The Facts
On August 27, 2026, Galerie Max Hetzler announced that Edmund de Waal has been awarded the Chevalier des Arts et des Lettres by France and the Isamu Noguchi Award for 2023. De Waal's work is featured in "Sacred Splendor: Jewish Ritual Art and Christian Treasures from St. Vitus Cathedral in Prague" at The Jewish Museum, New York, a group exhibition that places medieval and early modern Central European devotional objects in dialogue with contemporary art. A conversation between de Waal and Jewish Museum director James S. Snyder is scheduled for September 17, 2026. De Waal's solo exhibition "the eight directions of the wind" opens at The Huntington, Los Angeles, on October 18, 2026, presenting site-specific installations across three locations.
The Signal
The awards and exhibitions underscore de Waal's standing as a leading artist whose work bridges historical material culture and contemporary themes of memory, displacement, and translation. The Noguchi Award, presented by the Noguchi Museum on September 12, 2023, alongside recipients Theaster Gates and Hanya Yanagihara, places de Waal in a lineage of artists committed to cross-disciplinary innovation. The concurrent focus on Jewish ritual art and Christian treasures at The Jewish Museum, paired with a site-specific meditation on movement and story at The Huntington, signals a sustained institutional interest in de Waal's ability to activate sacred and archival spaces through a contemporary lens.
- Artists: Edmund de Waal
- People: Edmund de Waal, James S. Snyder, Theaster Gates, Hanya Yanagihara
- Galleries: Galerie Max Hetzler
- Museums: The Jewish Museum, The Huntington, Noguchi Museum
- Locations: New York, Los Angeles, Prague
The Morning Signal · Daily
Get stories like this in your inbox
The art world in one daily email — auctions, openings, and acquisitions from 90+ primary sources, distilled into a five-minute read. Independent — no marketplace, no gallery ads.
Join collectors, dealers & curators
No spam · free every morning · unsubscribe anytime
The Jobs Digest · Weekly
New art-world jobs, every Monday
The Jobs Digest rounds up the week’s new museum, gallery, and auction-house openings — with salary when disclosed. One email a week, unsubscribe anytime.
