LONDON.- The curatorial teams behind two ‘outstanding’ exhibitions have been announced as joint winners of the inaugural Curatorial Prizes by the Association for Art History during a special presentation in London this evening.

The winners are Helen Ritchie and Magdalene Odundo for their exhibition Magdalene Odundo in Cambridge (October 2021 to July 2022) at The Fitzwilliam Museum in Cambridge and Julia Griffin, Roisin Inglesby and Andrzej Szczerski for their exhibition, Young Poland: An Arts and Crafts Movement (1890-1918) at the William Morris Gallery in London (October 2021 to January 2022).

The winners were selected by an eminent panel, consisting of Christopher Baker (former Director, European and Scottish Portraiture, National Galleries of Scotland), Nicholas Cullinan (Director, National Portrait Gallery), Mark Sealy (Director, Autograph), Deborah Smith (Director, Arts Council Collection) and Jane Bhoyroo (Principal Keeper, Leeds Art Gallery).

The establishment of Curatorial Prizes, which will now be presented annually, is the latest component of a broader initiative led by the Association for Art History, the subject association for Art History in the UK. The initiative began in 2020 to support curatorial practice in museums, galleries and related institutions by creating opportunities for professional development, information and knowledge exchange and networking. The Prizes, sponsored by Cromwell Place, are part of the Association’s effort to promote and advocate the value of curatorial work. 




Projects were assessed in terms of four factors: how the exhibition demonstrates excellence in art historical research, in terms of rigour, originality or impact on the field; whether the exhibition demonstrates contemporary relevance of art and its histories; whether it communicates effectively with its intended audiences and whether it will help to broaden and make more inclusive the subject and practice of art history.

The announcement was made at the Association for Art History’s Annual Lecture, which this year was delivered by acclaimed curator and writer, Hammad Nasar, who presented on The Discomfort of Repair: Exhibition-making as ‘pushing hands’ with art’s histories.

Christopher Baker, judge for The Association for Art History Curatorial Prize, commented: “We awarded two exhibitions with prizes, as in different ways they represented outstanding achievements. The ‘Young Poland’ exhibition was supported by rigorous research and engaged with an important community local to the William Morris Gallery, but also had a wider resonance as it was the first project in the UK to draw attention to a fascinating, international Arts and Crafts Movement.”

Gregory Perry, CEO of the Association for Art History comments: “We created the curatorial prizes to highlight the excellent work that curators in art museums and galleries do to bring our cultural heritage to light for broad audiences. We all benefit from the research they undertake and the presentation of works of art and ideas that are part of curated exhibitions. The prizes recognise not only curatorial excellence, but the contribution curators make to our awareness and appreciation of our global cultural patrimony.

“We were all impressed by the quality and breadth of exhibitions nominated, ranging from those at major national institutions to regional galleries, from medieval to contemporary and representing art and visual culture work from all parts of the world. While the two exhibitions chosen were distinctly different in approach, they shared some key similarities: both featured strong connections to local communities while evincing an international world view; they both incorporated the work of contemporary artists into the display of historical objects and were closely allied with the missions and collections of the host institutions.”

Elizabeth Dellert, Membership & Business Development Director at Cromwell Place, says of the Association: “Like the AAH, Cromwell Place are deeply committed to the support and championing of professionals in the arts; and as such, are thrilled to sponsor this year’s AAH Curatorial Prize, with a view to growing the awards programme in years to come.”