Award comes as director of the Detroit Institute of Arts speaks at ‘summit’ on value of museums

Art Fund Prize judges were impressed with the sculpture park's exhibition of Yinka Shonibare's works, among others. Photo: Jonty Wilde

The Art Fund Prize often throws up a surprise winner and this year was no exception. Peter Murray, the founder and executive director of the Yorkshire Sculpture Park (YSP), near Leeds in the north of England, confessed that he was still finishing his main course when the theatre and film director Sam Mendes declared the YSP the winner of the 2014 award last night, 9 July, at a ceremony and dinner hosted by London's National Gallery.

The YSP impressed the judges of the award, which comes with a £100,000 prize, with the excellence of its programming, featuring exhibitions and installations by Ai Weiwei, Yinka Shonibare, and the relocation of Roger Hiorns's Seizure, 2008/2013, a move made possible by the Art Fund. Commissioned by Artangel and the Jerwood Charitable Foundation, the artist transformed an empty flat in south London into strange, blue copper sulphate crystal grotto. Hiorns and Shonibare were among the audience to share Murrary's delight and surprise....Continue Reading

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