The Villa Romana Prize was initiated in order to offer an opportunity to talented, primarily younger artists resident in Germany to further develop their artistic position during a prolonged stay in Florence.
The Villa Romana in Florence hosts every year from February 1st to November 30th four fellows for a ten months stay that consists of free use of a studio and a fully equipped apartment as well as a monthly stipend of € 2000.
The four winners are selected by an annually changing Jury (usually a renowned artist and a curator or art professional). During their stay at Villa Romana the fellows are free to suggest cooperation projects as well as artists, academics and other dialogue partners to join them for short stays.
The Villa Romana fellows participate in shows both in Florence and Germany. At the end of their stay in Florence the fellows all together conceive a publication in the form of an artists' book.
The Villa Romana Prize is the oldest German art prize. Since its inception in 1905 the history of the Villa Romana Prize has been connected with renowned artists. Before the First World War Georg Kolbe (1905), Max Beckmann (1906), Käthe Kollwitz (1906) and Ernst Barlach (1908), and later, Gerhard Marks (1928) and Emy Roeder (1936) were among the fellows. In the second half of the twentieth century the prize has been awarded to Horst Antes (1962), Georg Baselitz (1965), Markus Lüpertz (1970), Michel Buthe (1976) and Katharina Grosse (1992).
The Villa Romana Prize has primarily been dedicated to artists at the beginning of their careers and has thus cowritten the history of modern art.
In a year that marks 120 years since the founding of Villa Romana, we are delighted to announce the recipients of the Villa Romana Prize 2026. Since its inception in 1905, the Villa Romana Prizehas been dedicated to supporting artists who expand the horizons of artistic practice.
The selected artists for 2026 are Charmaine Poh, Mikołaj Sobczak, Gülbin Ünlü, and Susanne Sachsse (KHI Fellow).
The jurors for the Fellows 2026 were Franciska Zólyom and Johannes Paul Raether. The prize winners were nominated by Karimah Ashadu, Rosa Barba, Carina Bukuts, and Leonie Radine.
