Bob Dylan wins Spanish art prize

MADRID: Spain's 2007 Asturias Prize for Art has been awarded to the US singer and musician Bob Dylan, the jury in the northern Spanish city of Oviedo said on Wednesday. The prize-giving ceremony will take place in October.

"Austere in form and profound in message, Dylan marries music and poetry in a body of work that has set an example and influenced the sentimental education of millions of people," the jury said.   

Dylan, born in 1941 and originally named Robert Allen Zimmerman, is a "living legend of the history of popular music and the guiding star of a generation that dreamed of changing the world." it said.   

The 2006 prize was won by Spanish film director Pedro Almodovar.   Spain's Crown Prince Felipe is the patron of the Asturias foundation which annually hands out eight awards -- each worth 50,000 euros (66,000 dollars).   

The awards are made in the fields of communication and humanities, scientific and technical research, social science, arts, letters, international cooperation, international understanding and sport.