Photo in public domain via Wikimedia Commons.
Cellist Yo-Yo Ma and the late painter/sculptor Ellsworth Kelly were named today recipients of the J. Paul Getty Trust’s highest honor, the J. Paul Getty Medal.
The honor, established in 2013, honors “extraordinary contributions to the practice, understanding and support of the arts.”
“With this medal we honor two of our nation’s greatest artists: Yo-Yo Ma for his distinguished contributions to the conservation and understanding of the world’s many and diverse cultures, and Ellsworth Kelly for his mastery in paintings and sculptures of the highest quality and originality,” said Maria Hummer-Tuttle, chair of the J. Paul Getty Board of Trustees.
The board noted Ma’s founding of the Silk Road Ensemble and the nonprofit Silkroad to promote the creation of music, educational programs and collaborations to bring together the worlds of arts, education and business.
Ellsworth was tabbed for his depictions of the world’s “diverse natural and artistic forms, from plants and shadows to medieval architecture and ancient Chinese bi discs.”
“Ellsworth saw beauty in everything,” said James Cuno, president/CEO of the Getty Trust. “He was more visually alive than anyone I know. Every new work was a new adventure for him, a new way of working and making things of extraordinary visual delight.”
Ellsworth died Dec. 27 in his native New York.
The honors will be presented Oct. 17 in a ceremony at the Getty Center.
— Wire reports