National Award for Plastic Arts (Spain)

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National Award for Plastic Arts (Spain)

The National Award for Plastic Arts, or Premio Nacional de Artes Plásticas, is Spain’s national prize recognizing outstanding work in the plastic arts. It is one of Spain’s National Culture Awards for Fine Arts, and it is awarded annually by the Ministry of Culture and Sport.

Key facts
- Established: 1980
- Awarded by: Ministry of Culture and Sport (Spain)
- Prize: 30,000 euros
- Purpose: To recognize meritorious work by contemporary plastic artists. The award honors works or actions published in the previous year that enrich Spain’s cultural heritage. Although the prize is administered by an official body, the winners reflect values and feelings of society.
- Nominations: Candidates can be proposed by a jury or by organizations connected to artistic or cultural activities, with proposals sent to the Minister of Culture or to the jurors.

Notable moment
- In 2010, artist Santiago Sierra rejected the award, saying he would not participate due to concerns about the state’s use of the prize.

Winners (selected highlights)
- 1980: Juan Manuel Díaz Caneja; Antoni Cumella; Albert Ràfols-Casamada; Martín Chirino; Carola Torres; Manuel Boix
- 1981: Manuel Ángeles Ortiz; Andreu Alfaro; Joan Hernández Pijuan; Luis Gordillo; José Hernández
- 1982: Eduardo Arroyo; Josep Guinovart; Julio López Hernández; Carmen Laffón; Rafael Canogar
- 1983: Francesc Català Roca; Alfonso Fraile; Lucio Muñoz; Manolo Valdés; Darío Villalba
- 1984: Juan Genovés; José Caballero; Manuel Hernández Mompó; Baltasar Lobo; Agustí Centelles
- 1985–1990: various winners including Juan Barjola; Guillermo Pérez Villalta; Miquel Navarro; Miquel Barceló; Susana Solano; José María Sicilia
- 2011: Elena Asins
- 2012: Jaume Plensa
- 2013: Carmen Calvo
- 2014: Jordi Teixidor de Otto
- 2015: Concha Jerez
- 2016: Juan Hidalgo Codorniu
- 2017: Ángela de la Cruz
- 2018: Ángel Bados
- 2019: Àngels Ribé
- 2020: José María Yturralde
- 2021: Dora García

The National Award for Plastic Arts is one of Spain’s main honors for contemporary art, helping to highlight artists who contribute to Spain’s cultural heritage.