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Japanese Artist Etsu Egami Awarded art-Karlsruhe Prize 2025

Feb 231 min read

Etsu Egami has been awarded the coveted art-Karlsruhe Prize 2025, recognizing the best one-artist show at this year's fair. The Karlsruhe University of Arts and Design (HfG) graduate impressed the jury with her distinctive rainbow-colored portraits, showcased in her exhibition presented by Berlin's Galerie Kornfeld Kunsthandel.

art-Karlsruhe Prize 2025: Gallerist Freddy Kornfeld from Gallery KORNFELD Berlin in front of prize winner Etsu Egami's work

Credit: Messe Karlsruhe/Jürgen Rösner

Egami's winning exhibition features her striking large-scale portraits, characterized by bold, loose brushstrokes and vibrant rainbow hues. Her oil painting "Get The Party Started" (2023), displayed at Galerie Kornfeld's stand in Hall 2, particularly exemplifies her artistic approach that has captured international attention.

While the artist herself couldn't attend the ceremony due to ongoing work commitments in her Tokyo studio, her gallerist Alfred Kornfeld accepted the award on Thursday. The prize, jointly funded by the state of Baden-Württemberg and the city of Karlsruhe, includes a €15,000 acquisition award and was selected from approximately 60 one-artist shows at the fair.

Already featured in Asian museum collections, Egami's works command significant market attention, with pieces at art-Karlsruhe priced up to €35,000. Stefanie Patruno, director of the Städtische Galerie Karlsruhe and jury chair, noted that Egami's work perfectly complements the art-Karlsruhe Collection, marking the artist's entry into German museum collections.