Basel, September 7, 2021. Baloise Group has a long-standing tradition of promoting talent. For many years, it has given access to careers with substance. The same idea of sponsorship is also paramount in the company's commitment to art - through acquisitions for its own collection and in the form of the Baloise Art Prize, awarded each year to two young and emerging artistic talents.
The two awards, which include a cash prize of CHF 30,000 each, are presented in the Statements sector of the Art Basel fair by a jury made up of renowned art specialists. In addition, Baloise buys groups of works by the prizewinners with the object of donating them to two leading European museums, currently the Museum für Gegenwart, Berlin and the MUDAM, Luxembourg.
Baloise's commitment to fostering the arts in the form of prize money, purchases of art works, financial support for Art Statements, and museum exhibitions for the prizewinners amounts to some CHF 250,000 each year. Many earlier prizewinners are now prominent members of the international art scene: www.baloiseart.com. During Art Basel 2021 (24-26.9.2021), the Baloise Studio will present all the winners and their works in Hall 2.2.
The nominees for the Baloise Art Prize 2021
Evgeny Antufiev, Vartan Avakian, Elaine Cameron-Weir, Jonathan Lyndon Chase, Cameron Clayborn, Matt Copson, Rafa Esparza, Edith Karlson, Caroline Mesquita, Hana Miletić, Diane Severin Nguyen, Andrés Pereira Paz, Jessi Reaves, Rose Simpson, Diamond Stingily, Dena Yago, Liu Yefu and Min Yoon.
This year's jury
Marie-Noëlle Farcy, Curator/Head of Collection, MUDAM, Luxembourg; Grażyna Kulczyk, art collector and founder of the Muzeum Susch; Stéphane Aquin, Director of the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts; Sven Beckstette, Curator at Hamburger Bahnhof - Museum für Gegenwart, Berlin and Martin Schwander, Fine Art Advisor of Baloise, Chairman of the jury.
The decision of the jury will be announced at the Art Basel media conference, Tuesday, 21 September, 2021, 2 p.m.
The Baloise Group is more than just a traditional insurance company. The changing security, safety and service needs of society in the digital age lie at the heart of its business activities. The approximately 7,700 employees of Baloise therefore focus on the wishes of their customers. The best possible customer service, combined with innovative products and services, makes Baloise the first choice for people who want to feel simply safe. Located at the heart of Europe, with its head office in Basel, the Baloise Group is a provider of prevention, pension, assistance and insurance solutions. Its core markets are Switzerland, Germany, Belgium and Luxembourg. In Switzerland, with Baloise Bank SoBa, the Group also operates as a specialised financial services provider, offering a combination of insurance and banking services. The Group offers innovative pension products to private customers throughout Europe from its competence centre in Luxembourg. The shares of Bâloise Holding Ltd are listed in the main segment of SIX Swiss Exchange.
