Ferrara to Host the 2025 Top 60 Masters Awards—The Oscars of the Visual Arts

The 2025 Top 60 Masters Awards returns to Ferrara for its 13th year—an exclusive red-carpet celebration of global artistic excellence.

NEW YORK, NY, UNITED STATES, May 15, 2025 /EINPresswire.com/ -- On the evening of May 22nd, beneath the ornate ceilings of the Ridotto Teatro Comunale di Ferrara, a luminous gathering will unfold. This is not merely an event—it is a legacy in motion.

Now in its 13th year, the Top 60 Masters Awards, presented by ArtTour International Magazine, stands as one of the most respected honors in the world of contemporary art. Founded in 2012 in New York City by visionary artist and producer Viviana Puello, the event has come to be known globally as “The Oscars of the Visual Arts.”

Each year, sixty exceptional artists are honored not for popularity or prestige, but for the authenticity, innovation, and impact of their creative voice. Representing every corner of the globe and every imaginable medium, these artists remind us that art—at its highest form—is a force for transformation.

At the heart of the evening lies "Rising Above"—the angelic sculpture conceived by Puello herself. Handcrafted in Italy, painted in Ferrari Red and crowned with 24K gold, the award symbolizes peace, courage, and the enduring power of art in the face of adversity.

The 2025 edition is directed by Alan Grimandi, Italian filmmaker and co-founder of ArtTour International. It also marks the unveiling of the new Top 60 Masters of Contemporary Art book—an Amazon best-seller, curated by Puello and designed with Grimandi’s cinematic vision. The book is a vibrant testament to each artist’s journey, presented in full-color spreads and published worldwide.

This year’s in-person honorees form a vibrant mosaic of cultures and disciplines. Among those traveling to Ferrara: Barbara Tyler Ahlfield (US), Chatarina Salomonsson (Sweden), Despina Kyriacou (UK), Dina Klumbys (UK), Gene Sellers (US), Howard Harris (US), Juan Ortiz Portas (Mexico), Michael Surber (US), Neela Pushparaj (US), Sydnei Smith Jordan (US), Tracey Chaykin (US), Vasile Ghiuță (Canada), Youri Chasov (Russia), Heinz Marzohl, Silke Wolff, and Monika Bendner (Germany), and Jenneke Brunnekreeft (Netherlands). Each will take the stage to receive their award in person.

Meanwhile, dozens of other masters will join virtually from their home countries—appearing via live broadcast, participating in interactive hybrid events, and contributing to a weeklong celebration of artistry that spans both time zones and borders. Their presence is no less felt; their work, no less profound.

With past ceremonies held in venues such as the Castello Estense, Saint-Martin de la Garrigue Castle, the Auditorium al Duomo in Florence, and New York’s Museum of Art and Design, this event continues to define what it means to honor artistic mastery at the highest level.

Though broadcast to over 180 countries via Vivid Arts Network TV, the ceremony itself remains intensely private. It is a VIP-only affair, attended by curators, collectors, critics, and the artists themselves—a sacred space for genuine recognition and reverence.

As the lights dim and each name is called, a quiet truth fills the theatre: this is more than a celebration of art. It is a sanctuary for brilliance. A tribute to those who see the world differently—and give the rest of us a way to feel it more deeply.

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