# Carnegie Prize

The Carnegie Prize is an international art prize awarded by the Carnegie Museum of Art in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. It currently consists of a $10,000 cash prize accompanied by a gold medal.

## History

The Carnegie Prize was established in 1896, to recognize the best painting shown in the first annual exhibition of the Museum of Art, Carnegie Institute. Unlike most American annual exhibitions, which were limited to artists born or resident in the United States, the Carnegie exhibitions were international. To attract top painters from home and abroad, the Carnegie exhibitions offered high cash prizes—$1,500 for the First Class winner, $1,000 for the Second-Class winner and $500 for the Third-Class winner. The First-Class winner's cash prize was accompanied by the Carnegie Gold Medal of Honor (1896), designed by Tiffany & Co. and cast by J.E. Caldwell & Co. Often, especially in the early years, the prize-winning painting was purchased for the museum's permanent collection.
The exhibition has undergone a series of name changes and transformations—adding a gold medal for sculpture (beginning in 1958), and going from a schedule of every year to every second or third year, and now, to every fourth or fifth year. The exhibitions in the late 1970s were retrospectives of established artists. In 1982, the exhibition was renamed the Carnegie International, and returned to its original mission of showing recent works by a host of artists. In 1985, the Carnegie Prize was refocused to recognize not just a single work of art but an honoree's entire body of work. In the 1990s, the exhibition expanded to include non-traditional artists and filmmakers.
As of 2019, 67 Carnegie Prizes had been awarded and one was refused (Irish painter Francis Bacon, 1967). The Spanish sculptor Eduardo Chillida was awarded it twice (1964 for an individual sculpture, 1979 for his body of work). American painter Cecilia Beaux was the first woman awarded the Carnegie Prize (1899); German sculptor Rebecca Horn was the second woman (1988). South African artist William Kentridge was the first filmmaker awarded it (1999). Documenta, the German contemporary art exhibition, was the only organization awarded the prize (1979). English artist Lynette Yiadom-Boakye was the first woman of color awarded the prize (2018).
The Carnegie International's prize should not be confused with the Carnegie Prize of the National Academy of Design, the Carnegie Prize of the Society of American Artists, the Carnegie Art Award (Sweden), or with the Carnegie Medal (literary award).

## List of Gold Medal winners

| Year | Artist | Image | Work | Collection | Notes |
| Annual Exhibition at the Museum of Art, Carnegie Institute | Annual Exhibition at the Museum of Art, Carnegie Institute | Annual Exhibition at the Museum of Art, Carnegie Institute | Annual Exhibition at the Museum of Art, Carnegie Institute | Annual Exhibition at the Museum of Art, Carnegie Institute | $1,500 cash award accompanied the gold medal |
| 1896 1st | John Lavery Ireland | | Lady in Brown | | |
| 1897 2nd | James Jebusa Shannon United States | | Miss Kitty | Carnegie Museum of Art, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania | The artist's daughter and two dogs |
| 1898 3rd | Dwight William Tryon United States | | Early Spring in New England | Freer Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C. | |
| 1899 4th | Cecilia Beaux United States | | Mother and Daughter (Mrs. Clement Acton Griscom & Frances Canby Griscom) | Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania | Gold Medal: 1900 Paris Exposition 1900 Temple Gold Medal (PAFA) First woman awarded a Carnegie Prize. (The next was not until 1988.) |
| 1900 5th | André Dauchez France | | The Kelp Gatherers | | |
| 1901 6th | Alfred H. Maurer United States | | An Arrangement | Whitney Museum of American Art, Manhattan, New York City | |
| 1902 7th | Exhibition of loaned works. No prizes awarded. | | | | |
