Louvre Abu Dhabi announces winner of 4th Richard Mille Art Prize

Photo : Abu Dhabi Media Office

Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan bin Khalifa Al Nahyan, a former advisor to the UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs and a well-known art supporter, attended the award ceremony at Louvre Abu Dhabi. This event was a partnership between Louvre Abu Dhabi and Richard Mille to announce the winner of the fourth Richard Mille Art Prize. The winner is Nicène Kossentini, a well-known artist from Tunisia. She received the prize of $60,000 during the ceremony on 11 December 2024.

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Nicène Kossentini is an artist famous for mixing different art styles and exploring the ideas of time, memories, and change through her work. Her winning artwork is called Landscapes. It consists of five video pieces that show empty and quiet landscapes from the central and southern parts of Tunisia. These images slowly fade and freeze under layers of wax, representing how places, memories, and time can disappear. Her work invites viewers to think about the passing of time and the delicate nature of memories and emotions.

Kossentini was chosen by a jury of five members. Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan bin Khalifa Al Nahyan led the group. The other members were Dr. Guilhem André from Louvre Abu Dhabi, Simon Njami (guest curator for Art Here 2024), Nujoom Alghanem (a well-known Emirati artist and film director), and Maya Allison (the director of the Art Gallery at NYU Abu Dhabi).

Manuel Rabaté, the Director of Louvre Abu Dhabi, spoke about the importance of Art Here. He said, “Every time we have Art Here, we see how art continues to grow and change in this part of the world. This year’s theme Awakenings inspired many amazing and creative artworks. We are very grateful to Richard Mille for supporting this prize and giving artists the opportunity to share their creations with audiences from all over the world.”

Simon Njami, the curator of Art Here 2024, shared that the decision to choose the winner was very hard because the quality of all five shortlisted artists’ work was very high. However, the jury chose Nicène Kossentini’s Landscapes because it strongly connected with the theme Awakenings. It explores ideas like time, change, and finding new perspectives in a thoughtful and creative way.

The theme Awakenings was inspired by three key ideas from the three main languages of Louvre Abu Dhabi: Awakenings in English, ouvertures (openings in French), and آفاق (horizons in Arabic). These ideas are about new beginnings, openness, and discovery.

The featured artworks in Art Here 2024 were Tilling the Soil by Férielle Doulain-Zouari, Debutante Ball by Lamya Gargash, The Brides of the Sky by Moataz Nasr, Landscapes by Nicène Kossentini, and Shared Motion by Sarah Almehairi. These works came from talented artists from the GCC region and North Africa.

The exhibition will remain open at Louvre Abu Dhabi until 15 December 2024. The next edition of the Richard Mille Art Prize and Art Here will be announced in 2025. These events are important because they give artists a chance to share their creativity, connect with others, and inspire people from around the world.