The Pérez Art Museum Miami (PAMM) announced today that the Los Angeles–based artist Christina Quarles is the recipient of the first $50,000 Pérez Prize, which is funded by a gift from local arts patrons Jorge and Darlene Pérez’s foundation. The artist was recognized for her outstanding achievements and impact on the current art historical narrative. Quarles will be celebrated on Saturday night at PAMM’s Art of the Party, the museum’s largest fundraising event of the year.

“Our entire family feels very fortunate to be able to provide long-term support for artists and their craft,” Jorge Pérez said in a statement. “It is a responsibility we do not take lightly, and we look forward to continuing to work with the PAMM team to identify and celebrate talent with far-reaching, multi-generational impact.”

Known for her figurative paintings that confront questions of racial and sexual identity, gender, and queerness, Quarles most recently received recognition for her work in the Hammer Museum’s “Made in L.A. 2018” biennial. She will open solo exhibitions at Regen Projects in Los Angeles and the Hepworth Museum in Wakefield, England, later this year. Quarles was selected for the award by PAMM’s curatorial team in collaboration with the Jorge M. Pérez Family Foundation. Starting in 2020, the prize will appoint a jury to choose the winner.

Commenting on the award, PAMM director Franklin Sirmans said: “We are thrilled to recognize Christina Quarles at this important moment in her career. Christina’s work, like that of our museum, offers new ways of seeing art history and I am excited to see what she accomplishes in the next step of her career.”