The Praemium Erasmianum Foundation, Amsterdam, has awarded British artist and filmmaker Steve McQueen the 2026 Erasmus Prize. He will receive a cash prize of €150,000.
The annual award recognises individuals that have made exceptional contributions to the humanities, social sciences or the arts.
McQueen is known for his work that confronts history and contemporary issues of class and racism. He gained recognition as a visual artist with experimental video works such as Bear (1993) and Deadpan (1997), leading him to win the Turner Prize in 1999. In 2008, McQueen made his feature film debut with Hunger and became the first Black filmmaker to win the Academy Award for Best Picture with 12 Years a Slave (2013).
‘In a world marked by polarization and inequality, McQueen’s work asks us to look carefully and without prejudice – ecce homo – and to recognize ourselves in others’, reads a statement released by the Praemium Erasmianum Foundation.
