A Ceramicist Who's Also an Activist Won the Hugo Boss Prize

Every two years since 1996, Hugo Boss awards a $100,000 stipend as well as a solo show to an artist who has made an impact in contemporary art. Last night, Mark Langer, the brand’s chairman and CEO, and Richard Armstrong, director of the Guggenheim Museum and Foundation, presented sculptor Simone Leigh with the prize.

Leigh, who works in New York but also serves as an instructor in the ceramics department at the Rhode Island School of Design, is best known for feminist work that combines modern techniques with African pottery traditions. Her pieces examine women of color and their experiences. She’s had prior shows at the likes of PS 1, The Studio Museum of Harlem, and The Walker Art Center, and is the first black woman to win the award.

Leigh joined fellow nominees Bouchra Khalili, Teresa Margolles, Emeka Ogboh, Frances Stark and Wu Tsang at the dinner announcement. Also present: Naomi Watts, Alexander Skarsgard, and art world types like Anh Duong and Chloe Wise. Scroll ahead to see the red carpet.