Loewe Craft Prize - the Finalists

The fourth edition of the Loewe Foundation Craft Prize presents an exciting array of objects that prove a mastery of material, reimagine traditional techniques and display a brave willingness to experiment. Many of the artists chosen this year use found and upcycled materials in their work, and concern for the natural world expressed through organic forms is an omnipresent theme. The finalists, hailing from 6 continents and 18 different countries, range from recently graduated and newly emerging artists to well-known names and esteemed leaders in their fields. This year’s finalists were chosen by a panel of experts from 2,920 total submissions – a 15% increase since last year – by artisans representing 107 countries.

Glass object of finalist 2020 Jessica Loughlin, Australia.

The Craft Prize 2020 recognises the shortlisted artists as having made fundamentally important contributions to the development of contemporary craft. The legacy of the exhibition will be documented by a catalogue containing each of the finalists’ pieces. The annual prize was launched by the Loewe Foundation in 2016 to celebrate excellence, artistic merit and newness in modern craftsmanship. The award, which was conceived by creative director Jonathan Anderson, aims to acknowledge the importance of craft in today’s culture and recognise working artists whose talent, vision and will to innovate promise to set a new standard for the future. The prize was conceived as a tribute to Loewe’s beginnings as a collective craft workshop in 1846. Jonathan Anderson stated at the award’s inception: ‘Craft is the essence of Loewe. As a house, we are about craft in the purest sense of the word. That is where our modernity lies, and it will always be relevant.’ For the 2020 edition, a panel of 10 experts convened in Madrid for two days to review all the entries to the prize and select the shortlist. In their deliberations, the panel sought to identify the most outstanding works in terms of technical accomplishment, skills, innovation and artistic vision.

Metalvessels by Peter Bauhuis, one of the three finalists from Germany this year.

Regarding the selection process, Anatxu Zabalbeascoa, Executive Secretary of the Loewe Foundation Craft Prize Experts Panel, stated: ‘This year’s prize is more international than ever and the shortlisted works show a conversation across continents and generations, with young and established makers embracing and reinvigorating tradition in surprising and masterful ways. We are seeing works of the highest cultural and aesthetic ambition, inspired by themes that reflect the state of the world. For all this, the plurality and openness of the Prize promises so much today and into the future.’ A jury composed of 12 leading figures from the world of design, architecture, journalism and museum curatorship, including Genta Ishizuka, winner of the 2019 Loewe Foundation Craft Prize, will select the winner of the 2020 Craft Prize.

The finalists for the Loewe Foundation Craft Prize 2020

Republic of Korea: Sungho Cho, Hyejeong Kim, Kyeok Kim, Sukkeun Kang, Sungyoul Park

Germany: Peter Bauhuis, Veronika Beckh, Edu Tarín

United States: Jiyong Lee, Anthony Marsh, Jess Tolbert

Denmark: Bodil Manz, Tobias Møhl

Japan: Takayuki Sakiyama, Kohei Ukai

China: Yang Gao, Fanglu Lin

Spain: Carla Garcia Durlan, Xavier Toubes (Spain/USA)

Iran: Afsaneh Modiramani

Kenya: Darshana Raja

Chile: David Corvalán

Canada: Despo Sophocleous

Ireland: Jack Doherty

Australia: Jessica Loughlin

Madagascar: Joël Andrianomearisoa

United Kingdom: Kevin Grey

France: Marc Ricourt

Israel: Naama Haneman

Pakistan: Waqas Khan

Experts Panel with Sylvie Vandenhoucke, glass artist and finalist 2017, Ramón Puig Cuyàs, jewelry artist an former professor at Escola Massana, Barcelona, Sarah Flynn, ceramist and finalist 2017, Koichi Io, metalsmith and finalist 2019, Hyeyoung Cho, Secretary General at the Korea Craft and Design Foundation, Paula Aza, Loewe Director of Architecture and Visual Merchandising, Anatxu Zabalbeascoa (Executive Secretary), architecture and design correspondent for El País. Krzysztof Lukasik, Loewe accessories designer. Antonia Boström, Director of Collections at the Victoria & Albert Museum, London. Rodman Primack, Global Ambassador for Design Miami.

The Jury

Anatxu Zabalbeascoa (Chair), architecture and design correspondent for El País.
Benedetta Tagliabue, architect and Riba Stirling Prize winner.
Deyan Sudjic, essayist and former director of the Design Museum, London.
Enrique Loewe, Loewe Foundation Honorary President.
Genta Ishizuka, Winner of the Loewe Foundation Craft Prize 2019.
Hongnam Kim, President of the National Trust of Korea.
Jonathan Anderson, Loewe Creative Director.
Naoto Fukasawa, designer and Director of the Japan Folk Crafts Museum, Tokyo.
Olivier Gabet, Director of the Musée des Arts Décoratifs, Paris.
Patricia Urquiola, architect and industrial designer.
Wang Shu, Architect and Pritzker Prize winner.
Wolfgang Lösche, Head of Exhibition and Fairs at the Chamber of Skilled Trades, Munich.

The prize awarded to the winner is 50,000 Euros and the announcement will be made at the opening of the Loewe Foundation Craft Prize 2020 exhibition at the Musée des Arts Décoratifs, Paris. Because of the Corona-Crisis it is postponed to Spring 2021.