Research Prize 2016 of the Praemium Erasmianum Foundation

On 9 May 2016, Christophe Van Eecke was awarded the Research Prize of the Praemium Erasmianum Foundation for his dissertation ‘Pandaemonium: Ken Russell’s Artist Biographies as Baroque Performance’, which he had successfully defended at Maastricht University on 5 November 2015 (in a double doctorate with the Université Libre de Bruxelles; Promotors: Maaike Meijer and Karel Vanhaesebrouck; Co-Promotor: Jack Post).

The Research Prize of € 3.000 is awarded annually to young researchers in the humanities and social sciences. The ceremony took place at the Royal Netherlands Academy for Arts and Sciences (KNAW) in Amsterdam.

In its report, the jury lauded the dissertation for being ‘decidedly unconventional. Van Eecke’s analysis of Russell’s work evokes a Jeroen Bosch-like quirky and kaleidoscopic world.’ The report further stated that ‘the jury was particularly struck by Van Eecke’s ability to translate film into writing, using a clear and authoritative style. The unconventional character of the artist Russell, the subject of this study, keeps pace with the extremely original and innovative argument of the dissertation’s author.’

Praemium Erasmianum Foundation,
Prize winners 2016
photo: Ineke Oostveen