| 1903 8th | Frank Weston Benson United States | | A Woman Reading | Beverly Arts Association, Chicago, Illinois | |
| 1904 9th | Walter Elmer Schofield United States | | Across the River | Carnegie Museum of Art, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania | |
| 1905 10th | Lucien Simon France | | Evening in a Studio | Iris & B. Gerald Cantor Center for Visual Arts, Stanford University, Stanford, California | |
| 1906 | No annual exhibition (due to museum expansion) | | | | |
| 1907 11th | Gaston La Touche France | | The Bath | | Ex collection: William S. Stimmel Ex collection: University Club of Pittsburgh Sold at Dargate Auction Galleries, Pittsburgh, 7 October 2017. |
| 1908 12th | Thomas W. Dewing United States | | The Necklace | Smithsonian American Art Museum, Washington, D.C. | |
| 1909 13th | Edmund C. Tarbell United States | | A Girl Crocheting | Arkell Museum, Canajoharie, New York | |
| 1910 14th | William Orpen Ireland | | Portrait of the Artist (Venus and Myself) | Carnegie Museum of Art, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania | |
| 1911 15th | John White Alexander United States | | A Ray of Sunlight (The Cellist) | private collection | |
| 1912 16th | Charles Sims England | | Pastorella | | Ex collection: William S. Stimmel |
| 1913 17th | Glyn Warren Philpot England | | The Marble Worker | Muskegon Museum of Art, Muskegon, Michigan | |
| 1914 18th | Edward Redfield United States | | The Village in Winter | Payne Gallery, Moravian College, Bethlehem, Pennsylvania | Ex collection: William S. Stimmel |
| 1915–1919 | No annual exhibitions (due to World War I) | | | | |
| International Exhibition of Paintings, Carnegie Institute, Pittsburgh | International Exhibition of Paintings, Carnegie Institute, Pittsburgh | International Exhibition of Paintings, Carnegie Institute, Pittsburgh | International Exhibition of Paintings, Carnegie Institute, Pittsburgh | International Exhibition of Paintings, Carnegie Institute, Pittsburgh | Name change |
| 1920 19th | Abbot Henderson Thayer United States | | Young Woman in Olive Plush (Woman in Green Velvet) | Addison Gallery of American Art, Phillips Academy, Andover, Massachusetts | |
| 1921 20th | Ernest Lawson United States | | Vanishing Mist | Carnegie Museum of Art, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania | |
| 1922 21st | George W. Bellows United States | | Elinor, Jean and Anna | Albright-Knox Art Gallery, Buffalo, New York | The artist's aunt, daughter and mother 1921 Beck Gold Medal (PAFA) |
| 1923 22nd | Arthur Bowen Davies United States | | Afterthoughts of Earth | | |
| 1924 23rd | Augustus John Wales | | Madame Suggia | Tate Britain, London, UK | |
| 1925 24th | Henri Le Sidaner France (born Mauritius) | | Window on the Bay of Villefranche | Huntington Museum of Art, Huntington, West Virginia | |
| 1926 25th | Ker-Xavier Roussel France | | The Garden (The Garden Window) | Carnegie Museum of Art, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania | |
| 1927 26th | Henri Matisse France | | Still Life: Bouquet and Compotier | Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, Richmond, Virginia | |
| 1928 27th | André Derain France | | Still Life | Carnegie Museum of Art, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania | |
| 1929 28th | Felice Carena Italy | | La Scuola | Banca Monte dei Paschi Collection, Siena, Italy | |
| 1930 29th | Pablo Picasso Spain | | Portrait of Mme Picasso | private collection | |
| 1931 30th | Franklin C. Watkins United States | | Suicide in Costume | Philadelphia Museum of Art | Depicts a dead man in clown costume holding a smoking gun. |
| 1932 | No annual exhibition (due to severity of the Great Depression) | | | | Cash award reduced to $1,000 |
| 1933 31st | André Dunoyer de Segonzac France | | Saint-Tropez | | |
| 1934 32nd | Peter Blume United States (born Russia) | | South of Scranton | Metropolitan Museum of Art | |
