Frank Gehry to receive the 2014 Prince of Asturias Award for the Arts

Renowned architect Frank Gehry is the 2014 recipient of the Prince of Asturias Award for the Arts, as announced today by the Prince of Asturias Foundation in Oviedo, Spain. Every year, the Foundation honors the international influence and significant cultural contribution in the scientific, technical, cultural, social and humanitarian work carried out by individuals, institutions, or groups of either one.

Gehry will receive the first of the eight awards, which will soon be announced and given in the fields including Social Sciences, Communications, and Technical Scientific Research, to name a few.

Since its establishment in 1981, the Prince of Asturias Awards are endowed with 50,000 Euros each, a commissioned sculpture donated by Joan Miró, a diploma, and an insignia. Awards will be presented in the fall in Oviedo during a grand ceremony chaired by the Prince of Asturias.

Read on for more details.

"The Prince of Asturias Award for the Arts will be bestowed on those 'whose work in Film, Theatre, Dance, Music, Photography, Painting, Sculpture, Architecture or any other form of artistic expression constitutes a significant contribution to the cultural heritage of mankind'. 

This year a total of 36 candidatures from Argentina, Austria, China, Estonia, France, Georgia, Hungary, Italy, Japan, Lebanon, Mexico, Romania, Paraguay, Philippines, Portugal, the United Kingdom, the United States, Zimbabwe and Spain ran for the award.  

The rest of awards will be announced in the coming weeks in the following order: Social Sciences, Communication and Humanities, Technical Scientific Research, Literature, International Cooperation and Sports, with the Concord award being announced in September. 

The Jury for the Award – convened by the Prince of Asturias Foundation– was chaired by José Lladó y Fernández-Urrutia and made up of Bárbara Allende Gil de Biedma, José Luis Cienfuegos Marcello, Carlos Fitz-James Stuart Martínez de Irujo, Duke of Huéscar, Guillermo García-Alcalde Fernández, Carmen Giménez Martín, Enrique González Macho, Catalina Luca de Tena y García-Conde, Hans Meinke Paege, Elena Ochoa Foster, Benedetta Tagliabue, Patricia Urquiola Hidalgo, Carlos Urroz Arincibia, Miguel Zugaza Miranda and José Antonio Caicoya Cores (acting as secretary).