Last night, the Spanish luxury brand presented its annual Loewe Foundation Craftsmanship Award At New York. The competition, an initiative conceived by the house’s creative director, Jonathan Anderson, has become an industry phenomenon, targeting the meticulous talent of under-the-radar artisans and designers. Emotions were running high during the grand ceremony; there were celebrities, crafts, chairs you can’t sit on, tears and a fabulous range of objects.
The event took place in the resplendent Noguchi Museum in Long Island City, Queens, which isn’t so much a beachfront gem as a serene stone. “It’s a very personal project for me,” Anderson said, sipping a cocktail. “It really means something to me. When I started this work, I thought to myself: How can I help people I respect? And this is the result. Every year it grows and more and more people apply. This is something that I really appreciate!
An installation view of the Loewe Foundation Craft Prize submissions at the Noguchi Museum. Courtesy of Loewe.
He added: “It gets harder every year because the caliber increases. I think that started to make people see craftsmanship differently. That was the point of it all, it was really to try to get people to watch out craftsmanship.
The submissions of the 30 finalists representing 16 countries are on display until June 18 and create a moving and coherent group exhibition against the cinder block minimalism of the late artist’s studio. More than 2,700 candidates applied this year.
Storyteller Fran Lebowitz was the surprise presenter and described surveying the entrances with Anderson. “I asked him why it was called craftsmanship instead of art,” she said. “Because in my opinion, let’s face it, the difference is really between usefulness and uselessness, and most of these things are useless, which makes art.”
Creative director Jonathan Anderson and Fran Lebowitz attend the Loewe Craft Prize ceremony at the Noguchi Museum in Queens on May 16, 2023. Photo: BFA. Courtesy of Loewe.
She continued, “He wanted me to say that many works used trompe l’oeil techniques. He actually described it to me, even though I was born in 1950.”
The jury chose Eriko Inazaki from Japan as the winner for his intricate and otherworldly crystallized ceramic creation in 2019 Metanoia. She will receive €50,000 ($55,225).
Eriko Inazaki, Metanoia (2019). Courtesy of Loewe.
“I don’t know what to name my works, whether it’s art, crafts or whatever,” she tearfully said in an emotional acceptance speech. “But I’ve worked all this time with the belief that good work goes beyond category boundaries. It was an opportunity for me to realize that my work would resonate with so many people. It’s really an honor and I’m really happy.
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