About the AXA Art Prize
The AXA Art Prize shines a spotlight on the re-emergence of figurative art and the undiscovered stars of its future.
The reason why the AXA Art Prize exists
As one of the largest global insurers, AXA’s purpose is to act for human progress by protecting what matters. Protection has always been at the core of our business, helping individuals, businesses and societies to thrive. Fostering progress and success in all dimensions is part of our DNA. The AXA Art Prize is a way for us to support emerging artistic talent and to give it the platform it deserves.
Established credibility
The competition is built on the legacy of a related prize which ran in the UK for a decade. Now in its seventh year in the United States, the AXA Art Prize has established an excellent reputation as an insightful overview of the best new talent nationwide. We’re thrilled to watch our previous winners achieve further successes at such an early stage: 2018 winner Monica Ikegwu has been signed to a Los Angeles based gallery and Anna Park our 2019 winner has recently held a solo exhibition in Rome.
Unrivaled Exposure
Every effort has been made to provide participants with the highest level of exposure and the perfect opportunity in which to showcase their work. Our top forty finalists are selected by an Exhibition Jury comprising of curators from top museums and galleries Previous jurors included curators from Crystal Bridges, the Brooklyn Museum, Gagosian, the Hammer Museum, the Institute of Contemporary Art/Boston, the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, the Lucas Museum of Narrative Art, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Museum of Fine Art/Boston, The Museum of Modern Art, the New Museum, the National Gallery (Smithsonian), the Noguchi Museum, the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, the UCCA center for Contemporary Art, and the Whitney Museum. Finalists will have their work exhibited internationally on our virtual gallery and will be featured in our live exhibition in New York. The First and Second Prize winners are determined by a panel of prominent artists. In the past this has included major artists such as Jules de Balincourt, Bo Bartlett, Huma Bhabha, Sanford Biggers, Julia Chiang, Will Cotton, John Currin, Nicole Eisenman, Rachel Feinstein, Eric Fischl, Jenna Gribbon, Damian Loeb, Arcmanoro Niles, Erik Parker, Nicolas Party, Elizabeth Peyton, Rob Pruitt, Calida Rawles, Peter Saul, Tschabalala Self, Amy Sherald, Laurie Simmons, Mickalene Thomas, Salman Toor, and Robin F. Williams.
Prizes
Eligibility
Applicants must be currently enrolled in a degree-granting program, either as an undergraduate or graduate student majoring in studio art at a U.S. school. Previous XL Catlin and AXA Art Prize exhibition participants are eligible to participate in the 2024 AXA Art Prize US competition; however, they must use a different piece from the one previously exhibited. Previous prize winners are not eligible to submit.
Jury process
The competition is structured around three rounds of jurrying:
About AXA XL
The AXA Art Prize is brought to you by AXA XL, a division of AXA Group. AXA XL provides insurance and reinsurance solutions to clients in more than 200 countries. We insure some of the world’s most acclaimed galleries, art collections and dealers. AXA XL is an established patron of the arts and continues to champion initiatives designed to support and celebrate emerging talent across the globe. To learn more, visit www.axaxl.com.
*AXA XL is a division of AXA Group providing products and services through four business groups: AXA XL Insurance, AXA XL Reinsurance and AXA XL Risk Consulting.