Photo: Sean Shim-Boyle

Mark Bradford Wins the 2024 Getty Prize

29 November 2023

The J. Paul Getty Trust announced today it has named Los Angeles based artist Mark Bradford as the recipient of its annual Getty Prize, the institution’s highest honor.

Established in 2013 and formerly known as the ‘Getty Medal,’ the award recognizes leaders in the cultural fields whose work expands human understanding and appreciation of arts and culture. Beginning this year, the award goes to a single person who can then recognize the work of a non-profit of their choosing with a $500,000 grant from Getty.

‘We are thrilled that the Getty Prize will now recognize not only personal achievements and contributions to the cultural sector but will also actively support the work of other not-for-profit organizations working in the sector by providing the awardee with the opportunity to pay it forward,’ says Katherine E. Fleming, president and CEO of the J. Paul Getty Trust. ‘Mark Bradford is an exceptional artist whose thought-provoking work often sheds light on societal issues and has captivated audiences in his hometown of Los Angeles and well beyond.’

‘I am deeply honored to be among the illustrious recipients of the Getty Prize and am grateful for this opportunity to bring such generous support to a non-profit organization of my choosing.’—Mark Bradford

Mark Bradford has selected the Arts for Healing and Justice Network (AHJN) to receive the grant. AHJN are a Long Beach, California-based non-profit that supports young people whose lives have been impacted by the juvenile justice system through arts education and programming. Both he and the chosen organization will be celebrated at the annual Getty Prize dinner on May 13, 2024, at the Getty Center in Los Angeles.

Bradford received his BFA from the California Institute of the Arts (CalArts) in 1995 and his MFA from CalArts in 1997. He has since been widely exhibited internationally and received numerous awards. Recent solo exhibitions have taken place at the Serralves Museum of Contemporary Art, Porto; the Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth; the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden, Washington DC; and Long Museum West Bund, Shanghai.  

Past Getty Prize awardees include Harold M. Williams and Nancy Englander, who were recognized for their leadership in creating Getty as it exists today, along with Frank Gehry, Ellsworth Kelly, Ed Ruscha, Agnes Gund, Yo-Yo Ma, Kwame Anthony Appiah, Richard Serra, and more.

Mark Bradford. Nobody Knows the Trouble I’ve Seen’ is on view at Hauser & Wirth Monaco.