Sir Tony Cragg will receive the prestigious European Culture Prize 2026, the European Cultural Forum announced. eThe award will be presented on September 4th at the Royal Concertgebouw in Amsterdam.
Born in Liverpool in 1949, Cragg has lived and worked in Wuppertal, Germany, since the late 1970s. In 2008, he founded the Waldfrieden Sculpture Park there, which has since grown into one of Europe’s leading sculpture parks and helped establish the city as a destination for contemporary sculpture. “Tony Cragg is one of the most significant sculptors of our time,” said Reiner Schränkler, chairman of the board of the European Cultural Forum. “His works uniquely combine science, nature, materials research and artistic vision. He has had a lasting impact on international sculpture and has inspired generations of artists.”
The European Culture Prize, known as TAURUS, was created in 2012 by Dresden artist and European Cultural Forum board member Sven Schubert. The prize rotates annually across categories including music, fine arts, performing arts, environmental protection, and politics. Previous winners have included Gerhard Richter in 2018 and Vivienne Westwood and Neo Rauch in 2019, as well as cellist Sol Gabetta in 2022 and tenor Rolando Villazón in 2024.
Felix Krämer, director general and artistic director of the Kunstpalast Düsseldorf, will present Cragg with the award in Amsterdam. Krämer worked with the artist on the 2024 exhibition “Tony Cragg: Please Touch!,” which invited visitors to physically interact with the sculptures on view.
This year’s gala, themed “Great Voices–Great Names,” will also honor fashion designer Iris van Herpen, actress Famke Janssen, and violinist Nicola Benedetti, among others, with a concert program built around the honorees’ own performances.
