Raina Lampkins-Fielder, Platform Curator with Pauline Vranken, CEO of Vranken-Pommery America in front of Joe Minter's winning piece of art
At this year’s Armory Show, Champagne Pommery awarded the seventh annual Pommery Prize to Joe Minter for his powerful installation And He Hung His Head and Died (1999), presented by Souls Grown Deep in the fair’s Platform section. Minter, a self-taught sculptor and cultural historian, is best known for his ever-expanding African Village in America in Birmingham, Alabama, created from scrap metal and found objects.
Announced at the Pommery Champagne Lounge on September 4, the $10,000 prize was presented by Pauline Vranken, CEO of Vranken-Pommery America, who praised Minter’s work for its boldness and ability to ignite dialogue. Guests celebrated with pours of Apanage 1874 and Brut Rosé Royal in Pommery’s refreshed lounge, a centerpiece of the Javits Center fair.
The award continues Pommery’s long-standing legacy of cultural patronage, established by Madame Pommery in the 19th century and carried forward today through global initiatives such as the Experience Pommery exhibitions in Reims. As part of the prize, Minter will be invited to present his work at Domaine Pommery in France.
The Pommery Champagne Lounge at the 2025 Armory Show at the Javits Center
Fine Sipping Tequila by Casa Dragones
