PARIS.- Cahiers d’Art announced that their Ellsworth Kelly Catalogue Raisonné has been awarded the inaugural Pierre Daix Prize, created in 2015 by François Pinault in honor of his long friendship with Pierre Daix, who passed away on 2 November 2014. The award was presented at a ceremony today Monday, November 23 at the Musée Picasso in Paris.
The prize honors an art historical work that studies modern and contemporary art from the XX and XXI centuries. It is the first year for the annual initiative, whose jury includes Jean-Jacques Aillagon, Luca Massimo Barbero, Laurence Bertrand Dorléac, Jean-Marie Borzeix, Brigitte Leal, Laurent Le Bon (director of Musee Picasso, Paris), Alain Minc, Markus Müller, Alfred Pacquement et Marie-Karine Schaub.
The Catalogue Raisonné of Paintings, Reliefs and Sculpture, 1940-1953 was written by Kelly scholar Yve-Alain Bois in direct collaboration with the artist. The first volume chronicles Kelly’s formative years as a student at the School of the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston and as a young artist living in Paris, where he began painting the abstract forms which would later define his career. The comprehensive publication contains thorough and insightful texts, high-quality images of individual works and preparatory drawings, along with provenance, exhibition history, and bibliographic information, making it an irreplaceable reference tool.
Cahiers d'Art is a legendary publishing house, gallery, and revue founded in 1926 by Christian Zervos in the heart of Saint Germain-des-Prés in Paris. Relaunched in 2012 by Swedish collector Staffan Ahrenberg, Cahiers d’Art today remains true to its 1926 roots—with an unwavering commitment to quality without compromise.
“Pierre was a cherished friend, and an outstanding writer and historian. He dedicated his life to sharing his erudition through his remarkable body of work. Having suffered through the turmoil of the 20th century in body and soul, he considered his absolute duty to promote history and knowledge. As a tribute to his memory, I made the decision a year ago to create a prize which bears his name to honor each year a distinguished book on modern and contemporary art history. It gives me enormous pleasure to congratulate this year's winners.” - François Pinault
The Pierre Daix Prize was created in 2015 by François Pinault in honor of his long friendship with Pierre Daix, who passed away on 2 November 2014.
Journalist, writer, French Resistance fighter and camp prisoner, Pierre Daix was a prominent specialist in art history. He devoted a large part of his writing to painting and his friend Picasso, but also to Gauguin, Hartung, Manet, Matisse, Rodin and Soulages.
The Pierre Daix Prize is presented annually for an art history book covering modern or contemporary art (20th and 21st centuries), French or foreign, in any category (biography, monograph, essay or essay collection).
The Prize is awarded by a judging panel of ten figures from the worlds of art and culture. The panel meets twice: an initial session in June to create a shortlist, followed by a second meeting in October to select the prizewinner.
