The Leopold Bloom Art Award aims to support contemporary artists and strengthen their presence in the international contemporary art world.
The award aims to contribute to cooperation between Hungarian artists and prestigious foreign exhibition venues, to the international debut and career development of artists, and to the even more intensive integration of the contemporary Hungarian scene into international art life.
The award is named after the Hungarian-born protagonist of one of the most significant works of modern literature, James Joyce’s Ulysses. In keeping with the values important to the award and its Irish founder, Leopold Bloom is a symbol of paradigm-shifting art, travel, internationalism, and, last but not least, Irish-Hungarian relations.
The founders of the Leopold Bloom Fine Arts Award, Mary Mc Loughlin and John Ward, are committed to supporting contemporary fine arts through their exemplary work as collectors and art connoisseurs. The Leopold Bloom Foundation, which they established, welcomes all those who also consider Hungarian art important and want to do something about it.
According to the jury’s decision, the finalists for the 2025 Leopold Bloom Fine Arts Award and participants in the exhibition at the Kiscelli Museum will be six artists: Dezső Tamás, Fabricius Anna, Hajas Katinka, Kiss Adrian, Molnár Judit Lilla and Szalai Dániel. Jury members: Mary Conlon, Merve Elveren, Jure Kirbiš