Shirin Neshat and El Anatsui among Praemium Imperiale winners

THE NEW YORK TIMES
By Andrew R. Chow

SHIRIN NESHAT From 'Soliloquy' series, 1999 Black and white photograph 11 x 14 in. Courtesy of Paddle 8

The dancer Mikhail Baryshnikov and the visual artist Shirin Neshat are among the five winners of this year’s prestigious Praemium Imperiale award given by the Japan Art Association. This award, for lifetime achievement, carries a prize of 15 million yen (approximately $137,000) and will be presented at a ceremony in Tokyo on Oct. 18. Each recipient is from a different country: In addition to Ms. Neshat of Iran and Mr. Baryshnikov, who is Russian American, the other winners are the Ghanaian sculptor El Anatsui, the Spanish architect Rafael Moneo and the Senegalese musician Youssou N’Dour. [More]