Prize-winning Italian artist comes to ASU

TEMPE, Ariz. – The ASU Art Museum hosts the winner of the 2011 Furla Prize as an artist-in-residence from October through December 2011. The prestigious award is bestowed to mid-career Italian artists.

Five European curator teams have nominated the five prize finalists. An international jury led by renowned artist Christian Boltanski selects the prizewinner. The winner is announced at the opening of the Bologna Arte Fiera at the end of January, and celebrated at the opening of the 54th Venice Biennale in June. The winning artist also is commissioned to develop a project financed by the Fondazione Furla and exhibited publicly through an agreement with the Museum of Modern Art of Bologna (MAMbo).

"The Furla Prize has taken the role in Italy that the Hugo Boss prize has for the contemporary art world,” says Gordon Knox, ASU Art Museum director. “It identifies extraordinary talents operating at the height of their powers and producing forceful work addressing the pressing concerns of our times. That the Furla Foundation zeroed in on the ASU Art Museum as the epicenter for a residency in the U.S. reflects the growing recognition of ASU’s vanguard position as intellectual innovator in this post-disciplinary era. We are really pleased to have the Furla winner with us on campus and in the region.”

The residency at the ASU Art Museum is funded by the Furla Foundation and provides ASU students and faculty the opportunity to collaborate with a rising contemporary European artist. The winning artist also is able to spend time in the American Southwest investigating local concerns and developing new work.

The Furla Foundation residency is an example of the benefits a research university like ASU brings to the state. Research funding is legally restricted and cannot be used for instructional or other purposes.

The ASU Art Museum, named "the single most impressive venue for contemporary art in Arizona" by Art in America is part of the Herberger Institute for Design and the Arts at Arizona State University. The museum is located on the southeast corner of Mill Avenue and 10th Street in Tempe and admission is free Hours are 11 a.m. – 8 p.m. on Tuesdays (during the academic year), 11 a.m. – 5 p.m. Wednesday through Saturday and closed on Sundays and Mondays. To learn more about the museum, call 480.965.2787 or visithttp://asuartmuseum.asu.edu. 

Media Contact:
Deborah Sussman Susser
ASU Art Museum
480.965.0014
deborah.susser@asu.edu