María de Corral (ES):
For me, the opportunity to get to know the candidates and their works has been immensely rewarding. I have learned a lot about each of them, their countries, and, at the same time, about myself. In my opinion, all seven artists would deserve the Ars Fennica prize. In retrospect, as I have thought about what I saw and heard during my visit, I have had to consider for a long time what it means for a young artist to receive an award like Ars Fennica: support and encouragement. Likewise, for an artist with a long career behind them, this kind of award represents recognition of all their efforts and work. After considering the various aspects carefully and the fact that the award is now, for the first time, extending beyond the Finnish art world to encompass all the Nordic countries, I have decided to award the Ars Fennica prize 1993 to Per Kirkeby. In recognition of his long career and his way of confronting the daily work of an artist: wavering between certainty and uncertainty yet striving persistently for knowledge.
María de Corral (ES), Director of The Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofía in Madrid (1993)