Trisha Brown, Brian Eno,
Hans Magnus Enzensberger, Anish Kapoor,
Peter Sellars, Zhang Yimou to Mentor Young Artists

Geneva, December 7, 2009 – At a gathering of global arts leaders last night in London, six artistic masters were announced as mentors in the 2010-2011 Rolex Mentor and Protégé Arts Initiative.

The internationally renowned artists, who will spend a year guiding a rising talent in each of their respective disciplines, are: Trisha Brown (Dance), Brian Eno (Music), Hans Magnus Enzensberger (Literature), Anish Kapoor (Visual Arts), Peter Sellars (Theatre) and Zhang Yimou (Film).

Over the course of the next five months, each mentor will choose a protégé from a small group of finalists identified by Rolex international nominating panels, arts insiders who scour the world for the most promising young artists. The six mentor-protégé pairs will then participate in a one-to-one creative collaboration, an exchange benefiting both mentor and protégé.

Since its launch in 2002, many of the world’s most illustrious artists have accepted Rolex’s invitation to serve as mentors in the Rolex Mentor and Protégé Arts Initiative. These acclaimed masters are: John Baldessari, Tahar Ben Jelloun, Sir Colin Davis, Anne Teresa De Keersmaeker, William Forsythe, Stephen Frears, Sir Peter Hall, David Hockney, Rebecca Horn, Jiří Kylián, Toni Morrison, Mira Nair, Youssou N’Dour, Jessye Norman, Martin Scorsese, Álvaro Siza, Wole Soyinka, Julie Taymor, Saburo Teshigawara, Kate Valk, Mario Vargas Llosa, Robert Wilson and Pinchas Zukerman. All have contributed to developing the next generation of great artists through the Rolex arts programme.

Bruno Meier, former CEO of Rolex and host of last night’s gala event at the Royal Opera House, said: “We are indebted to the great artists who give their time to this programme. They are helping us reach our goal of bringing emerging talents from around the globe into the greater community of remarkable artists and advancing their careers – an unparalleled opportunity.”

In addition to their year-long artistic relationship, which includes extended periods of dialogue with their mentors and the sharing and refining of their creative work, protégés each receive a grant of US$25,000 to enable them to take part in the programme, as well as travel and other major expenses. When the year of mentoring is complete, Rolex matches the original grant by supporting a new creation by the young artist and continues to promote their work.

For further information, please visit: www.rolexmentorprotege.com.

Press Enquiries:
Mr. Nicolas Bohnet
The Rolex Mentor and Protégé Arts Initiative
P.O. Box 1311
1211 Geneva 26, Switzerland
rmp@rolex.com
Tel: +41 22 302 22 00
Fax: +41 22 302 25 85