The Sterling and Francine Clark Art Institute have named Peter Schjeldahl the winner of the 2008 Clark Prize for Excellence in Arts Writing. Established in 2006 to recognize writers who advance public appreciation of visual art in a way that "is grounded in scholarship yet appeals to a broad range of audiences," the biannual prize comes with a $25,000 honorarium and an award designed by architect Tadao Ando, who is leading the Clark's current expansion project.

Clark director Michael Conforti praised Schjeldahl, who has been the art critic of the New Yorker since 1998, for "insightful, fluid, and concise writing" that has "contributed to our collective critical understanding of sometimes difficult and challenging work."

Prior to joining the magazine, Schjeldahl was a regular art critic for the Sunday New York Times, the Village Voice, ARTnews, and 7 Days. In May Thames & Hudson will publish a collection of his criticism, Let’s See: Writings on Art from The New Yorker.