Tala Madani 2020 winner of the Smithsonian American Art Museum’s James Dicke Contemporary Artist Prize

Pilar Corrias is pleased to announce that Tala Madani is the 2020 winner of the Smithsonian American Art Museum’s James Dicke Contemporary Artist Prize. Madani was selected by a panel of jurors who wrote in a joint statement, “Tala Madani’s paintings and animations respond to the contemporary world with humor, absurdity, and raw honesty.” 

Madani is the 13th winner of an award that recognises an artist younger than 50 who has demonstrated exceptional creativity and outstanding achievement. The jurors wrote in their decision, “Madani’s imagery is imbued with deep personal resonance; the artist’s powerful brushwork gives it an emotional immediacy. Making work that is once revealing and enigmatic, Tala Madani is charting a new direction for figurative painting.”