NN Art Award 2024 nominees announced

For the eighth year in a row, the NN Art Award will be awarded to a promising artist who completed their studies at an art academy in the Netherlands and is exhibiting at Art Rotterdam. This year, for the first time, the nominees will exhibit their work in the prestigious Kunsthal Rotterdam, from 1 February to 14 April 2024.

The nominated artists for the NN Art Award 2024 are Maaike Kramer (Art Gallery O-68), Monica Mays (Prospects section of the Mondriaan Fund), Jan van der Pol (Creman & De Rooij) and Peim van der Sloot (Brinkman & Bergsma).

NN Group has been a partner of Art Rotterdam since 2017 when it also started the NN Art Award to recognise an exceptional contemporary art talent with an innovative approach and visual language. The artworks often reference the world around us and current social challenges. Both young talents and artists who are further along in their careers are celebrated. All art mediums are eligible.

The award highlights the exceptional quality of Dutch art education. Artists from all over the world find their way to our academies to learn to achieve their full potential, and get to know other artists and cultures. The prize has proven to be a significant indicator of talent and is used by the winner to further develop and showcase their work to a wider audience. NN Group purchases one or more works from the nominees for its corporate collection. The four nominees will also be featured in an article on GalleryViewer.com.

The 2023 prize was awarded to Monali Meher, who is represented by Lumen Travo Gallery: ‘Winning the award allowed me to experiment with new materials and processes. I also published my first book, “Unknown Landscape”, in October 2023, partially funded by the prize money.  I am very grateful to the sponsors, but also to the prize money of the NN Art Award.”

An annually changing jury of art professionals selects the four promising nominees, from which the winner is chosen. The jury consists of a combination of disciplines: art journalists, curators, museum directors, artists, art collectors, and the curator of the NN Group corporate collection.

This year's jury includes Charlotte Martens, senior curator Kunsthal Rotterdam; Henk Drosterij, art collector; Monali Meher, winner of the NN Art Award in 2023; Nicole Ex, editor-in-chief of the art magazine See All This; and Maartje de Roy van Zuydewijn, curator of the NN Art Collection.

Presentation of NN Art Award nominees in Kunsthal Rotterdam
The winner will be announced in the Kunsthal Rotterdam on Thursday, 1 February, at 20:00 CET. The work of the NN Art Award nominees will be on display there until 14 April 2024.

NN Group (also referred to as Nationale-Nederlanden) wants to make a positive contribution to society and has been partner of Kunsthal Rotterdam since 2016, partner of Art Rotterdam since 2017, and has since made the NN Art Award possible. As a supporter of all art enthusiasts, NN Group, together with its partners, strives to inspire a wider audience for art and culture. As a supporter of talent, it provides artists with a platform to inspire others. NN Group has a long history of cultural sponsorships, with a focus on visual arts, museums, and music. Its partners are mainly located in the cities where its offices are located, namely The Hague, Rotterdam and Arnhem.

Written by Flor Linckens