Catholic financier and arts patron John Studzinski has been awarded the Prince of Wales Medal for Arts Philanthropy, making him the first individual to hold both that and the Prince of Wales Ambassador Award.
Born in Massachusetts in 1956, Mr Studzinski – who divides his time between London and New York – has worked for many years in investment banking, and set up the Genesis Foundation in 2000 to support and develop emerging artists.
The foundation has donated more than £10 million to date to help young artists from diverse backgrounds to achieve their goals in theatre, music and the visual arts, and runs programmes with the Royal Court, The Sixteen, Welsh National Opera and the Young Vic, and supports graduate and postgraduate training programmes at LAMDA and the Royal College of Art, as well as commissioning new work.
Mr Studzinski was one of the principal sponsors of the 2011 Treasures from Heaven exhibition of medieval art at the British Museum and is a Patron of the Christian Heritage Centre at Stonyhurst. He is also a Trustee of The Passage night shelter in central London and Vice Chairman of Human Rights Watch. He also is a Knight of St Gregory.
David Pountney, Artistic Director and CEO of the Welsh National Opera, said of his giving: “This is sophisticated philanthropy at its best.”
Previous recipients of the medal include Catholic hedge fund manager Michael Hintze and his wife Dorothy.
Loading ...
