2019 Montblanc de la Culture Arts Patronage Award

The Montblanc de la Culture Foundation announced the winners of the 2019 Montblanc de la Culture Arts Patronage Award. In its 28th edition, the award recognized the work of philanthropists from Brazil, Colombia, Mexico, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Korea, Italy, Russia, Spain, Switzerland, the United Kingdom, and the United States. Granted to patrons from around the world, the prize acknowledges those individuals whose steadfast support and commitment offers the arts new ways to flourish. According to Montblanc de la Culture Foundation Chairmen Sam Bardaouil and Till Fellrath, the recipients of this year's award, through their various philanthropic projects, were selected "because of their outstanding history of personal commitment and support of the work by young and emerging artists and cultural producers. They each enable artists to create socially engaged work that benefits their respective communities." Vincent Montalescot, board member of the Montblanc de la Culture Foundation, added: "This award sheds light on the patrons who have an impact on artistic communities and society through their passion and commitment. Through the years, it has become a platform that encourages new generations of benefactors to leave their mark by enriching the minds of audiences and inspiring them with the fresh creative visions of artists from all over the globe." The following Latin Americans are among the recipients of the 2019 Montblanc de la Culture Arts Patronage Award: Marcelo Rosenbaum (Brazil) received the Várzea Queimada Award, a multidisciplinary residency in a community of 900 inhabitants located in the Brazilian state of Piauí. The residency offers artists, designers, and researchers a space to develop new projects that seek to preserve ancestral arts, craftsmanship, and the way of life of this community. Oscar Muñoz (Colombia) was awarded the Lugar a Dudas Founding Award. A contemporary art center in Cali, Colombia, Lugar a Dudas develops several lines of work in-house and also offers spaces and opportunities for external projects and discussions proposed by groups, artists, and communities at the local and national levels. Aimée Labarrere de Servitje (Mexico) was recognized for her continuous support of several artistic organizations in Mexico and other countries, including: the Fundación Olga y Rufino Tamayo, the Patronato de Arte Contemporáneo A.C., and the Museo Universitario de Arte Contemporáneo (MUAC), among others. Other 2019 winners are: Sandra Terdjman (France), Christoph Tannert (Germany), Robert Ho Yau Chung (Hong Kong), Raffaella Frascarelli and Stefano Sciarretta (Italy), Tae-Young Chung (Korea), Inna Bazhenova (Russia), and Han Nefkens (Spain). The award consists of a purse of 200,000 euros to support the recipients' respective projects.