APOLLO MAGAZINE NAMES RECIPIENTS OF THE 2010 APOLLO AWARDS AT BONHAMS RECEPTION
Oscar Humphries, Apollo’s Editor, announced the winners of the 2010 Apollo Awards at a reception held at Bonhams Auction House on November 25th.
The winners were chosen by the editorial team at Apollo and by its editorial board, which includes academics, museum directors, and former Apollo Magazine editors. There are five categories. Personality of the Year, Book of the Year, Exhibition of the Year, Museum opening of the Year, and Acquisition of the Year.
Personality of the Year 2010: Sam Keller, Director of the Foundation Beyeler and the former Director of Art Basel
“Sam Keller remains, even in his 40’s, something of a prodigy. Under him Art Basel was re-energized and its place as Europe’s foremost Modern and Contemporary Art Fair cemented. Since taking over the Beyeler Foundation in 2008 he has staged exhibitions that far exceed the normal remit and constraints of a small private museum.”
Previous winners of Apollo’s Personality of the Year have included Neil McGregor,Jacob Rothschild, Philippe de Montebello, and Nicholas Serota.
Book of the Year 2010: French Porcelain in the Collection of Her Majesty the Queen by Geoffrey de Bellaigue. Published by Royal Collection Publications.
“For scholars, collectors and dealers in 18th and 19th century French porcelain and also for those of us who simply love beautiful things this is a book to be treasured. This book has been 30 years in the making and the author and the publishers should be applauded for their dedication and ambition – this is a work of great scholarship”
Exhibition of the Year 2010: The Sacred Made Real: Spanish Painting and Sculpture 1600-1700, National Gallery London, National Gallery of Art Washington
“This was for many of us who visited the exhibition, a revelatory experience. This was both a beautiful looking show but one that had real and significant curatorial substance. It revealed to us not only the wonder of Spanish painting of this period but, crucially, the sculpture, showing the dramatic symbiosis between painting and sculpture “
Museum Opening of the Year 2010: Art of The Americas Wing, Museum of Fine Arts Boston
The Director of the Museum of Fine Art’s Boston was our 2009 Personality of the Year. This year the museum opened its Foster + Partner designed Art of The Americas Wing. Over 50,000 square feet of new exhibition space will give the museum a unique opportunity to show over 5,000 objects – over half of which were not previously on display to retell the
Acquisition of the Year 2010: The Stafforshire Hoard - Birmingham Museums and Art Gallery. Potteries Museum and Art Gallery, Stoke-on-Trent
“This is an acquisition of unique national and international importance. It was appropriate that the hoard remain in the UK. There is still so much to be learned about Anglo Saxon culture from these objects. ”
Stephen Deutchar, Director of the Art Fund, spoke at the Awards Ceremony about the great advantages of working together to secure important works of art, like the hoard, for the nation. He accepted the award on behalf of all those involved in the acquisition and fundraising process.
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Launched in 1925 as Apollo Magazine is the one of only art magazines to cover both historic and contemporary art. Since 1992, Apollo has been rewarding excellence in the arts every year in its December issue and now does so coinciding the print announcements with an annual awards ceremony.