The Japan Art Association on Wednesday announced this year's winners of its Praemium Imperiale awards, including Japanese architect Fumihiko Maki, who is widely known for his innovative and modern style.
Born in Tokyo in 1928, Maki studied architecture at the University of Tokyo and Harvard University. His works include the Hillside Terrace Apartments in Tokyo, the National Museum of Modern Art in Kyoto and the Floating Pavilion in Groningen, Netherlands.
The award for painting went to Germany's Anselm Kiefer, who was "one of the first artists in Germany to confront the politics of his country's volatile past," association officials said. Through his oft-controversial works, which include artists books as well as paintings, he exposes the deeply buried psychological scars of his postwar generation.