Veteran actress Dame Judi Dench said she felt overwhelmed to accept one of the art world's most valuable awards. The Oscar winning star was named one of five new Praemium Imperiale Laureates, along with British sculptor Anish Kapoor. The announcement was made during a Japanese sponsored arts ceremony in London. The award, worth 15 million yen, will be formally presented at a ceremony in Tokyo in October.
I feel overwhelmed. I've been to Japan twice with the Royal Shakespeare Company and I made a lot of really good friends, Dame Judi said. The star, who has had a successful and varied career in film and on stage, said, I call myself a theatre actor. The greatest body of my work is in the theatre and the theatre is the thing I really love the best. She also plays spy boss M in the James Bond films.
BBC Trust chairman Lord Patten, who is the UK adviser for the prize, said Dame Judi is one of Britain's greatest actors. It's hugely important given the contribution Britain makes to the arts and I think people will really see the vibrancy of the UK in cultural terms, he also said. US artist Bill Viola, Mexican architect Ricardo Legoretta and Japanese conductor Seiji Ozawa were also named as laureates.
The Queen later congratulated the recipients of the award at a reception at Buckingham Palace. Kapoor, 57, said he had talked to the Queen about making things and sculpture and the Olympic project that I'm involved in. Previous winners include David Hockney and Richard Attenborough.
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