Art Prize of the German Democratic Republic
Awarded for"outstanding creative and interpretive achievements" in art
CountryGerman Democratic Republic
Presented byMinistry of Culture of the Democratic Republic of Germany
First awarded1959
Currently held bydefunct; last awarded in 1990
Inge Keller (middle) after receiving the Art Prize, 30 March 1960. Note the medal on her right breast.

The Art Prize of the German Democratic Republic (German: Kunstpreis der Deutschen Demokratischen Republik) was an East German state award bestowed on individuals for contributions in various fields of art.

History

The Art Prize was annually awarded in recognition of "outstanding creative and interpretive achievements" in visual arts, applied arts, cinema, television, radio and entertainment. It could be conferred to individual recipients or in collective, to groups of no more than six people.[1] The recipients were awarded a silver-coated metal medal, 20 millimeter in diameter, with the inscription Kunstpreis.[2] Beside it, a single grantee would also be entitled to a sum of 6,000 East German Marks, while a collective would get a sum as high as 20,000. The Art Prize was the country's highest honor for artists, and was outranked only by the National Prize of East Germany.[3]

It was first awarded by Minister of Culture Alexander Abusch to nineteen recipients, on 22 January 1959.[4] The Ministry's decree declared that it was bestowed "in recognition of outstanding and unique artistic achievements and for promotion of artistic creativity."[5] The Art Prize was conferred twice more during the year, in April and October. It was again awarded thrice during 1960, in March, October and December. From 1961, it was conferred only once every year, on varying months.[6] The last presentation ceremony took place on the night of 3 October 1990, just before the state was dissolved.[7]

Notable recipients

See also

References

  1. ↑ Andreas Ludwig. Fortschritt, Norm und Eigensinn: Erkundungen im Alltag der DDR. Links (1999). ISBN 978-3-86153-190-6. Page 99.
  2. ↑ Günter Tautz. Orden, Preise und Medaillen: staatliche Auszeichnungen der Deutschen Demokratischen Republik. OCLC 8729042. Page 95.
  3. ↑ Bundesministerium für Gesamtdeutsche Fragen. Die SBZ von A bis Z: Ein Taschen- und Nachschlagewerk über die Sowjetische Besatzungszone Deutschlands. ASIN B001TL50K4. Page 30.
  4. ↑ Deutscher Schriftsteller-Verband. Neue deutsche Literatur. Schwartzkopff (1959). ISSN 0028-3150. Pages 154–155.
  5. ↑ Deutsches Institut für Zeitgeschichte. Jahrbuch der Deutschen Demokratischen Republik 1957–1961 (Volume 5). Verlag die Wirtschaft (1960). ASIN B003GH1JSG. Page 303.
  6. ↑ Erika Tschernig, Monika Kollega, Gudrun Müller. Unsere Kultur: DDR-Zeittafel, 1945–1987. Dietz Verlag (1989). ISBN 978-3-320-01132-1. Page 450.
  7. ↑ Ed Stuhler. Die letzten Monate der DDR – Die Regierung de Maizière und ihr Weg zur deutschen Einheit. Links (2010). ISBN 978-3-86153-570-6. Page 228.
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