| 1935 33rd | Hipólito Hidalgo de Caviedes y Gómez Spain | | Elvira and Tiberio | | Ex collection: Fine Arts Society of San Diego Auctioned at Sotheby's NY, 18–19 November 1987 |
| 1936 34th | Leon Kroll United States | | The Road from the Cove | private collection | |
| 1937 35th | Georges Braque France | | The Yellow Cloth (The Yellow Tablecloth) | private collection | |
| 1938 36th | Karl Hofer Germany | | The Wind | Detroit Institute of Arts, Detroit, Michigan | |
| 1939 37th | Alexander Brook United States | | Georgia Jungle | Carnegie Museum of Art, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania | |
| 1940–1949 | No annual exhibitions (due to World War II). Instead, 9 exhibitions of American paintings. | | | | |
| Pittsburgh International Exhibition of Contemporary Painting | Pittsburgh International Exhibition of Contemporary Painting | Pittsburgh International Exhibition of Contemporary Painting | Pittsburgh International Exhibition of Contemporary Painting | Pittsburgh International Exhibition of Contemporary Painting | Exhibition reorganized as a biennial Cash award increased to $2,000 |
| 1950 38th | Jacques Villon France | | The Thresher | | Villon was a Cubist painter, and the brother of Marcel Duchamp. |
| 1951 | No exhibition | | | | |
| 1952 39th | Ben Nicholson England | | Azure | Carnegie Museum of Art, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania | |
| 1953 & 1954 | No exhibitions | | | | Exhibition reorganized as a triennial. |
| 1955 40th | Alfred Manessier France | | Crown of Thorns | Carnegie Museum of Art, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania | |
| 1956 & 1957 | No exhibitions | | | | |
| Pittsburgh International Exhibition of Contemporary Painting and Sculpture | Pittsburgh International Exhibition of Contemporary Painting and Sculpture | Pittsburgh International Exhibition of Contemporary Painting and Sculpture | Pittsburgh International Exhibition of Contemporary Painting and Sculpture | Pittsburgh International Exhibition of Contemporary Painting and Sculpture | Gold Medal for Sculpture added |
| 1958 41st Painting | Antoni Tàpies Spain | | Painting | Carnegie Museum of Art, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania | |
| 1958 41st Sculpture | Alexander Calder United States | | Mobile: Pittsburgh | Pittsburgh International Airport | |
| 1959 & 1960 | No exhibitions | | | | |
| 1961 42nd Painting | Mark Tobey United States | | Untitled | Carnegie Museum of Art, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania | |
| 1961 42nd Sculpture | Alberto Giacometti Switzerland | | Walking Man 1 | Carnegie Museum of Art, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania | |
| 1962 & 1963 | No exhibitions | | | | |
| Pittsburgh International Exhibition of Contemporary Art | Pittsburgh International Exhibition of Contemporary Art | Pittsburgh International Exhibition of Contemporary Art | Pittsburgh International Exhibition of Contemporary Art | Pittsburgh International Exhibition of Contemporary Art | "The traditional award structure of numbered prizes has been eliminated in favor of equal awards, four for painting and two for sculpture, each in the amount of $2,000." |
| 1964 43rd Painting | Ellsworth Kelly United States | | Blue, Black and Red | | |
| 1964 43rd Painting | Victor Pasmore England | | Red Abstract No. 5 | Bristol Museum & Art Gallery, Bristol, England. | |
| 1964 43rd Painting | Antonio Saura Spain | | Imaginary Portrait of Goya | Carnegie Museum of Art, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania | |
| 1964 43rd Painting | Pierre Soulages France | | 24 November '63 | Carnegie Museum of Art, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania | Meditation on the assassination of President John F. Kennedy |
| 1964 43rd Sculpture | Jean Arp Germany | | Sculpture Classique | Carnegie Museum of Art, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania | |
| 1964 43rd Sculpture | Eduardo Chillida Spain | | Modulation d'espace II | Lehmbruck Museum, Duisburg, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany | |
