Nigerian artist Ken Nwadiogbu has made history as the first Black recipient of the prestigious Young Generation Art Award, announced at a ceremony at the Hotel de Rome on February 19.
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BERLIN, GERMANY – FEBRUARY 19: Christian Rauch and Ken Nwadiogbu during the Young Generation Art Award 2026 at Hotel De Rome on February 19, 2026, in Berlin, Germany. (Photo by Franziska Krug/Degussa via Getty Images)BERLIN, GERMANY – FEBRUARY 19: Christian Rauch, Maya Heckelmann, Ken Nwadiogbu, Yilmaz Dziewior and Elke Buhr during the Young Generation Art Award 2026 at Hotel De Rome on February 19, 2026, in Berlin, Germany. (Photo by Franziska Krug/Degussa via Getty Images)
Selected from nearly 400 applicants and a shortlist of five finalists, Nwadiogbu captivated the jury with his signature “Contemporealism” movement—a practice blending hyperrealistic figuration with expressive, abstract backgrounds.
The jury, including Monopol editor-in-chief Elke Buhr and Museum Ludwig director Yilmaz Dziewior, specifically praised his vibrant yellow-toned portraits designed to honour and “let the Black community shine.”
The award, established in 2024 by Degussa Goldhandel in partnership with Monopol magazine, includes €10,000 prize money, a solo exhibition at Frieze London 2026, and a one-year international travelling exhibition.
A self-taught artist who abandoned a civil engineering path, Nwadiogbu graduated from the Royal College of Art and previously won the Future Awards Africa Prize for Visual and Applied Arts.
In his acceptance speech, he reflected on a decade-long journey from self-discovery to international acclaim, now recognised as a leading voice bridging Nigerian heritage with contemporary global discourse.
BERLIN, GERMANY – FEBRUARY 19: Ken Nwadiogbu and Christian Rauch during the Young Generation Art Award 2026 at Hotel De Rome on February 19, 2026, in Berlin, Germany. (Photo by Franziska Krug/Degussa via Getty Images)BERLIN, GERMANY – FEBRUARY 19: Arne Grashoff, Yuhao Chen, Lunita July Dorn, Ken Nwadiogbu, Emmélie Lempert, Maya Heckelmann, Yilmaz Dziewior and Elke Buhr during the Young Generation Art Award 2026 at Hotel De Rome on February 19, 2026, in Berlin, Germany. (Photo by Franziska Krug/Degussa via Getty Images)BERLIN, GERMANY – FEBRUARY 19: Christian Rauch, Yilmaz Dziewior, Arne Grashoff, Yuhao Chen, Lunita July Dorn, Ken Nwadiogbu, Emmélie Lempert, Maya Heckelmann and Elke Buhr during the Young Generation Art Award 2026 at Hotel De Rome on February 19, 2026, in Berlin, Germany. (Photo by Franziska Krug/Degussa via Getty Images)BERLIN, GERMANY – FEBRUARY 19: Arne Grashoff, Yuhao Chen, Lunita July Dorn, Ken Nwadiogbu and Emmélie Lempert during the Young Generation Art Award 2026 at Hotel De Rome on February 19, 2026 in Berlin, Germany. (Photo by Franziska Krug/Degussa via Getty Images)BERLIN, GERMANY – FEBRUARY 19: Yilmaz Dziewior, Elke Buhr, Ken Nwadiogbu and Maya Heckelmann during the Young Generation Art Award 2026 at Hotel De Rome on February 19, 2026 in Berlin, Germany. (Photo by Franziska Krug/Degussa via Getty Images)BERLIN, GERMANY – FEBRUARY 19: Christian Boros, Ken Nwadiogbu and Christian Rauch during the Young Generation Art Award 2026 at Hotel De Rome on February 19, 2026 in Berlin, Germany. (Photo by Franziska Krug/Degussa via Getty Images)
