2018 Northern Trust Purchase Prize

Each year EXPO CHICAGO and Presenting Sponsor Northern Trust select artworks from the fair’s EXPOSURE section– featuring galleries ten years and younger– to be purchased for an institution’s permanent collection. Since 2013, the award was gifted to one institution, but in 2022 it expanded to three U.S. institutions located in East, West and Midwest regions. Previous institution recipients include The Art Institute of Chicago; The Arts Club of Chicago; Block Museum of Art, Northwestern University; DePaul Art Museum, DePaul University; Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago; Museum of Fine Arts, St. Petersburg; Pérez Art Museum; Portland Art Museum; Saint Louis Art Museum; Seattle Art Museum; Smart Museum of Art, University of Chicago; Speed Art Museum; Walker Art Center. Learn more about the Northern Trust Purchase Prize artists and gallery recipients below.

2018 Northern Trust Purchase Prize Recipients & Winners

The 2018 Northern Trust Purchase Prize has been awarded to the institution: Smart Museum of Art at the University of Chicago

As Presenting Sponsor of EXPO CHICAGO, Northern Trust, will purchase the annual gift of artwork from the EXPOSURE section of the exposition, for galleries eight years and younger. 

The EXPOSURE section, installed on the main floor of the exposition, features solo and two-artist presentations represented by galleries ten years and younger. Focusing on a curated selection of emerging artists, EXPOSURE 2018 exhibitors were curated by Justine Ludwig | Executive Director at Creative Time

Smart Museum of Art at the University of Chicago

Smart Museum of Art acquired the painting Calling On The Past by Amir H. Fallah from Shulamit Nazarian, Los Angeles.

"We are thrilled to be awarded the Northern Trust Purchase Prize at a moment when the Smart is re-thinking what it means to be a leading 21st century university art museum. This is an exciting opportunity to expand our collection and to offer new perspectives on the world through the creative practice of an emerging artist." — Alison Gass | Smart Museum of Art

“EXPO CHICAGO was wonderful for us again this year. Los Angeles-based Amir H. Fallah received the Northern Trust Purchase Prize for his painting, Calling On The Past, 2018, which was acquired for the Smart Museum of Art, The University of Chicago. Shortly after, two supporters of the museum acquired three works by Fallah, with two of those works being a promised gift to the Smart Museum of Art. Before the end of the first day, we had successfully placed every work in our booth by both Amir H. Fallah and Brooklyn-based Naudline Pierre. As always, the curatorial support was strong. We had wonderful conversations with curators at the Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago, The Art Institute of Chicago, the Museum of Contemporary Art Cleveland, the AMAM at Oberlin College and of course the Smart Museum of Art. For our second year at EXPO CHICAGO, we were once again impressed by the quality of the collectors, and the support that is felt from the fair’s institutions and partnerships in Chicago. We will certainly return next year!
— Seth Curcio | Shulamit Nazarian