Excellent Communication of Arts Research

Professor Dr. Bénédicte Savoy of TU Berlin has been selected as the recipient of the Clark Prize for Excellence in Arts Writing. The prize recognizes the work of authors of critical or historical texts who succeed in conveying complex ideas in a way that is scientifically sound while also appealing to a broad audience. The prize, endowed with 25,000 US dollars, is awarded by the Clark Art Institute in Williamstown, Massachusetts, USA.

"The Clark Prize raises awareness of the importance of writing that bridges scholarly and popular interest and seeks to encourage support for clear and engaging writing that inspires readers to connect with the arts," said Olivier Meslay, the Hardymon Director of the Clark Art Institute. "Bénédicte Savoy's writing is on the cutting edge of one of the most important issues in art history and she has prolifically pursued a deep study of the very complex issue of provenance in her books and articles. The Institute is pleased to shine a spotlight on her work through the presentation of the Clark Prize."

Bénédicte Savoy

Professor Dr. Bénédicte Savoy is head of the Chair of Modern Art History at TU Berlin and a leading international figure in her field. She researches the historical relocation of cultural assets and plays a leading role in current debates on the history of collections and restitution. Bénédicte Savoy has written more than 25 books and has had numerous articles published in international journals and magazines. Her book Africa's Struggle for its Art: History of a Post-Colonial Defeat (Princeton University Press), originally published in German by C.H. Beck as Afrikas Kampf um seine Kunst. Geschichte einer postkolonialen Niederlage in 2021, has been translated into many languages and has had a major impact on the restitution debate.

In recent years Professor Savoy has been appointed as a member of the Berlin-Brandenburg Academy of Science and Humanities and has received numerous awards and honors, including the 2016 Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz Prize, the most valuable research award in Germany in terms of prize money. In 2021, Time Magazine featured her in its list of the World's 100 most influential people. She was awarded the Franco-German Journalism Prize, one of the most important media prizes in Europe, in 2022. In the same year, she also received the Kulturpolitikpreis of the German Cultural Council, and was the recipient of the Berliner Wissenschaftpreis in 2023.

• Read more about the Clark Prize

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