Artist Richard Serra has been chosen  France's most prestigious award, the insignia of Chevalier of the French Legion of Honor. French ambassador Gérard Araud bestowed the award Monday at the French Embassy in New York.

Begun in 1802 by Napoleon Bonaparte, the Legion of Honor is the highest award given by the French government. Serra has a long history of activity in France, with many of his works exhibited at French art institutions, and made for sites around the country. 

"For the French, Richard Serra is among the greatest sculptors today," Ambassador Araud, said in a statement. “His commissions like the Octagon for Saint Eloi and Philibert et Marguerite, and of course Promenade at the Grand Palais, transform and give new meaning to the landscape through their magnitude, singular material, and the unique relationship they cultivate between the space and the viewer," he added.