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SFMOMA’s 2016 Contemporary Vision Award to Honor Artist Christian Marclay

Released: July 20, 2016 · Download (147 KB PDF)

SAN FRANCISCO, CA (July 14, 2016)—The San Francisco Museum of Modern Art (SFMOMA) announces artist Christian Marclay as the recipient of the annual SFMOMA Contemporary Vision Award. Marclay will be honored at a dinner held in the museum on Monday, October 17, 2016. The award celebrates the extraordinary achievements of global leaders—creators, innovators and change-makers—whose work foregrounds contemporary art as a vital and meaningful part of public life. Organized by the Modern Art Council, SFMOMA’s premier fundraising art experience group, this event supports the museum’s education and exhibition programs.

“We have a special connection with Christian—we commissioned Video Quartet in 2002, and his seminal piece, The Clock, closed SFMOMA in 2013 prior to our expansion, marking the end of one era and the beginning of another for our museum,” said Neal Benezra, the Helen and Charles Schwab Director of SFMOMA. “His understanding of what is visually compelling, combined with his ability to create powerful cinematic narratives, makes him an ideal recipient of this award.”

Born in San Rafael, California and raised in Geneva, Switzerland, Christian Marclay crosses the borders between genres and practices, combining and remixing aspects of visual art, music and performance. Spanning three decades, Marclay’s innovative work explores the juxtaposition between sound, photography, video and other media, and reveals the deep and lasting influence of his DJ practice in its playful and surprising sampling and collaging. His installations display provocative musical and visual landscapes and have been included in exhibitions around the world including the Whitney Museum of American Art, Venice Biennale, Centre Pompidou Paris and Kunsthaus Zurich.

In addition to featuring his internationally heralded masterpiece The Clock, SFMOMA has exhibited many key Marclay works, including the 2002 premiere of Marclay’s acclaimed four-screen video projection Video Quartet, which was commissioned by SFMOMA and the Musée d’Art Moderne Grand-Duc Jean, Luxembourg, and is now one of the cornerstones of SFMOMA’s media arts collection.

This will be the first SFMOMA Contemporary Vision Award dinner held at the newly expanded and transformed museum. The evening will be chaired by Modern Art Council member Florence Buatois, and will feature dinner and a conversation between honoree Christian Marclay and Rudolf Frieling, SFMOMA curator of media arts.

The 2016 SFMOMA Contemporary Vision Award is sponsored by Cadillac, SFMOMA’s Premier Sponsor and official automobile partner. Supporting Sponsorship is provided by Wells Fargo, who has renewed their long-standing support for the award dinner. In-kind support is provided by Official Wine Sponsors Kim Crawford and Ruffino; Official Spirits Sponsor Campari America; and Official Beer Sponsors Corona and Modelo Especial. San Francisco magazine is the Media Sponsor.

About the SFMOMA Contemporary Vision Award

The annual SFMOMA Contemporary Vision Award recognizes creative minds across all disciplines and professions who have helped redefine contemporary visual culture. Organized by the Modern Art Council, the award honors the extraordinary contributions of international cultural leaders and fosters a greater understanding of their achievements.

Proceeds from this event support the museum’s education and exhibition programs, which serve more than 60,000 students, teachers and families each year.

Tickets

$18,000 Vision Award Society table (seats 10)

$12,000 Grand Benefactor table (seats 10)

$1,800 Vision Award Society ticket

$1,200 Grand Benefactor ticket

$500 Benefactor ticket

Who

Event Chair:

Florence Buatois

Modern Art Council President:

Nathalie Delrue-McGuire

Contemporary Vision Award Event Committee:

Afsaneh Akhtari, Anjou Ahlborn, Ariane Trimuschat, Betsy Linder, Candace Cavanaugh, Charlot Malin, Christine Suppes, Claire Slaymaker, Colleen Edwards, Courtney Dallaire, Danielle Maybach, Deniece Duscheone, Diane Rice, Elizabeth Birka-White, Ellen Coleman, Farnoosh Hariri, Heather Sawtelle, Ivette Esserman, Jacqueline Sacks, Janelle Kraynak, Jennifer Benham, Joan Stracquadanio, Laura Nagle, Laurie Ghielmetti, Lorre Erlick, Maria Tenaglia Watson, Marilyn Tortorice, Melissa Boxer Zill, Micaela van Zwoll, Shirley Parks, Stephanie Tuttle, Sujata Pherwani

For tickets or more information call the Modern Art Council office at 415.357.4125 or visit sfmoma.org/cva.


Jill Lynch 415.357.4172
Clara Hatcher Baruth 415.357.4177 chatcher@sfmoma.org