kunsthalle and the Fotomuseum de Winterthour (Switzerland).

July 09, 2015