In 2006, Florence and Daniel Guerlain decided to focus their efforts on their passion for drawing and founded the contemporary Drawing Prize. Intended for artists for whom drawing – work on paper or cardboard, collages, wall drawings is a significant part of their work. All graphic means are allowed - pencil, charcoal, ink, wash tint, gouache, watercolour, pastel, felt tip or sanguine – except for computer or mechanical processes.
The three artists nominated, each year, by a committee of six experts may be of French or foreign nationality on condition that they entertain a privileged cultural link with France through institutional exhibitions, studies or being in residence there.
The winner is chosen by a jury of French and foreign collectors renewed each year
The winner receives an award of €15,000, while the two runners-up each receive an award of €5,000. In addition, a work by the winner is donated by the Foundation to the Prints and Drawings department at the Musée National d’Art Moderne-Centre Pompidou.
Since it was launched, the Drawing Prize has been awarded to: Silvia Bächli, Sandra Vásquez de la Horra, Catharina Van Eetvelde, Marcel Van Eeden, Jorinde Voigt, Susan Hefuna, Tomasz Kowalski, Jockum Nordström, Cameron Jamie, Ciprian Muresan, Mamma Andersson, Claire Morgan, Juan Uslé, Françoise Pétrovitch, Olga Chernysheva and Pascal Leyder.
Members of the 2024 jury :
Harry Tappan Heher, American, Burkhard Heyl, German, Damiana Leoni Italian, Claudina Trapani Paauw, Dutch, Gérard Boulois, Patricia Dupin, Philippe Lhotte, Florence & Daniel Guerlain, French.
Members of the committee :
Emmanuelle Brugerolles, Honorary General Curator of Heritage,
Yuan-Chih Cheng, adviser to the Department of Artistic Creation at the French Ministry of Culture;
Hervé Halgand, collector;
Lucia Pesapane, conservator and exhibition curator,
Florence and Daniel Guerlain, collectors and founders of the Drawing Prize.
The Drawing Prize is sponsored by “Le Cercle des Amis”, Neuflize OBC, la Maison Guerlain, Neuflize OBC bank, Artcurial, Artprice by ArtMarket.com, Voisin Consulting Life Sciences, Groupe Élysées Monceau, Groupe Pasteur Mutualité, PatrimOne Assurances, Arte Generali, the Salon du Dessin, La Maison Ruinart.