The Étant donnés Prize recognizes a living artist of French nationality, or who is France-based, with the $10,000 prize. By helping to support the development of the winning artist’s practice and professional network, the Etant donnés Prize aims to enhance the visibility of the vibrant French art scene on an international scale.

The jury for the 2019 Étant donnés Prize included: Suzanne Deal Booth, art advisor and collector; Philippe Vergne, Director of the Serralves Museum of Contemporary Art, Porto; and Massimiliano Gioni, Chief Curator of the New Museum, New York. The jury selected the winner among over 30 French and France-based living artists represented by galleries at the 2019 edition of the fair. “We could not hope for a better winning artist than Kapwani Kiwanga for this first-ever Etant-donnés Prize,” says Bénédicte de Montlaur Cultural counselor of the French Embassy in the US “The artist, from Canada of Tanzanian decent and who has lived in France for many years, is the recipient, of numerous artistic prizes. She is emblematic of the high-quality and diversity of the art scene in France.” “Her position as Commissioned Artist at The Armory Show 2016 edition is among one of the very first steps in her emergence in the American art scene and has been a catalyst for her career and for the gallery,” states Jérôme Poggi, Owner, Galerie Jérôme Poggi. “Since 2016, we have showed her work three times at The Armory Show, including this year’s solo show, which is intimately tied to the one MIT is currently dedicating to her work.”