Hamburger Bahnhof – Nationalgalerie der Gegenwart launched four new annual awards on March 14, 2026, during the benefit gala “A Night in Berlin,” recognizing contributions to contemporary art. Indian collector Kiran Nadar received the Global Arts Patronage Award for her transformative work in South Asia and beyond.
Award Highlights
The debut Hamburger Bahnhof Studio Award, worth €15,000 each, went to young German-based artists Abdulhamid Kircher, Monilola Olayemi Ilupeju, and Jonas Roßmeißl, selected by a jury including artists Mark Bradford, Ayoung Kim, and Katharina Grosse. Mona Hatoum earned the Lifetime Achievement Award for her influential career and Berlin ties, while the Delfina Foundation received the Changemaker Award for its global residency programs supporting over 600 artists.
Directors Sam Bardaouil and Till Fellrath stated the awards affirm Berlin’s role as an art city by honoring global figures and nurturing emerging talent.
Gala Highlights
The star-studded event featured performances by Berliner Philharmoniker, Staatsoper Unter den Linden with Ellen Allien, pianist Alice Sara Ott, and installations by Elmgreen & Dragset and Monica Bonvicini. Co-hosts included Cate Blanchett, who praised the museum as an “electric environment” for creative exchange, alongside Edward Berger, Matt Dillon, Wim Wenders, and others.
Blanchett previously starred in Julian Rosefeldt’s “Manifesto” at the museum in 2016.
Broader Context
The gala supported the museum’s 30th anniversary program, featuring eight exhibitions, a new collection display, and a November conference on contemporary museums. Kiran Nadar, founder of the Kiran Nadar Museum of Art, was presented the award by Glenn D. Lowry, emphasizing her role in advancing art education and international collaboration in India.
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