Turner Prize

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Turner Prize. An annual prize (originally £10,000, now £20,000) for British achievement in the visual arts, named after the great English painter J. M. W. Turner. It was established in 1984 by the Patrons of New Art, a body founded two years earlier (as part of the Friends of the Tate Gallery) to encourage the collection of contemporary art. The regulations have changed somewhat since the prize was inaugurated. Originally it was awarded for ‘the greatest contribution to art in Britain in the previous twelve months’ and was open to critics and administrators (who were short-listed but never won) as well as artists; since 1991 those eligible are British artists under the age of 50 who have had ‘an outstanding exhibition or other presentation of their work’ in the previous twelve months. The work of shortlisted artists (originally six, now four) is exhibited at the Tate Gallery before the winner is announced. For the first three years the prize was supported by an ‘anonymous patron’ (the collector Oliver Prenn), and from 1987 it was backed by the American financiers Drexel Burnham Lambert. This firm suffered a financial collapse in 1990 and the prize was suspended that year; since then it has been sponsored by Channel 4 Television, which broadcasts the award ceremony live from the Tate. The director of the gallery is on the jury that makes the award.

Like the Booker Prize in literature, the Turner Prize attracts a great deal of publicity, but much of this attention has been expressed as damning criticism, as it is regarded by many as showcasing all that is most pretentious and self-regarding in contemporary art. After the first award (to Malcolm Morley) in 1984, Giles Auty (see PERFORMANCE ART) wrote in the Spectator: ‘In my quarter of the hall, groans of disbelief were followed by the audible speculation that Morley's “greatest contribution to art in Britain in the previous 12 months” may have been his full-time residence in America.’ At the exhibition of the shortlisted candidates in 1997 there were protests from a group called New Metaphysical Art, which earlier in the year published a manifesto decrying the ‘progressive trivialisation of art, the uncritical and endless use of parody and pastiche'. The group described the Turner Prize as a ‘monster which, year after year, with few exceptions, tramples on art and progressively muddies artistic judgement … the four fabricators shortlisted for the prize this year represent, as in previous years, little more than predictable gimmickry and gross banality'.

The winners of the Turner Prize have been: 1984, Malcolm Morley; 1985, Howard Hodgkin; 1986, Gilbert & George; 1987, Richard Deacon; 1988, Tony Cragg; 1989, Richard Long; 1990, prize suspended; 1991, Anish Kapoor; 1992, Grenville Davey (1961– ); 1993, Rachel Whiteread; 1994, Antony Gormley; 1995, Damien Hirst; 1996, Douglas Gordon (1967– ); 1997, Gillian Wearing (1963– ); 1998, Chris Ofili (1968– ); 1999, Steve McQueen (1969– ); 2000 Wolgang Tillmans (1968– ); 2001, Martin Creed (1968– ); 2002, Keith Tyson (1969– ); 2003, Grayson Perry (1960– ).

Turner Prize. An annual prize of £20,000 for British achievement in the visual arts, named after J. M. W. Turner. It was established in 1984 by the Patrons of New Art, a body founded two years earlier (as part of the Friends of the Tate Gallery) to encourage the collection of contemporary art. The regulations have changed somewhat since the prize was inaugurated. Originally it was awarded for ‘the greatest contribution to art in Britain in the previous twelve months’ and was open to critics and administrators (who were shortlisted but never won) as well as artists; since 1991 those eligible are British artists under the age of 50 who have had ‘an outstanding exhibition or other presentation of their work’ in the previous twelve months. The original sponsors, Drexel Burnham Lambert, suffered a financial collapse in 1990 and the prize was suspended that year; since then it has been sponsored by Channel 4 Television, which broadcasts the award ceremony live from Tate Britain. The director of the Tate is on the jury that makes the award. Like the Booker Prize in literature, the Turner Prize attracts a great deal of publicity, but much of this attention has been expressed as damning criticism, as it is regarded by many as showcasing all that is most pretentious and self-regarding in contemporary art. The winners of the prize have been: 1984, Malcolm Morley; 1985, Howard Hodgkin; 1986, Gilbert & George; 1987, Richard Deacon (1949– ); 1988, Tony Cragg (1949– ); 1989, Richard Long; 1990, prize suspended; 1991, Anish Kapoor; 1992, Grenville Davey (1961– ); 1993, Rachel Whiteread; 1994, Antony Gormley; 1995, Damien Hirst; 1996, Douglas Gordon (1967– ); 1997, Gillian Wearing (1963– ); 1998, Chris Ofili (1968– ); 1999, Steve McQueen (1969– ); 2000, Wolfgang Tillmans (1968– ); 2001, Martin Creed (1968– ; 2002, Keith Tyson (1969– ); 2003, Grayson Perry (1960– ).

Turner Prize. An annual prize of £20,000 for British achievement in the visual arts, named after J. M. W. Turner. It was established in 1984 by the Patrons of New Art, a body founded two years earlier (as part of the Friends of the Tate Gallery) to encourage the collection of contemporary art. The regulations have changed somewhat since the prize was inaugurated. Originally it was awarded for ‘the greatest contribution to art in Britain in the previous twelve months’ and was open to critics and administrators (who were shortlisted but never won) as well as artists; since 1991 those eligible are British artists under the age of 50 who have had ‘an outstanding exhibition or other presentation of their work’ in the previous twelve months. The original sponsors, Drexel Burnham Lambert, suffered a financial collapse in 1990 and the prize was suspended that year; since then it has been sponsored by Channel 4 Television, which broadcasts the award ceremony live from Tate Britain. The director of the Tate is on the jury that makes the award. Like the Booker Prize in literature, the Turner Prize attracts a great deal of publicity, but much of this attention has been expressed as damning criticism, as it is regarded by many as showcasing all that is most pretentious and self-regarding in contemporary art.

The winners of the prize have been: 1984, Malcolm Morley; 1985, Howard Hodgkin; 1986, Gilbert & George; 1987, Richard Deacon (1949– ); 1988, Tony Cragg (1949– ); 1989, Richard Long; 1990, prize suspended; 1991, Anish Kapoor; 1992, Grenville Davey (1961– ); 1993, Rachel Whiteread; 1994, Antony Gormley; 1995, Damien Hirst; 1996, Douglas Gordon (1967– ); 1997, Gillian Wearing (1963– ); 1998, Chris Ofili (1968– ); 1999, Steve McQueen (1969– ); 2000, Wolfgang Tillmans (1968– ); 2001, Martin Creed (1968– ); 2002, Keith Tyson (1969– ).