Editor’s note: Due to circumstances surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic, the Center for the Humanities has canceled the 2020 International Humanities Prize ceremony and lecture.
Singer. Writer. Performer. Visual artist. Over the course of her 45-year career, Patti Smith has established herself as one of the most prolific and influential artists of her generation.
In fall 2020, Smith will receive the International Humanities Prize from Washington University in St. Louis.
Granted biennially, the International Humanities Prize honors the lifetime work of a noted scholar, writer or artist who has made a significant and sustained contribution to the world of letters or the arts. Past recipients are Orhan Pamuk (2006), Michael Pollan (2008), Francine Prose (2010), Ken Burns (2012), Marjorie Perloff (2014), Bill T. Jones (2016) and Sir David Adjaye (2018).
The International Humanities Prize is awarded by Washington University’s Center for the Humanities in Arts & Sciences. Recipients receive a $25,000 award, made possible by a gift from David and Phyllis Wilson Grossman.
Smith will receive the prize during a public ceremony Nov. 17. The event is free but, due to the anticipated high demand, tickets will be required. More details about tickets will be forthcoming.
For more information about Smith’s selection, visit the Center for the Humanities website.
