The Prize
The Shimada Prize is awarded by the Smithsonian Institution's Freer Gallery of Art and Arthur M. Sackler Gallery in Washington, D.C., and by The Metropolitan Center for Far Eastern Art Studies in Kyoto, Japan. It was established in 1992 to honor Professor Shimada Shujiro, who received international recognition for his significant contributions to the research of Chinese and Japanese painting and calligraphy. The winner of the prize receives $10,000.

2008 Winner
Dr. Patricia Berger received the 2008 Shimada Prize for her publication "Empire of Emptiness: Buddhist Art and Political Authority in Qing China," published by the University of Hawai'i Press (2003).

Dr. Berger was awarded the prize for her novel approach to the study of art and architecture produced during the Qianlong reign (1736-95) of China's Qing dynasty. In her book, Berger analyzes the Emperor Qianlong's patronage of Buddhist art, which was subtly orchestrated as a means of projecting and harmonizing multiple facets of his reign, particularly his relations with his newly acquired domains in inner Asia. In her book she also discusses the religious practices and artistic styles drawn from Han Chinese, Manchu, Mongol and Tibetan traditions.

Patricia Berger received her bachelor's degree from Cornell University and her master's and doctoral degrees from the University of California, Berkeley. She joined the faculty of UC Berkeley in 1997 and now serves as the department chair and associate professor of Chinese art. Berger also held positions at the Asian Art Museum of San Francisco and professorships at Oberlin College and the University of Southern California.

Past Recipients