[Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Volume 30, Number 24 (Monday, June 20, 1994)]
[Pages 1288-1290]
[Online from the Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

<R04>
Remarks Honoring the Praemium Imperiale Arts Award Recipients

June 16, 1994

    Thank you very much. Thank you very much, ladies and gentlemen. Mr. 
Sejima, thank you for your fine words and for giving us the history of 
the Japan Art Association and its relationship to President Grant in his 
visit to Japan.
    I had a sense of the great tradition of the Imperial Family when the 
Emperor and Empress were here a couple of nights ago with the First Lady 
and I, and the Emperor was taken upstairs to my office. And we were 
talking about American history, and I said, ``This desk I use in my 
office was President Grant's Cabinet table.'' He said, ``Yes, I know. My 
great-grandfather welcomed him to Japan.'' I had a desk; he had a family 
experience. [Laughter]
    There are many very distinguished Americans here, including our 
great former Ambassador to Japan, Senator Mike Mansfield, and Maestro 
Rostropovich, who was just here to play for the Emperor and Empress. I 
thank

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you all for coming. I welcome the members of the diplomatic community 
and other distinguished citizens of the world. I would like to, in 
particular, recognize the representatives here of the panel of 
international advisers of the Japan Art Association, a group of truly 
distinguished citizens of the world: the mayor of Paris, Jacques Chirac, 
who hosted us recently, welcome, sir; the former Prime Minister of 
Italy, Amintore Fanfani; the former Prime Minister of Japan, Yasuhiro 
Nakasone; and the former Prime Minister of Great Britain, Sir Edward 
Heath, welcome to you all; and Mr. David Rockefeller, our 
representative. David, thank you for coming.
    We have all been enriched by the work of the Japan Art Association, 
but especially by creating this award for artists who would not 
otherwise be recognized internationally for their outstanding work. 
Katherine Anne Porter once wrote that ``Art outlives governments, 
creeds, societies, even civilizations. Art,'' she wrote, ``is what we 
find again when the ruins are cleared away.''
    Indeed, in this very room we have an example of art that survived 
even the burning of the White House, this wonderful Gilbert Stuart 
portrait of George Washington, which was rescued by the then-First Lady 
Dolley Madison when the White House was burned during the War of 1812. 
So it endured, and it's just like it was then, but all the walls here 
are new, just as all the people here are. If we cultivate art, nurture 
it, and preserve it, then not only art endures but a part of all of us 
endures as well.
    The Praemium Imperiale Prizes were established to mark the second 
century of work of the Japan Art Association, recognizing international 
excellence in painting, sculpture, architecture, music, theater, and 
film. All the winners are artists of unique accomplishment. The 
recommendations for the prize recipients are made for the Japan Art 
Association by the distinguished committee of international advisers, 
whom I have just recognized. I thank those who are here and those who 
are not able to come, including the former West German Chancellor, 
Helmut Schmidt.
    Yesterday, the names of the five award winners were announced. In 
October, they will be honored in ceremonies in Tokyo, but we wanted to 
salute them here. And four of the five honorees are with us today.
    For painting, this year's winner is the French artist Zao Wou-ki. 
Where is he? Please stand up. Born in China, educated there and in 
France, his style brings together East and West in a synthesis of 
drawing, calligraphy, and traditional Chinese painting that is nothing 
less than lyrical.
    For sculpture, the winner is an American, Richard Serra. A 
Californian who literally broke the mold and shattered ideas about what 
sculpture is, his work radiates emotional power on a grand scale and has 
been an inspiration to an entire new generation of artists.
    The winner for architecture is Charles Correa of India who has done 
work of truly historic significance, showing sensitivity in planning 
communities in poor countries for genuinely civilized living. His 
pioneering work has sought to improve the quality of housing for the 
urban poor, as well as providing a more humane way to live.
    For music, the winner is the French composer Henri Dutilleux. His 
distinctive compositions put into beautiful music the notion of 
diversity within unity, producing from novel arrays of instruments what 
the composer himself has so aptly called ``the joy of sound.''
    Finally, in the category of theater and film, the winner goes to 
someone who could not be with us today, the wonderful British actor and 
director Sir John Gielgud. His career so far has spanned a mere eight 
decades, reaching new heights in roles as different as Hamlet on the 
stage and the butler in service to a tipsy millionaire in the movie 
``Arthur.'' He sends his regrets that he could not be with us today, and 
he has our best wishes.
    We give our congratulations to all these winners for many more 
decades of creative energy. We thank them for stirring our imaginations 
and our souls. The world is better for their efforts. For all of that, 
we say thank you.

Note: The President spoke at 4 p.m. in the East Room at the White House. 
In his remarks, he referred to Ryuzo Sejima, chairman, Japan Art 
Association; Mstislav Rostropovich, music director, National Symphony 
Orchestra; and author Katherine Anne Porter.

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