Organizer Information
Hans Marsilius Purrmann (10 April 1880 – 17 April 1966) was a German artist born and raised in Speyer, who trained as a scene painter and interior decorator before studying in Karlsruhe and Munich and moving to Paris in 1906, where he became a student and later a close friend of Henri Matisse, with whom he co-founded a painting school. His fellow students in Munich included Paul Klee and Vassily Kandinsky. After 1916 he lived in Berlin and on Lake Constance, before moving in 1935 to lead the German art foundation at the Villa Romana in Florence, where he remained until 1943, then settling in Montagnola, Switzerland; he died in Basel in 1966. His work — colourful, sensitively painted landscapes, still lifes, and portraits — totals an extensive life's work of around 3,000 paintings, watercolours, drawings, and graphic works, with his influence spanning from the landmark 1912 Sonderbund exhibition in Cologne through to documenta I in Kassel in 1955. Purrmann was made a member of the Prussian Academy of Arts in 1919, though under the Nazi regime 36 of his paintings and a number of graphic works were removed from German museums in 1937, and two of his works were included in the "Degenerate Art" exhibition.
The City of Speyer established the prize in his honour in 1965, on the occasion of his 85th birthday, initially as an Advancement Award for young artists worthy of promotion. The Hans Purrmann Foundation, based in Speyer, has supported an additional Grand Prize since 2012, and has co-supported the Advancement Award since 2017. Both prizes are administered jointly by the City of Speyer's Cultural Office and Twinning Cities division and the Hans Purrmann Foundation.
Title & Description
Hans Purrmann Awards of the City of Speyer for Visual Arts
The City of Speyer, together with the Hans Purrmann Foundation, awards two prizes for visual arts every two years: the Grand Hans Purrmann Prize and the Hans Purrmann Advancement Award. Both are decided by an independent jury following a two-stage selection process that culminates in a public exhibition of nominated and selected works at the Kulturhof Flachsgasse in Speyer, with the eventual prize-winners announced after the jury reviews the original works on display.
Categories
- Visual Arts
- Painting
- Sculpture
- Multiple Disciplines
- Award/Prize
Eligibility
Grand Hans Purrmann Prize:
- Awarded strictly by nomination — self-nomination is not possible
- Only the approximately 50 renowned artists, curators, and art critics with international experience specifically invited by the jury/foundation are eligible to submit nomination proposals
- Nominated artists must not be over 41 years of age
- Artists who have already received the Hans Purrmann Prize may not apply/be nominated again
Hans Purrmann Advancement Award:
- Open application, publicly announced by the City of Speyer
- Applicants must demonstrate a European perspective and connection in the spirit of Purrmann's own biography (someone with ties across European metropolises as well as rural areas — Purrmann himself lived and worked in the Palatinate, Munich, Berlin, Paris, Rome, Florence, Switzerland, and Lake Constance)
- All media of the visual arts are permitted
- Applicants must not be over 35 years of age
- Artists who have already received the Hans Purrmann Prize may not apply again
- The jury reserves the right to decide on admission in individual borderline cases
Program Benefits & Awards
- Grand Prize: €20,000 cash award, plus a dedicated publication for the winner
- Advancement Award: €6,000 cash award, plus a dedicated publication for the winner
- All artists selected via the jury's proposal — including the two eventual prize-winners — are presented to the public in a group exhibition at the Kulturhof Flachsgasse, Speyer; a later presentation of the two prize-winners at a larger exhibition venue is also intended
- The City of Speyer and the Hans Purrmann Foundation reserve the right to make appropriate purchases from award winners (i.e. potential acquisition of works, separate from the cash prizes)
- All exhibited works are insured for the full duration of the exhibition, transport, pre-storage, and post-storage — though first-stage application/portfolio materials (CVs, digital image documentation, etc.) are explicitly not insured at any point, and no liability is assumed for them
Application Fee
None
How to Apply?
Online Application
Key Dates
- Application Deadline: 30 September 2026
Location
Speyer, Germany
Additional Details
- The jury consists of at least five members: at least three renowned, internationally respected artists chosen by the Foundation; a museum director focused on contemporary art and, where applicable, a former Purrmann Prize winner (both jointly nominated by the City of Speyer and the Foundation); and a guest appointed by the Foundation, ideally also a finalist of the Hans Purrmann Prizes or a curator
- The Mayor of Speyer chairs the jury when deciding the Advancement Award; a person nominated by the Foundation chairs when deciding the Grand Prize; chairpersons hold no voting rights but attend all jury meetings with the right to speak
- Separate pre-selection panels exist for each prize: the Grand Prize pre-selection is held in Munich and chaired by a Foundation-appointed chairperson; the Advancement Award pre-selection is held in Speyer and chaired by the Mayor (who has voting rights only at this pre-selection stage)
- The full jury meeting, where both awards are ultimately decided, takes place in Speyer; jury meetings are not open to the public and decisions are made by simple majority and are final, with legal recourse excluded
- The two-stage selection process aims to invite up to 8 applicants per prize to the exhibition and main selection round
- Documents from applicants not advanced past the pre-selection are returned immediately after that stage
- Exhibition space is allocated by the organisers based on factors including coherent presentation of the two prize categories together, number of nominees, and type of works submitted; artists cannot select their own exhibition space