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The Turner Prize is an annual prize presented to a British visual Artist under 50, named after the painter J.M.W. Turner . It is organized by the Tate Gallery , and since its beginnings in 1984 it has become the United Kingdom 's most publicised Art award. It has become associated with Conceptual Art , although it represents all media and painters have also won the prize. The prize fund from 2004 onwards was £40,000. There have been different sponsors, including . It is a controversial event, mainly for its exhibits, such as a shark in formaldehyde by Damien Hirst and a dishevelled bed by Tracey Emin . Controversy has also ensued from other directions, including a Culture Minister ( Kim Howells criticising exhibits), a guest of honour ( Madonna swearing), a prize judge ( Lynn Barber writing in the press) and a speech by Sir Nicholas Serota (about the purchase of A Trustee's Work ). The event has also regularly attracted demonstrations, notably the K Foundation and then the Stuckists , as well as alternative prizes to assert different artistic values. INTRODUCTION Each year during the build-up to the announcement of the winner, the Prize receives intense attention from the media. Much of this attention is critical and the question is often asked, "is this art?". "Head to Head: Turner Prize — Is It Art?" BBC, 2 December 1999 Retrieved , 2006 The artists usually work in "innovative" media, including Video Art , Installation Art and unconventional Sculpture , though Painter s have also won. Nominations for the prize are invited from the public, although this was widely considered to have negligible effect — a suspicion confirmed in 2006 by , 2006 . Accessed 15 January , 2006 Typically, there is a three-week period in May for public nominations to be received; the short-list (which since 1991 has been of four artists) is announced in July; a show of the nominees' work opens at Tate Britain in late October; and the prize itself is announced at the beginning of December. The show stays open till January. The prize is not judged on the show, however, but on the artists' contribution to art over the previous year. The exhibition and prize rely on commercial Sponsorship . From 1987 this was provided by the company Drexel Burnham Lambert; their withdrawal led to the 1990 prize being cancelled. Channel 4 , an independent television channel, stepped in for 1991, doubled the prize money to £20,000, and supported the event with documentaries and live broadcasts of the prize-giving. In 2004 they were replaced as sponsors by Gordon's Gin , who also doubled the prize money to £40,000, with £5,000 going to each of the shortlisted artists, and £25,000 to the winner. As much as the shortlist of artists reflects the state of British Art, the composition of the panel of judges, which includes curators and critics, provides some indication of who holds influence institutionally and internationally, as well as rising stars. Tate Director Sir Nicholas Serota has been the Chair of the jury since his tenure at the Tate. There are conflicting reports as to how much personal sway he has over the proceedings. The media success of the Turner Prize contributed to the success of (and was in turn helped by) the late 1990s phenomena of Young British Artists (several of whom were nominees and winners), Cool Britannia , and exhibitions such as the Charles Saatchi -sponsored '' Sensation '' exhibition. Most of the artists in the prize become known to the general public for the first time and some have talked of the difficulty of sudden media exposure. Sale prices of the winners have generally increased Kennedy, Maev (2004) "Turner prize shock: out of four serious competitors, the best artist wins" ''The Guardian'', 7 December , 2004 . Accessed 15 January , 2007 . Chris Ofili, Anish Kapoor and Jeremy Deller later became trustees of the Tate. Some artists, notably Sarah Lucas , have declined the invitation to be nominated. The criteria of the Turner Prize have been challenged by alternative prizes, firstly in 1993 by the , 2005 . Accessed 15 January , 2007 HISTORY 1997 The winner, Gillian Wearing , showed a video ''60 minutes of Silence'' (1996), where a group of actors were dressed in police uniforms and had to stand still for an hour (occasional surreptitious scratching could be observed). 