Overview
- Minister-President Hendrik Wüst presented the €25,000 Staatspreis at the Ständehaus (K21) in Düsseldorf.
- Wüst hailed Gursky as a superstar of contemporary photography whose images are icons and part of NRW’s cultural heritage.
- Campino and football legend Günter Netzer attended as guests, offering tributes to his ability to elevate everyday scenes.
- Gursky, 70, said he felt humility and gratitude and noted his oeuvre now includes about 350 works defined by digitally composed, extreme large formats that command high prices worldwide.
- Established in 1986, the honor has gone to figures such as Angela Merkel, Michael Schumacher and Die Toten Hosen, underscoring the prize’s stature and Gursky’s broader influence, including his advocacy for a Deutsches Fotoinstitut.