Michael Carne

Painters Willem de Kooning and David Hockney and architect I. M. Pei were among the first six winners Friday of the Praemium Imperiale awards, which were created as the artistic equivalent of the Nobel Prizes. The Dutch-born De Kooning, 75, and Hockney, 52, a Briton, were honored for their contributions to painting. Pei, 62, won the award for architecture, including the glass pyramid erected in front of the Louvre in Paris last summer.

Painters Willem de Kooning and David Hockney and architect I. M. Pei were among the first six winners Friday of the Praemium Imperiale awards, which were created as the artistic equivalent of the Nobel Prizes. The Dutch-born De Kooning, 75, and Hockney, 52, a Briton, were honored for their contributions to painting. Pei, 62, won the award for architecture, including the glass pyramid erected in front of the Louvre in Paris last summer.