1998 The talking point was winner Chris Ofili 's use of balls of elephant dung attached to his mixed media images on canvas, as well as being used as supports on the floor to prop them up. 1999 Greatest attention was given to Tracey Emin 's exhibit '' My Bed '', which was literally her double bed in a dishevelled state with stained sheets, surrounded detritus such as soiled underwear, condoms, slippers and empty drink bottles. She also displayed 2-d artwork and videos. She was commonly thought to have been the winner (and is still sometimes referred to as such), although in fact the Prize was given to Steve McQueen . 2000 It was discovered that a large painting by Glenn Brown was based very closely on a Science Fiction illustration of some years previously. 2001 Controversy (including an egg-throwing protester) was caused by the eventual winner, , 2002 . Accessed 8 January , 2007 2002 The media focused on a large display by , 2002 . Retrieved May 21 , 2007 . Culture Minister Kim Howells made a scathing criticism of the exhibits. 2003 The Chapman Brothers (Jake and Dinos Chapman) were given what was generally felt to be a long-overdue nomination, and caused press attention for a sculpture that appeared to be two cheap plastic blow-up sex dolls with a dildo. It was in fact made of bronze, painted to look like plastic. Attention was also given to Transvestite Grayson Perry who exhibited pots decorated with sexual imagery. He wore a flouncy skirt to collect the prize, announced by Sir Peter Blake . 2004 The media focused on a large computer simulation of a former hideout of Osama Bin Laden by Ben Langlands And Nikki Bell , as well as the fact that one of their exhibits, a film in a Kabul courtroom was withdrawn as it related to an ongoing trial of a suspected Afghan warlord. Jeremy Deller , the betting favourite, won. The prize money was increased this year with £25,000 to the winner, and, for the first time, other nominees were rewarded (with £5,000 each). 2005 A great deal was made in the press about the winning entry by Simon Starling , which was a shed that he had converted into a boat, sailed down the River Rhine and turned back into a shed again. Two newspapers bought sheds and floated them to parody the work. The prize was presented by Culture Minister, David Lammy . Before introducing him, Sir Nicholas Serota, in an "unusual, possibly unprecedented" move, took the opportunity to make "an angry defence" of the Tate's purchase of '' The Upper Room ''. Notebook by Andrew Marr (2nd item), The Daily Telegraph, December 7, 2005 Retrieved March 24, 2006 "It's a shed, it's collapsible, it floats and (with help from a bike) it's the winner", The Guardian, December 6, 2005 Retrieved March 24, 2006 2006 The nominees were announced on May 16 , 2006 . The exhibition of nominees' work opened at Tate Britain on October 3. Yoko Ono , the celebrity announcer chosen for the year, declared Tomma Abts the winner on December 4 during a live Channel 4 broadcast, although this was part of the evening news broadcast, rather than in a dedicated programme as in recent years. The total prize money was £40,000. £25,000 awarded to the winner and £5,000 to each of the other 3 nominees. The prize was sponsored by the makers of Gordon’s Gin . Under the , 2006 . Accessed 16 January , 2007 The Judges were: :Lynn Barber, journalist, '' The Observer '' :Margot Heller, Director, South London Gallery :Matthew Higgs, Director and Chief Curator, White Columns, New York :Andrew Renton, writer and Director of Curating, Goldsmiths College : Nicholas Serota , Director, Tate and Chairman of the Jury 2007 In 2007, for the first time the Turner Prize will be held outside of London, in Tate Liverpool (in support of Liverpool 's being the European Capital Of Culture in 2008). Concurrently there will be an exhibition of previous winners at Tate Britain in London. Unlike recent years, Sir , 2007 The nominees for the 2007 prize are , 2007 . Retrieved May 21 , 2207 Nelson and Wallinger have both previously been nominated for the prize. CRITICISM For
Against
DEMONSTRATIONS The Turner Prize has attracted a number of demonstrations, usually protesting against the type of art selected. The front steps or pavement outside the museum are a favourite spot, though some have occurred inside the prize itself.
WINNERS AND SHORTLISTED ARTISTS ''Next to each winner's name is a sample work or a summary of their display.'' The 1988 shortlist was not published at the time of the prize, and there was no shortlist as such in 1989, although a number of artists other than the winner were "commended".
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