The Kulturkreis der deutschen Wirtschaft awards the ars viva prize for Visual Arts every year.
Since 1953, the Kulturkreis has awarded the ars viva prize to outstanding young artists under the age of 35 who live in Germany and stand out for their independent visual language. Over 350 artists have received the prestigious award to date - including Rosemarie Trockel, Candida Höfer, Wolfgang Tillmans, Omer Fast, Cemile Sahin and Sung Tieu.
The funding amounts to a total of 120,000 euros and includes two exhibition venues, an artist residency at Fogo Island Arts (Canada), prize money and the publication of a bilingual catalog.
The award refers to the year following the jury’s decision.
ars viva 2025
Haus der Kunst, Munich
ars viva 2025. Where will we land?
Exclusive preview for invited guests: June 25, 2025
Opening: June 26, 2025, 7–8 PM
Exhibition dates: June 27 – September 21, 2025
ars viva 2026
Marta Herford
Opening: March 13, 2026
Exhibition dates: March 14 – June 28, 2026
This year's cohort:
ars viva 2026
More information about the ars viva 2026 prize winners can be found here.
ars viva 2025
Wisrah C. V. da R. Celestino
Vincent Sheers
Helena Uambembe
Published by Kerber Verlag
Languages: German, English
Edited by Min-young Jeon, Kulturkreis der deutschen Wirtschaft
With texts by Erik Bordeleau, Haris Giannouras, Peju Oshin, and Ana Teixeira Pinto
Design: Dokho Shin
The ars viva 2026 catalogue is currently in production.
You can find an overview of past editions here.
The ars viva prize is sponsored by the Péter Horváth Foundation. Its founder, Prof. Dr. Péter Horváth, fled from Hungary to Germany as a young student in 1956 and became a successful scientist and entrepreneur. But he also loved art. And the promotion of young talent was always a particular concern of his. The Péter Horváth Foundation therefore promotes exchange between Hungary and Germany as well as projects by young economists and aspiring artists.
