According to a new report by MediaBistro, Jony Ive will be presented with this year’s Bay Area Treasure Award on October 30. The award is granted annually by the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art in recognition of artists and creative leaders who have redefined visual art.
Ive will be the 15th recipient of the award, joining the likes of Star Wars filmmaker George Lucas and famed landscape architect Lawrence Halprin. And he’s being honored for his long history of designing innovative products for Apple, which include the iMac, iPhone and iPad…
From the SFMOMA press release, via MediaBistro:
The San Francisco Museum of Modern Art (SFMOMA) has named Apple Senior Vice President of Design Jonathan Ive the recipient of its 2014 Bay Area Treasure Award. The annual lifetime achievement award, organized by the Modern Art Council (MAC), SFMOMA’s premier fund-raising auxiliary, recognizes artists and creative leaders in the region whose contributions have redefined contemporary visual culture.
“Ive is our generation’s most innovative and influential figure in the field of industrial design—no other design mind has done more to transform the way we visualize and share information,” said SFMOMA Director Neal Benezra. “SFMOMA was the first museum on the West Coast to establish a department of architecture and design, and we’re thrilled to celebrate Ive’s revolutionary achievements.”
Ive has commented on the announcement, saying “I’ve always enjoyed visiting SFMOMA, and I think it represents exceptional contemporary art and design.” He also expressed he’s “very grateful to the museum and proud to be recognized among such an amazing list of past recipients.”
SFMOMA’s Department of Architecture and Design has a significant collection of 20th- and 21st-century consumer electronics, and is currently investigating how to best collect maintain, and interpret these things. The project involves several leading Bay Area designers, including Ive.
The London-born designer has been the recipient of many awards over the years, including Design Museum London’s 2003 Designer of the Year and The Royal Society of Arts’ Royal Designer for Industry. He was also knighted by the Princess Royal at Buckingham Palace in May 2012.