The Swiss Art Awards, also named the Federal Art Competition, are recognitions that are awarded by the

Federal Office of Culture The Federal Office of Culture (FOC) is an administrative unit of the Federal Department of Home Affairs, based in Bern, Switzerland. The agency has two extensive areas of responsibility: promoting Swiss culture and preserving the country’s ...

(FOC) in the name of the

Confederation A confederation (also known as a confederacy or league) is a union of sovereign groups or states united for purposes of common action. Usually created by a treaty, confederations of states tend to be established for dealing with critical issu ...

History

The Swiss Art Awards stem from the oldest and most important measure of support to the arts of

Switzerland ). Swiss law does not designate a ''capital'' as such, but the federal parliament and government are installed in Bern, while other federal institutions, such as the federal courts, are in other cities (Bellinzona, Lausanne, Luzern, Neuchâtel ...

. They began in 1898 "as a federal grant for young artists, so as to raise the quality of Swiss Art." The competition and awards have been managed by the FOC since its introduction in 1975. The grants eventually turned into a competition, changing the name to Federal Art Competition in 1994 and Swiss Art Awards since 2014. The Swiss Art Awards competition and show are held during

Art Basel Art Basel is a for-profit, privately owned and managed, international art fair staged annually in Basel, Switzerland; Miami Beach; Hong Kong and from 2022, Paris. Art Basel works in collaboration with the host city's local institutions to help ...

since 1994. Since 2001, three to four Swiss Grand Awards for Art/Prix Meret Oppenheim are presented, out of a competition run by the Federal Commission for Art (FCA).

Principals

Artists, architects, art, and architecture mediators of Swiss origins or based in Switzerland, can submit their application to the FOC. After a first round the FCA chooses a selection of nominees who participate in the show and are considered for the award. Out of these, around ten candidates receive an award for their work along with 25,000 Swiss francs. The Swiss Grand Award for Art/Prix Meret Oppenheim on the other hand are awarded by the FCA out of a competition to individuals that have contributed to the study and influence of contemporary Swiss arts and architecture. These distinctions are accompanied with 40,000 Swiss francs to each winner to be used to fund an important project.FOC. "Swiss Grand Art Awards / Prix Meret Oppenheim, "www.bak.admin.ch"

Notes and references

Swiss awards European arts awards {{award-stub