Paul Hamlyn Foundation announces awards of £60,000 to ten UK-based artists

Date
10 November 2017
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© Paul Hamlyn Foundation

Every year, the Paul Hamlyn Foundation awards ten individual visual artists and composers with a sum of money to support their careers. Yesterday (9 November), musician, writer and arts appreciator, Jarvis Cocker alongside chair of the Foundation, Jane Hamlyn, announced the recipients of this year’s Awards for Artists.

For 2017, visual artists Steven Claydon, Peter Kennard, Linder, Charlotte Prodger and Rehana Zaman were each granted £60,000 – a figure that marks a £10,000 increase from previous years, making Awards for Artists the largest individual subsidy for creatives in the UK. Alongside this, composers Laurence Crane, Mary Hampton, Leafcutter John, Serafina Steer and Byron Wallen each received the £60,000. Previous winners, whose careers have been supported by the Foundation include Jeremy Deller, Tomma Abts – both Turner Prize winners – and prolific video-artist Ed Atkins.

“Paul Hamlyn’s original determination to bring quality books to a mass audience, and thus bring culture to all, feels somewhat heroic in these divisive (and divided) time,” says Jarvis, adding that, “the award that bares his name carries on this tradition: providing a meaningful funds to artists at a time they really need it.”

Awards for Artists supports visual artists and composers at a pivotal moment in their careers, whether that be in their twenties or their seventies. Since its inception in 1994, the Foundation has benefited over 150 artists with funds of over £6million, affording said creatives the time and freedom to develop their ideas.

Moira Sinclair, chief executive of the Foundation commented about the increase in the prize money: “with a diminishing commercial market for music and the low value of commissions for all artists, it is harder to afford the time and space for creativity to flourish. We hope that the increase in the award value will, in a substantial way, counterbalance the pressures artists face today.”

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About the Author

Ruby Boddington

Ruby joined the It’s Nice That team as an editorial assistant in September 2017 after graduating from the Graphic Communication Design course at Central Saint Martins. In April 2018, she became a staff writer and in August 2019, she was made associate editor.

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