The Vilcek Foundation honors Marica Vilcek’s career with a new award: the Marica Vilcek Prize in Art History. In its inaugural presentation, three awards of $100,000 each are bestowed on foreign-born art history and museum professionals whose work with The Metropolitan Museum of Art has had an impact on museum culture and curatorial practices in the United States and in their respective fields of study. The recipients of the 2024 Marica Vilcek Prizes in Art History are Monika Bincsik, Wolfram Koeppe and Pierre Terjanian. 

Marica’s Legacy and Impact

“With the 2024 Marica Vilcek Prizes in Art History, we honor Marica’s career with The Metropolitan Museum of Art—the institution that was her professional home from 1965 through 1996, and one she remains deeply committed to through her philanthropy and trusteeship,” says Vilcek Foundation President Rick Kinsel. “These prizes are a means by which the Vilcek Foundation can uphold Marica’s legacy and provide meaningful support to professionals.”

“Art historians and curators are unsung heroes; their work has broad implications for our understanding of social and cultural values across the globe, and on the history of technology and innovation in the creation of objects,” says Marica Vilcek. “These three curators have had a profound impact on the way we think about each of their specialties, offering important insights into the broader context of roles and meanings these objects hold in the time and place in which they were created.”

The Prizewinners

Monika Bincsik receives the Marica Vilcek Prize in Art History for her curatorial approach to Japanese decorative arts and textiles that highlights the complex interplay of the Japanese and international art market, trade, social, and political circumstances over the past five centuries. Born in Hungary, Bincsik is the Diane and Arthur Abbey Curator for Japanese Decorative Arts at The Metropolitan Museum of Art. She has organized several groundbreaking exhibitions to introduce the history of Japanese lacquer, ceramics, and bamboo, anchoring this area at The Met. She is the author of Kimono Style: Edo Traditions to Modern Design, and is a Visiting Researcher at Ritsumeikan University, Kyoto.

Wolfram Koeppe receives the Marica Vilcek Prize in Art History for his contributions to the study and curation of European decorative arts objects, and for his work to develop exhibitions and displays that engage and inspire audiences of all ages. Born in Germany, Koeppe is the Marina Kellen French Senior Curator in the Department of European Sculpture and Decorative Arts at The Metropolitan Museum of Art. He serves on the boards of the Association of Art Museums Curators Foundation, the Bard Graduate Center and the New York School of Interior Design.

Pierre Terjanian receives the Marica Vilcek Prize in Art History for his work to foster community, dialogue, and understanding through his leadership with The Metropolitan Museum of Art, and for his thoughtful scholarship on objects of arms and armor. Born in France, Terjanian is a member of the American Alliance of Museums. He was the Arthur Ochs Sulzberger Curator in Charge in the department of Arms and Armor at The Metropolitan Museum of Art before joining the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, as Chief of Curatorial Affairs and Conservation.