The Alexej-von-Jawlensky Prize is intended to honor artists who engage in international dialogue, emphasized Lord Mayor Achim Exner at a ceremony in the town hall on May 22, 1991.
On this day, the art prize, which was established in 1981 and endowed with 35,000 marks and its own exhibition in the City Museum, was awarded for the first time.

The winner was the Canadian artist Agnes Martin, who was born on March 22, 1912 in Macklin, Canada. She began her artistic work, which is attributed to minimalist and abstract expressionism, in the 1950s and therefore only became internationally known at an advanced age.

Martin, who exhibited her works at documenta 5 and documenta 6 in Kassel, among others, where she first came into contact with Hesse, was honored to receive the art prize. She also expressed the hope that her pictures would delight viewers at the exhibition in Wiesbaden.

After the award ceremony, Exner spontaneously asked his guest to sign the city's Golden Book. The artist gladly complied with this request.

Agnes Martin died in the United States on December 16, 2004.