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Art Fashion

BOSS Shook Up the Inaugural Art Basel Awards With a Brand New $100,000 Prize

BOSS has supported a range of visual art efforts over the past 30 years. Last week, it expanded its commitment yet again (with celebrity guests and raucous cheers to boot).

Presented by BOSS

WORDS

Sam Falb

DATE

December 9, 2025

Noah Horowitz, Ibrahim Mahama, Alessio Antoniolli, Robert Leckie, Candice Hopkins, Cecilia Vicuña, Joel Wachs, Marie Helene Pereira, Simone Farresin, Saodat Ismailova, Mohammad Alfaraj, Vincenzo de Bellis, Nairy Baghramian, Andrea Trimarchi, and Meriem Bennani, all imagery courtesy of Art Basel and BOSS — Noah Horowitz, Ibrahim Mahama, Alessio Antoniolli, Robert Leckie, Candice Hopkins, Cecilia Vicuña, Joel Wachs, Marie Helene Pereira, Simone Farresin, Saodat Ismailova, Mohammad Alfaraj, Vincenzo de Bellis, Nairy Baghramian, Andrea Trimarchi, and Meriem Bennani. All imagery courtesy of Art Basel and BOSS.

Miami Beach glimmered on Wednesday night as the inaugural Art Basel Awards unfolded at the New World Center, bringing together artists, curators, patrons, and a smattering of celebrities for the first-of-its-kind celebration. At the heart of the fête was Moroccan-born, New York-based artist Meriem Bennani, who took home the first-ever BOSS AWARD for Outstanding Achievement, presented by HUGO BOSS CEO Daniel Grieder and Creative Director Marco Falcioni.

The evening celebrated creatives across nine categories, including established and emerging artists, patrons, and curators. The 11 winners were chosen by their peers from a group of 36 Medalists nominated by an expert panel assembled by Art Basel earlier this year. The BOSS AWARD is the newest addition to the mix.

Through the venue’s grand entryway, guests found themselves inside a dramatic, walkway-style display tracing HUGO BOSS’s three-decade history of arts patronage. 1995–2025: 30 Years of Arts Sponsorship featured James Rosenquist’s 1998 Paper Suit (produced by BOSS and now in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art), the long-running HUGO BOSS Prize with the Guggenheim, and the HUGO BOSS ASIA ART Award, originated with the Rockbund Art Museum in Shanghai.

To open the show, musician, producer, and collector Swizz Beatz guided the audience through opening remarks, engaging in comedic questioning of collectors and artists in the crowd. “I’m proud to play a different role tonight—it’s important to give people the shine that they deserve,” Swizz Beatz said.

Musician A$AP Ferg, artist Hank Willis Thomas, and NFL star-turned-collector Malcolm Jenkins brought a wow factor to the night’s proceedings as presenters, while musician Kelsey Lu entranced guests with a three-song serenade to close the show.

As the evening proceeded, the announcement of the BOSS AWARD—developed to honor artists that challenge perspectives and leave a lasting impact on the art world—flashed onto the screen to a hush. Bennani’s win was greeted by warm cheers and the artist took the stage in a tailored BOSS look.

Bennani’s playful, immersive work toying with digital culture spans video, sound, animation, sculpture, and large-scale installations. “When you’re an emerging artist, you feel like you always have to make shows and be present,” she explained in her acceptance speech. “I’ve been trying to have more time and work in-depth, and that’s what this will allow me to do.”

Meriem Bennani, all imagery courtesy of Art Basel and BOSS — Meriem Bennani.

The $100,000 award enables the artist to make an impact far beyond their own practice: half goes to a cause of their choosing (in Bennani’s case, it will go to Bilna’es, a Palestinian nonprofit supporting artists) and the other half is invested in a project, commission, or cultural activation co-developed with BOSS. “The first BOSS AWARD marks the start of an exciting journey, and we look forward to shaping the future of art together,” Grieder said.

The rooftop party that followed swirled between New York art world intelligentsia and the oceanside pomp of a Miami night out. Rising art stars, collectors, and celebrities mingled over cocktails and music. As Swizz put it during the awards, “It’s unreal and unbelievable to celebrate the creatives who step up to the plate.”