Overview
- Patti Smith received the prize after the foundation’s jury announced the Arts award Wednesday in Oviedo, praising her “impetuous creativity” that links rock, symbolist poetry and counterculture with strong expressive power.
- Smith thanked the foundation in a statement, said the prize means “Art and Love,” and said she plans to attend the October 23 ceremony in Oviedo.
- She was chosen from about 55 candidates representing roughly 30 nationalities by a panel chaired by choreographer María Pagés, in the first of eight awards the foundation reveals each year.
- The recognition comes as the 79‑year‑old tours globally for the 50th anniversary of Horses and follows a body of work that includes Because the Night, People Have the Power, and the National Book Award‑winning memoir Just Kids.
- The Arts prize succeeds last year’s recipient, Mexican photographer Graciela Iturbide, and ranks among the Spanish‑speaking world’s most prestigious cultural honors.