Christian Marclay is the recipient of the annual SFMOMA Contemporary Vision Award

Christian Marclay; photo: courtesy Paula Cooper Gallery, New York and Fraenkel Gallery, San Francisco.

The San Francisco Museum of Modern Art announces artist Christian Marclay as the recipient of the annual SFMOMA Contemporary Vision Award. Marclay will be honored at a dinner held in the museum on Monday, October 17, 2016. The award celebrates the extraordinary achievements of global leaders—creators, innovators and change-makers—whose work foregrounds contemporary art as a vital and  meaningful part of public life. Organized by the Modern Art Council, SFMOMA’s premier fundraising art experience group, this event supports the museum’s education and exhibition programs.

“We have a special connection with Christian—we commissioned Video Quartet in 2002, and his seminal piece, The Clock, closed SFMOMA in 2013 prior to our expansion, marking the end of one era and the beginning of another for our museum,” said Neal Benezra, the Helen and Charles Schwab Director of SFMOMA. “His understanding of what is visually compelling, combined with his ability to create powerful cinematic narratives, makes him an ideal recipient of this award.”

Born in San Rafael, California and raised in Geneva, Switzerland, Christian Marclay crosses the borders between genres and practices, combining and remixing aspects of visual art, music and performance. Spanning three decades, Marclay’s innovative work explores the juxtaposition between sound, photography, video and other media, and reveals the deep and lasting influence of his DJ practice in its playful and surprising sampling and collaging. His installations display provocative musical and visual landscapes and have been included in exhibitions around the world including the Whitney Museum of American Art, Venice Biennale, Centre Pompidou Paris and Kunsthaus Zurich.

In addition to featuring his internationally heralded masterpiece The Clock, SFMOMA has exhibited many key Marclay works, including the 2002 premiere of Marclay’s acclaimed four-screen video projection Video Quartet, which was commissioned by SFMOMA and the Musée d'Art Moderne Grand-Duc Jean, Luxembourg, and is now one of the cornerstones of SFMOMA's media arts collection.

This will be the first SFMOMA Contemporary Vision Award dinner held at the newly expanded and transformed museum. The evening will be chaired by Modern Art Council member Florence Buatois, and will feature dinner and a conversation between honoree Christian Marclay and Rudolf Frieling, SFMOMA curator of media arts.

The 2016 SFMOMA Contemporary Vision Award is sponsored by Cadillac, SFMOMA’s Premier Sponsor and official automobile partner. Supporting Sponsorship is provided by Wells Fargo, who has renewed their long-standing support for the award dinner. In-kind support is provided by Official Wine Sponsors Kim Crawford, Meiomi and Ruffino; Official Spirits Sponsor Campari America; and Official Beer Sponsors Corona and Modelo Especial.