The 2026 ART COLOGNE Prize has gone to the Bronner family of Düsseldorf, marking the first time since 2010 that the €10,000 award has honoured a multigenerational family of collectors. Announced on 1 October, the prize recognises three generations — the late Dan Bronner and his wife Cary, their son Gil and his wife Anat, and their children Philip and Lara — for collecting with passion, supporting artists and making their holdings accessible to the public. The prize, awarded jointly every year since 1988 by the Koelnmesse and the Bundesverband Deutscher Galerien und Kunsthändler (BVDG), the federal association of German galleries and art dealers, honours outstanding contributions to the communication of art. Its citation praised the Bronners as 'a group of people who have put together idiosyncratic collections with great passion and have made these accessible to the public,' describing personalities who devote considerable means to preserving artworks, running exhibition spaces and advancing art education. Dan and Cary Bronner built their collection over decades, acquiring works by artists including Sonia Delaunay, George Grosz and Picasso, and acted as patrons and donors to the Kunstpalast Düsseldorf. Dan Bronner died in 2023; the prize now honours the family's continuing commitment across the generations. The last family to receive the award was the Grässlin Collection in 2010. The Bronners join a distinguished roll of past recipients that includes Harald Szeemann, Denise René, Nicholas Serota, Ileana Sonnabend, Julia Stoschek, Monika Sprüth and, in 2024, Christian and Karen Boros. The award ceremony will take place during ART COLOGNE, which runs from 5 to 8 November 2026 — a fitting stage for an honour that celebrates the collectors whose enthusiasm and resources keep the art world's ecosystem turning.