| 1965 & 1966 | No exhibitions | | | | |
| 1967 44th Painting | Francis Bacon Ireland | | | | Bacon refused the prize. |
| 1967 44th Painting | Josef Albers United States (born Germany) | | Homage to the Square: Vernal | Carnegie Museum of Art, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania | |
| 1967 44th Painting | Joan Miró Spain | | Queen Louise of Prussia | Carnegie Museum of Art, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania | |
| 1967 44th Sculpture | Victor Vasarely France (born Hungary) | | Alom | Carnegie Museum of Art, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania | |
| 1968 & 1969 | No exhibitions | | | | |
| 1970 45th | No prizes awarded | | | | |
| 1971–1976 | No exhibitions (due to construction of the Sarah Mellon Scaife Gallery). | | | | |
| Pittsburgh International Series | Pittsburgh International Series | Pittsburgh International Series | Pittsburgh International Series | Pittsburgh International Series | Exhibition reorganized as a biennial retrospective of a single artist's body of work. $50,000 Andrew W. Mellon Prize awarded to honoree. |
| 1977 46th | Pierre Alechinsky Belgium | | | | |
| 1978 | No exhibition | | | | |
| 1979 47th | Willem de Kooning United States (born Netherlands) | | | | $50,000 Andrew W. Mellon Prize split among 3 honorees |
| 1979 47th | Eduardo Chillida Spain | | | | |
| 1979 47th | Documenta II (1959), IV (1968) and VI (1977) Germany | | | | International contemporary art exhibition held in Germany |
| 1980 & 1981 | No exhibitions | | | | |
| Carnegie International Exhibition | Carnegie International Exhibition | Carnegie International Exhibition | Carnegie International Exhibition | Carnegie International Exhibition | Exhibition re-established as a triennial $10,000 Carnegie International Prize |
| 1982 48th | No prizes awarded | | | | |
| 1983 & 1984 | No exhibitions | | | | |
| 1985 49th Painting | Anselm Kiefer Germany | | Midgard | Carnegie Museum of Art, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania | |
| 1985 49th Sculpture | Richard Serra United States | | Carnegie | Carnegie Museum of Art, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania | |
| 1986 & 1987 | No exhibitions | | | | |
| 1988 50th | Rebecca Horn Germany | | The Hydra Forest: Performing Oscar Wilde | San Francisco Museum of Modern Art | Assemblage of electrical devices, glass, coal and other objects Second woman awarded a Carnegie Prize. |
| 1989 & 1990 | No exhibitions | | | | |
| 1991 51st | On Kawara Japan | | Date Paintings | Carnegie Museum of Art, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania | |
| 1992–1994 | No exhibitions | | | | |
| 1995 52nd Painting | Sigmar Polke Germany | | Hermes Trismegistos I-IV | De Pont Museum of Contemporary Art, Tilburg, North Brabant, Netherlands | |
| 1995 52nd Sculpture | Richard Artschwager United States | | Table Prepared in the Presence of Enemies | Carnegie Art Museum, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania | |
| 1996–1998 | No exhibitions | | | | |
| 1999/2000 53rd | William Kentridge South Africa | | Film: Stereoscope | | First filmmaker awarded a Carnegie Prize. |
| 2001–2003 | No exhibitions | | | | |
| 2004/2005 54th | Kutlug Ataman Turkey | | 40-channel video installation: Kuba | | Interviews with residents of Kuba, a shanty town in Istanbul. |
| 2006 & 2007 | No exhibitions | | | | |
| 2008 55th "Life on Mars" | Vija Celmins United States (born Latvia) | | Night Sky #12 | Carnegie Museum of Art, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania | Third woman awarded a Carnegie Prize. |
| 2009–2012 | No exhibitions | | | | |
| 2013 56th | Nicole Eisenman France | | Figure paintings and sculpture | | Fourth woman awarded a Carnegie Prize. |
| 2014–2017 | No exhibitions | | | | |
| 2018 57th | Lynette Yiadom-Boakye England | | Figure paintings and portraits | | Fifth woman awarded a Carnegie Prize. First woman of color awarded a Carnegie Prize. |