Polish-American architect Daniel Libeskind wins the Architecture category of the Praemium Imperiale Awards – the ‘Nobel Prize of the Arts’, established to fulfil the wish of the late Prince Takamatsu of Japan “to contribute to the enhancement and promotion of the cultures and arts of the world.”

Daniel Libeskind with the Jewish Museum Berlin sketch on site, May 2026. (Photo: Roland Horn © The Japan Art Association)

Guided by a deep passion for music, philosophy, and literature, Libeskind creates architecture that is emotionally resonant, innovative, and sustainable. As Principal Design Architect of Studio Libeskind, he leads a multidisciplinary practice engaged in a wide range of projects worldwide. The studio’s portfolio includes museums, concert halls, convention centres, university campuses, hotels, shopping complexes, and residential towers. Libeskind is also a prominent voice in the field, frequently speaking at universities and professional conferences on the art and impact of architecture.

His work and ideas have been featured in numerous exhibitions and publications, shaping contemporary architectural discourse and influencing the evolution of cities and cultural spaces. He has received numerous accolades for his contributions, including the Goethe Medal, the Hiroshima Art Prize, the DresdenPeace Prize, and the European Civil Rights Prize of the Sinti and Roma.

Bundeswehr Museum of Military History, Dresden, Germany, 2011. (Photo: Roland Horn © The Japan Art Association)

Established in 1988 to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the Japan Art Association, the Praemium Imperiale honours the legacy of the late Prince Takamatsu, who was committed to making a contribution to “the enhancement and promotion of the cultures and arts of the world” and who served as Honorary Patron of the Association for 58 years. Often referred to as the ‘Nobel Prize of the Arts.’ the award recognises individuals or groups whose achievements have had a profound international influence in their respective fields. Awards are given in the categories of Painting, Sculpture, Architecture, Music and Theatre/Film, covering fields of achievement not represented by the Nobel Prizes.

Jewish Museum Berlin, Germany, 2001. (Photo: Roland Horn © The Japan Art Association)

The 2026 Laureates join a list of 185 artists that includes Ingmar Bergman, Leonard Bernstein, Peter Brook, Anthony Caro, Christo and Jeanne-Claude, Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau, Norman Foster, Frank Gehry, Jean-LucGodard, David Hockney, Willem de Kooning, Akira Kurosawa, Renzo Piano, Robert Rauschenberg, MstislavRostropovich, and Ravi Shankar.

Each year, nomination committees chaired by International Advisors submit candidate lists across the five disciplines. The current Advisors are:

• Mr. Lamberto Dini (former Prime Minister of Italy)
• Lord Patten of Barnes (former Chancellor of the University of Oxford)
• Prof. Klaus-Dieter Lehmann (former President of the Goethe-Institut)
• Mr. Jean-Pierre Raffarin (former Prime Minister of France)
• Secretary Hillary Rodham Clinton (former U.S. Secretary of State)

The final selections are made by committees within the Japan Art Association and approved by its board of trustees. Former International Advisors such as David Rockefeller, Jr. and François Pinault (President of the Pinault Collection) continue to support the award as Honorary Advisors. The annual Awards Ceremony, attended by Princess Hitachi, is a highlight of Japan’s cultural calendar. The 2026 Ceremony will be held on October 28th in Tokyo.

Other recipients of Praemium Imperiale 2026 Awards were: Cate Blanchett (theatre/film), Andy Goldsworthy (sculpture), Jenny Holzer (painting), and Herbert Blomstedt (music). The 2026 Grant for Young Artists was awarded to La Source Garouste, a French organisation founded by contemporary artist Gérard Garouste and his wife, Élizabeth in 1991 based on their belief that artists have a social responsibility and dedicated to supporting children and driving social change through art.

The Ogden Centre for Fundamental Physics, 2016 Durham, U.K. (Photography Hufton+Crowh, courtesy of Shigeru Ban Architects).

Past Architecture Laureates include: James Stirling, Frank Gehry, Kenzo Tange, Renzo Piano, Tadao Ando, Richard Rogers, Jean Nouvel, Norman Foster, Rem Koolhaas, Jacques Herzog and Pierre de Meuron, Peter Zumthor, Zaha Hadid, David Chipperfield, Rafael Moneo, Christian de Portzamparc, Glenn Murcutt, SANAA, Diébédo Francis Kéré, Shigeru Ban and Eduardo Souto de Moura.