Berger Prize
The William M. B. Berger Prize for British Art History
In 2001 the Berger Collection Educational Trust and The British Art Journal established a prize for excellence in the field of British art history, in honor of the memory of the late William M. B. Berger. The prize was created to recognize that some of the very finest work in art history is being carried out in the field of British art, and that much of it is being published by The British Art Journal. Since its inception, the Berger Prize has come to be recognized as the most prestigious in the field. It celebrates outstanding achievement in the history of British art and is administered by The British Art Journal, the leading research journal, and awarded jointly with the Berger Collection Educational Trust of Denver, Colorado.Award
The prize of £5,000 will be awarded annually by The British Art Journal in association with the Berger Collection Educational Trust of Denver, Colorado.Criteria
The Berger Prize was created to recognize excellence in the history of British art. It will be awarded annually, during July, to an outstanding book, exhibition, or exhibition catalogue (in any language) appearing during the preceding calendar year (January-December).Assessors
A panel of no fewer than five and no more than seven assessors selects the recipient. The assessors committee includes the editor of The British Art Journal (Mr. Robin Simon), and is chaired by Dr. Timothy J. Standring, Gates Foundation Curator of Painting and Sculpture, Denver Art Museum, and Trustee of the Berger Collection Educational Trust.Nominations
Institutions and publishers are welcome to nominate individuals they believe will fulfill the criteria set for the prize. Other nominations should be supported by the names of two individual scholars of good standing, together with their addresses and telephone numbers/email addresses.Nominations should be made to:
The Secretary
William MB Berger Prize for British Art History
The British Art Journal
46 Grove Lane
London SE5 8ST, UK
or via email: editor@britishartjournal.co.uk
Upon the assessors' acceptance of a nomination, copies of the work in question must be submitted for further consideration.
Berger Prize 2012
The winner of the William M. B. Berger Prize for British Art History 2012 (books published 1 January - 31 December 2011) is The Eighteenth Century Church in Britain by Terry Friedman (Yale University Press). The award was announced by Sir Timothy Clifford at a reception held at the Paul Mellon Centre for Studies in British Art in London on 5 July 2012.
The assessors for the 2012 award:- Timothy J. Standring, Gates Foundation Curator of Painting & Sculpture, Denver Art Museum
- Robin Simon, Editor, The British Art Journal
- Katharine Eustace, Editor, Sculpture Journal
- Rosemary Hill, Fellow, All Souls' College, Oxford
- Desmond Shawe-Taylor, Surveyor of The Queen's Pictures
- Angus Trumble, Senior Curator of Paintings and Sculpture, Yale Center for British Art
Among the assessors' comments: "quite simply definitive"; "incredible that one man could do it"; "a revelation of the sheer variety of architecture involved"; "organized with the utmost care and lucidity"; "an exhaustive treatment" of an understudied but major subject," one that "opens up entirely new fields for further research and discussion."
The short list:
- Martin Postle, ed., John Zoffany RA: Society Observed (catalogue of the exhibition at the Yale Center for British Art, New Haven, and the Royal Academy of Arts, London; Yale University Press).
- John Goodall,The English Castle (Yale University Press).
- Vaughan Hart, Inigo Jones: The Architect of Kings (Yale University Press).
- Mary Webster, Johan Zoffany: 1733-1810 (Yale University Press).
- Scot Mckendrick, John Lowden and Kathleen Doyle, Royal Manuscripts: The Genius of Illumination (catalogue of the exhibition at the British Library; British Library Publishing).
