BREMEN.- The Pauli-Prize is one of the most prestigious prizes for contemporary art in Germany and will be awarded for the 49th time this year. It was renamed in honour of Gustav Pauli (1866-1938), the first director of the Kunsthalle Bremen. Some of the museum’s most celebrated works of modern art came into to the collection thanks to Pauli’s progressive acquisition policy. Presenting the eight nominated artists from 24 August to 13 October, the Pauli-Prize remains dedicated to this forward-looking mind-set.

The award exhibition, presenting works by the eight nominated artists, will be held from 24 August to 13 October, 2024 at the Kunsthalle Bremen. The artists were selected by six international curators as well as Prof. Dr. Christoph Grunenberg, director of the Kunsthalle Bremen, and by the Donor’s Circle for the Pauli-Prize. During the course of the exhibition, a prestigious five-member jury of experts will choose the winner. The prize will be presented on 17 September 2024.

The 30,000 Euro Pauli-Prize will be awarded for the 49th time in 2024. It was founded by the HAG AG in 1954 as the Prize of the Böttcherstraße and was awarded annually in the Böttcherstraße in Bremen. In 2024, the Prize of the Böttcherstraße was renamed Pauli-Prize. Since 1985, the exhibition has been shown every two years at the Kunsthalle Bremen and has been supported by the Donors’ Circle.

The following eight artists have been nominated for the 49th Pauli-Prize:

• Katrin Brause (*1972 in Leipzig, lives and works in Leipzig)
nominated by Anna Wesle, Museum Franz Gertsch, Burgdorf/ Switzerland

• Benjamin Hirte (*1980 in Aschaffenburg, lives and works in Vienna) nominated by Severin Dünser, curator, Vienna

• Christof John (*1984 in Hanover, lives and works in Cologne) nominated by Dr. Roland Mönig, Von der Heydt-Museum, Wuppertal

• Annika Kahrs (*1984 in Achim, lives and works in Hamburg and Berlin) nominated by the Donors’ Circle for the Pauli-Prize, Kunstverein in Bremen

• Marcus Neufanger (*1964 in Nuremberg, lives and works in Schwäbisch Hall) nominated by Prof. Dr. Christoph Grunenberg, Kunsthalle Bremen

• Cemile Sahin (*1990 in Wiesbaden, lives and works in Berlin) nominated by Mirjam Varadinis, Kunsthaus Zürich

• Gabriele Stötzer (*1953 in Emleben, lives and works in Erfurt) nominated by Hilke Wagner, Albertinum, Dresden

• Jenna Sutela (*1983 in Turku, Finland, lives and works in Berlin) nominated by Stefanie Böttcher, Kunsthalle Mainz

Jury:

• Dr. Yilmaz Dziewior, Director of the Museum Ludwig, Cologne
• Johan Holten, Director of the Kunsthalle Mannheim
• Prof. Susanne Pfeffer, Director of the Museum für Moderne Kunst, Frankfurt
• Christoph Ruckhäberle, artist, Leipzig
• Dr. Andrea Schlieker, Director of Exhibitions and Displays at Tate Britain, London

The exhibition and the prize have been made possible by the Donors’ Circle for the Pauli-Prize.

Background information on the Pauli-Prize

The name Pauli stands for progress and a bold acquisition policy. The name of the prize reflects Gustav Pauli’s advanced attitude. Celebrated modern works by Courbet, Manet, Monet, Rodin and van Gogh in the past – at the time highly controversial – were acquired thanks to Pauli’s courageous activities. He promoted the idea of a modern art museum as a democratic institution rooted in the present and open to all social classes. The Pauli-Prize promotes contemporary art in the spirit of Gustav Pauli. The Pauli- Prize is entirely funded by the Donors’ Circle for the Pauli-Prize, which consists of a group of members of the Kunstverein in Bremen, by the Senator for Culture of the Free Hanseatic City of Bremen and by the Sparkasse Bremen. Since 1985, the Donors’ Circle has the supported the presentation of the prize and the award in the Kunsthalle Bremen and makes possible its continued existence.

Thanks to the Donors’ Circle, works of art by award winners in the past have been acquired for the collection of the Kunsthalle Bremen, including pieces by Karimah Ashadu (2022), Ulrike Müller (2020), Nina Beier (2014), Daniel Knorr (2012), Thea Djordjadze (2009), Ulla von Brandenburg (2007), Clemens von Wedemeyer (2005), Tino Sehgal (2003), Olafur Eliasson (1997) and Wolfgang Tillmans (1995).