Art Basel Awards reveal 2025 medalists reshaping the future of art

Thirty-six global figures across disciplines honoured in a groundbreaking initiative redefining excellence in contemporary art.

Art Basel in Basel 2024. Courtesy of Art Basel.

In a landmark move set to redefine how the global art world celebrates impact and innovation, the 2025 Art Basel Awards have announced their inaugural group of 36 medalists. These visionary figures—ranging from pioneering artists and curators to emerging creators, cultural patrons, and behind-the-scenes specialists—have been selected for their exceptional contributions to contemporary art. As the first international honours of their kind, the Art Basel Awards aim to recognise not only individual brilliance but also the broader ecosystems that drive artistic advancement today.

This year’s honourees include a remarkable cross-section of talent: British trailblazer Lubaina Himid, known for her role in the UK’s Black Arts Movement and slated to represent Britain at the 2026 Venice Biennale; conceptual art icon Adrian Piper; and Meriem Bennani, whose digital-video practice fuses postcolonial critique with humour and absurdity. The list also features interdisciplinary leaders like fashion designer Grace Wales Bonner, whose work bridges style and diasporic literature, and RAW Material Company, a Dakar-based think tank that continues the legacy of late curator Koyo Kouoh. Each of these Medalists was selected by an international jury from a diverse pool of globally influential voices.

ARTISTS – ICON: Lubaina Himid. Courtesy of the artist.

Medals were awarded across nine categories—Icon Artists, Established Artists, Emerging Artists, Cross-Disciplinary Creators, Patrons, Institutions, Curators, Allies, and Storytellers—signalling a shift from competition-based accolades toward community-focused recognition. “The Art Basel Awards are not a competition, but a beacon,” said Vincenzo de Bellis, Chair of the Awards and Art Basel’s Director of Fairs & Exhibition Platforms. “They shine a light on those working with radical vision and commitment to building communities of practice and exchange.”

CROSS-DISCIPLINARY CREATORS: Grace Wales Bonner. Photo: Liz Johnson Artur.

The full list of 2025 medalists is as follows:

ARTISTS – ICON: David Hammons · Lubaina Himid · Joan Jonas · Adrian Piper · Betye Saar · Cecilia Vicuña

ARTISTS – ESTABLISHED: Nairy Baghramian · Tony Cokes · Cao Fei · Ibrahim Mahama · Delcy Morelos · Ho Tzu Nyen

ARTISTS – EMERGING: Mohammad Alfaraj · Meriem Bennani · Pan Daijing · Saodat Ismailova · Lydia Ourahmane · Sofia Salazar Rosales

CROSS-DISCIPLINARY CREATORS: Formafantasma · Saidiya Hartman · Grace Wales Bonner

CROSS-DISCIPLINARY CREATORS: Formfantasma. Courtesy: Formafantasma. Photo: Simon @simon171

PATRONS: Shane Akeroyd · Maja Hoffmann · Joel Wachs

INSTITUTIONS: ART + PRACTICE · Jameel Arts Centre · RAW Material Company

CURATORS: Candice Hopkins · Shanay Jhaveri · Eungie Joo

ALLIES: Art Handlxrs* · Gasworks / Triangle Network · Sandra Terdjman

MEDIA AND STORYTELLERS: Negar Azimi · Barbara Casavecchia · The Journal of Curatorial Studies

The medalists will be honoured during Art Basel’s flagship fair in Switzerland this June, with their contributions further amplified at the first annual Art Basel Awards Summit on 20 June. This new forum will convene global leaders across art and creative industries, fostering dialogue on the future of art and its supporting structures. Later in the year, the Medalists themselves will participate in a peer-driven selection process to determine 12 Gold Medalists—the highest distinction in the Art Basel Awards—ushering in a new era where changemakers are elevated by their peers.

Art Basel closed their inaugural announcement with a tribute to Koyo Kouoh

In loving memory of Koyo Kouoh (December 24, 1967 – May 10, 2025). A revered museum leader, curator, and juror for this year’s edition, Koyo’s life and legacy are honoured by the Awards she helped shape. Her spirit of bold vision, cultural advocacy, and dedication to nurturing future generations remains embedded in the very mission of the Art Basel Awards, which now carry forward her enduring example.

Koyo Kouoh (1967-2025) was Executive Director and Chief Curator of Zeitz Museum of Contemporary Art Africa (Zeitz MOCAA) in Cape Town from May 2019 until her death in May 2025. She was the founding Artistic Director of RAW Material Company, Dakar, Senegal. In December 2024 she was appointed by the Board of La Biennale di Venezia to curate the 61st International Art Exhibition, scheduled to open in May 2026. © Mirjam Kluka.