The announcement was made on Monday 3rd March at a special gala celebration.
On Monday evening, the art world came together to celebrate Colombian artist, Doris Salcedo as she won the Whitechapel Gallery’s annual Art Icon Award, which recognises the work of an artist who has made a profound contribution to the artistic landscape and influenced a generation of artists.
In a ceremony at the Whitechapel Gallery, 140 artists, collectors, art world and cultural luminaries came together to mark the occasion as the award was presented to Salcedo by the eminent lawyer and human rights champion, Lady Helena Kennedy.
The evening featured a special reading by award-winning Turkish-British novelist, essayist and activist, Elif Shafak from her latest work There Are Rivers in the Sky, followed by a performance from Colombian singer-songwriter Stephanie Santiago.
This celebration was hosted by Gilane Tawadros, Whitechapel Gallery Director and Dr David Dibosa, Chair of Whitechapel Gallery Trustees.
Among the guests on the evening included: Sir Nicholas Serota, Jay Jopling, Frances Morris, Russel Tovey and Gregor Muir, along with artists Gillian Wearing, Michael Landy, Julianknxx and Anya Gallaccio. Also in attendance was the Ambassador of Brazil to the United Kingdom Antonio Patriota.
Gilane Tawadros, Whitechapel Gallery Director said: “I am delighted to have awarded the 2025 Art Icon Award to Doris Salcedo. Throughout her career, Salcedo has made powerful and compelling works of art that address themes of violence, exclusion and human rights, drawing attention to human tragedy. Her work gives form to pain, trauma and loss in a way which is intimate and humane, enabling us to connect on an individual and collective level that contrasts strikingly with media accounts of human suffering.”
Guests bought tickets for the evening to help raise vital funds for Whitechapel Gallery’s Exhibition and Participation Programmes. An online auction, hosted by Phillips, featured exceptional original artworks generously donated by leading contemporary artists including Andrew Pierre Hart, Gideon Rubin, Ali Kazim, Daisy Dodd-Noble, Taylor Simmons, Wynnie Mynerva, Ania Hobson, Danny Fox, Julie Curtiss, Tunji Adeniyi-Jones, Michele Fletcher, Rose Nestler, Studio Lenca, Hettie Inniss, Tiona Nekkia McClodden, Victoria Cantons, Peter Kennard, Christopher Page, Michael Armitage, Sang Woo Kim, many of whom were in attendance on the night. Alongside Whitechapel Gallery’s 2025 Art Icon Auction, Theodore Ereira-Guyer and Sholto Blissett generously donated work for private sale.