The award recognizes lifetime achievements in art categories not covered by the Nobel Prizes. It was created in 1988 to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the JAA and to honor the late Prince Takamatsu. He is credited with advocating an early settlement of hostilities with the United States during World War II, and with the vision to see the arts as a means of promoting understanding throughout the world. Previous laureates include Ingmar Bergman, Leonard Bernstein, Christo and Jeanne-Claude and Frank Gehry.

The Kabakovs are the 2008 laureates for the sculpture category. They will accept their award along with laureates Richard Hamilton from the United Kingdom, honored for painting; Peter Zumthor of Switzerland (architecture); Zubin Mehta of India (music); and Sakata Tojuro of Japan (theater and film).

The Kabakovs will donate the $143,000 cash prize that goes with the award. "A portion will go to Mattituck-Laurel Library for its children's program, and to San Simeon [by the Sound nursing home] in Greenport for its rehabilitation center and nursing home," Ms. Kabakov said this week, adding, "The Line of Life, a Russian charity providing help for children with heart disease, will also receive a contribution, in memory of my niece, Stacy Murashkovsky."

Born in the Ukraine in 1933, Mr. Kabakov began his working career during the Soviet era. But all the time he was earning a living as a book illustrator, he was amassing archives of memories and visual images: desiccated lives surrounded by the detritus of life, all commingled with myths, folklore and all that is human and inhumane. Never allowed to show his sharp, acidic but humorous installations in the Soviet Union, he did find an audience in the West during the 1980s, his work helping Westerners understand what life was like in the Soviet Union.

Emilia Kabakov, born in the Ukraine in 1945, has collaborated with her husband since 1989, pursuing themes focused on "people who try to live an ordinary life under abnormal conditions."

"This year is magic. Suddenly we got this outstanding prize," says Ms. Kabakov. 2008 marks both the Praemium Imperiale Laureate's 20th year and Ilya Kabakov's return to Moscow after 20 years. The city is honoring the couple with a major exhibition that will take place in three venues: the Pushkin Museum, the newly opened CCC Moscow and the M&J Guelman Gallery. The Russian Ministry of Culture contributed $250,000 of the $3 million needed to fund this historic retrospective.

As Ms. Kabakov explained in an August 2008 interview with The Art Newspaper, the return to their homeland took a long time because "the artist has to be ready and the country has to be ready for you." It was deemed important for people in a changing Russia to know Mr. Kabakov's works and, once an agreement was reached that there would be no censorship whatsoever, the exhibition went forward.

Art critic and filmmaker Amei Wallach spent weeks in Moscow this summer, filming the Kabakovs for her upcoming documentary about the renowned artists. She captured them as they installed their works for the exhibition. "Ilya Kabakov, Russia's most celebrated modern artist, is exhibiting his art on a massive scale," Ms. Wallach says, noting that "it is Emilia Kabakov who makes it all happen: She raises the money, negotiates with officials and collaborates and advises on every aspect of the installation."

"The Toilet," one of the six installations exhibited among the three venues, makes clear the reasons for the exile and for the returning native son. It was originally exhibited in Documenta 9 in Kassel, Germany, in 1992. "It is not to be taken literally. It is about life and existence," explains Ms. Kabakov. The installation includes real Soviet-era outdoor toilets that a family has tried to make as homey as possible. "Every country has a period when life is terrible ... but it is still home," explains Ms. Kabakov. "It's about Utopia. It's about lost dreams."

But their art, like their lives, tells us to hold tight to dreams until they are realized. "We went to Russia and did our first huge show in Moscow," says Ms. Kabakov. "A huge crowd, a phenomenal success. We also became honorable members of the Russian Art Academy -- Mattituck now has two members! And we are going to Japan to receive the Praemium Imperiale from the emperor."

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