The Chinese sculpture and painting artist Yue Minjun has been awarded with the main prize of the upcoming H. C. Andersen Festival in Odense in Denmark for his creation of a sculpture, which is now a part of the festival’s logo.
The third biggest city of Denmark, Odense, will in the following week celebrate the world famous Danish fairy tale author H. C. Andersen with a festival named after him. On that occasion the Chinese artist Yue Minjun has designed a sculpture for which he receives the festival’s main prize called Nattergalen. Apart from a statuette of the sculpture made in bronze, the artist receives 400.000 DKK.
“It is a big pleasure for us to reveal that the first person ever to receive the Nattergalen prize is the Chinese artist Yue Minjun. He is an artist with the status of a superstar at the international contemporary art scene, and his art inspires other artists. His sculpture has become the face of the H.C. Andersen festival. We are very proud of that,” the chairman of the festival committee Palle Skov Jensen said in a press release.
The jury’s motivation for nominating the Chinese artist sounded as follows.
“Yue Minjun is awarded the prize because he puts focus in political themes as well as stupidity and weaknesses as part of the human character through his humorous, likeable and ambiguous paintings and sculptures,” explains art historian Bente Scavenius, who is one of three persons in the jury with each of their connection to art and H.C. Andersen.
Yue Minjun will receive the prize in person at the big opening show taking place on Sunday in Odense’s concert hall.
- In the future the statuette will be the visual proof of the Nattergalen Prize
