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The Robert Motherwell Book Award is given annually and carries a prize of $10,000 awarded to the author of an outstanding publication in the history and criticism of modernism in the arts – including the visual arts, literature, music and the performing arts. Nominations are made by publishers, and the winner is chosen by a panel of distinguished scholars and writers.

Nomination Criteria

To qualify for the 2022 Robert Motherwell Book Award, a book must have been first published in 2021, in English. (Our definition of modernism is broad and we will consider books that deal with art created between the mid-nineteenth century and the present.) Typically, an eligible book will have been written by a single author; but a volume with co-authors would be eligible if the tenor of the book is that of a coherent work with a recognizably unified voice. Anthologies and collections of essays are therefore not eligible.

Nomination Timeline & Procedure

Publishers may nominate any books on their 2021 list that they believe merit the jury’s consideration. Nominations may be sent to [log in to unmask] starting November 2, 2021 and will be accepted until December 17, 2021. Nominations should include the book’s title, name of its author, and a 50 word précis.

Publishers of books that the jury wishes to further consider will be contacted in February 2022, and asked to ship review copies directly to each of the three members of the jury.

The Dedalus Foundation Exhibition Catalogue Award is awarded annually to an outstanding exhibition catalogue published in a given calendar year that makes a significant contribution to the scholarship of modern art or modernism. This award is given in addition to, and as the complement of, the Robert Motherwell Book Award.

Nomination Criteria

Eligibility for the 2022 award is limited to catalogues published in 2021, in English, that make a significant contribution to the understanding of modern art or modernism. (Our definition of modernism is broad and we will consider catalogues that deal with art created between the early twentieth century and the present.) Along with documenting an exhibition, eligible catalogues should feature essays that expand and illuminate in innovative ways knowledge about the subject of the exhibition. Eligible catalogues should consist primarily of new, unpublished material.

Nomination Timeline & Procedure

Museums, galleries, and publishers may nominate any exhibition catalogues published in 2021 that they believe merit the jury’s consideration. Nominations may be sent to [log in to unmask] beginning November 2, 2021 and will be accepted until December 17, 2021. Nominations should include the catalogue's title, editors, authors and a 75 word précis.

Publishers of catalogues that the jury wishes to further consider will be contacted in February 2022, and asked to ship review copies directly to each of the three members of the jury.