COURTESY J. PAUL GETTY CENTER
Artist Anselm Kiefer and writer Mario Vargas Llosa are the recipients of this year’s J. Paul Getty Medal, which is given annually and awards two notable artists. They will receive their awards at a dinner at New York’s Morgan Library and Museum in November.
Kiefer, who hails from Germany, is known for creating painterly allegories about trauma and war, while Vargas Llosa is one of Peru’s most important writers. Unlike last year’s medalists—one was Ellsworth Kelly, who had died several months prior to the announcement—both recipients are very much alive.
In a statement, Maria Hummer-Tuttle, the chair of the J. Paul Getty Board of Trustees, said that Kiefer and Vargas Llosa are “two of the world’s great artists.” She added that they are “both engaged in big ideas and historic moments, and they share with the Getty a passionate commitment to global culture.”