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Katharina Fritsch with a model of her sculpture »Hahn«
Photo: Kirsty Wigglesworth/AP
The German artist Katharina Fritsch is awarded the Golden Lion at the Biennale di Venezia for her life's work.
The curator of the 59th international art exhibition in the northern Italian lagoon city, Cecilia Alemani, suggested the 66-year-old from Essen, the Venice Biennale announced on Tuesday.
"Fritsch's contribution to contemporary art, especially sculpture, is incomparable," said Alemani.
The visual artist, who works in Düsseldorf, is to receive the award on April 23 on the opening day of this year's Art Biennale.
"I feel very honored and am grateful for this award," said Fritsch, according to the announcement.
Fritsch is known, among other things, for her work »Rat King«, a gigantic sculpture of 16 black rats, each 2.80 meters tall, arranged in a circle.
The tails are tied in a knot.
In 1993 she caused quite a stir in New York.
Animals are a recurring motif in Fritsch's work.
In 1987 she had already placed a life-size green elephant in the Krefeld Kaiser Wilhelm Museum.
In 2013, she presented a giant blue rooster in Trafalgar Square, London, to denounce patriarchy.
In addition to Fritsch, the Chilean artist Cecilia Vicuña also received the Golden Lion for her life's work.
This year's edition of the art biennial is scheduled to run until November 27 under the title »The Milk of Dreams«.
xvc/dpa