Víkingur Ólafsson awarded 2022 Rolf Schock Prize

Icelandic pianist Víkingur Ólafsson has been awarded this year’s Rolf Schock Prize in Musical Arts by the Schock Foundation. Ólafsson was given the prize during an award ceremony at Stockholm’s Royal Academy of Fine Arts on Monday (24 October).

Awarded for Ólafsson’s pioneering and successful work in developing and strengthening classical music,’ the prize was received in person by his wife, Halla Oddny Magnúsdóttir alongside three other Rolf Schock Prize recipients: philosopher David Kaplan (Logic and Philosophy), mathematician Jonathan Pila (Mathematics) and architect Rem Koolhaas (Visual Arts). The four laureates will share 2 million Swedish krona.

Hans Ellegren, chair of the Schock Foundation, said: ‘The Schock Prizes are unusual because they recognise people who work in the sciences, as well as practitioners of the visual arts and music. People such as Rolf Schock are fascinating, individuals who have the breadth and ability to see the interrelationships between such apparently different areas. We are very proud of this year’s laureates, who have been proposed by the three different academies.’

The Schock Foundation manages the fortune of philosopher and artist Rolf Schock who died in 1986 leaving instructions for the prize to be awarded in his name. Every three years the Foundation also chooses the prize winners in 3 categories nominated by the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences (logic and philosophy, and mathematics), the Royal Academy of Fine Arts Stockholm (visual arts) and the Royal Swedish Academy of Music (music).

Ólafsson said: ‘I am grateful for this inspiration and opportunity for wonder - to escape my own area of expertise in order to marvel at that of my distinguished fellow laureates. It is also exhilarating to join the succession of wonderful musicians who received it before me.’ You can find a list of previous prize winners here.