Rebecca Salter, president of the Royal Academy of Arts, has won the 2020 Genesis Prize. Worth GBP25,000 (€27,750), each year it is awarded to someone who has successfully mentored artistic talent.
“Everyone at the Genesis Foundation has been impressed by Rebecca’s passion and commitment to nurturing young artistic talent,” said Genesis Foundation chair John Studzinski. “Her ability to recognise the changing needs of young artists and to develop practical programmes to support them makes her a worthy winner of the Genesis Award.”
Salter said she will use the money to provide graduates of the Royal Academy School with the professional skills they need survive as artists in the commercial world.
“This prize will enable the RA Schools to develop a new programme teaching resilience and to offer post-graduation support,” she said. “The RA Schools still provides the only free three-year postgraduate course in Europe giving young artists valuable space and time to develop their practice.”
Previous winners are Polly Staple, director of collection of British Art at Tate; Hamish Dunbar, artistic director of Café Oto; Joe Robertson and Joe Murphy of Good Chance Theatre; and Hadrian Garrard, director of Create London.