East Finchley art rebel launches tenth attack on Turner Prize (From Times Series)

East Finchley art rebel launches tenth attack on Turner Prize

9:10am Monday 5th October 2009 in

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THE East Finchley co-founder of a maverick art movement will today lead a demonstration against the Turner Prize outside the Tate Britain art gallery.

Artist Charles Thomson and a small group of fellow “Stuckists” are calling for the prize to be ended because they believe it displays "a narrow and prejudiced definition of art" that favours novelty over talent.

They have printed 5,000 protest leaflets criticising the prize, launched today, including a quote from the first ever winner, Malcolm Morley. After winning in 1984, he allegedly said he thought the prize was “disgusting” for turning art into a horse race.

A mock police “Wanted” poster on the leaflet says “Not Wanted” and shows Tate director Sir Nicholas Serota wearing a crown.

Mr Thomson, 55, from Manor Cottages Approach, said: "The Turner Prize has been dying slowly for years, and has now flatlined with no evidence of heart or brain activity. It should be renamed the Flatline Prize or the Dead Turner Prize.

“The nominees are someone with a chemistry set, an ersatz Habitat designer, a maker of insipid patterns and a suitable illustrator for the John Lewis card department.

"The value of the exhibits is amply demonstrated by nominee Richard Wright, who said of his own art: ‘The most important thing about the work is that it is destroyed.’”

Last year the Stuckists gave out 1,000 badges saying “The Turner Prize is c**p” and ran out. This year they are handing out 2,000 bright yellow 45mm badges with the slogan “The Turner Prize is dead”, under which is an unflattering quote about the prize from 1991 prize winner and current Tate trustee, Anish Kapoor.

This is the tenth annual demonstration by the group against the Turner Prize. The Stuckists were founded in 1999 by Charles Thomson and Billy Childish, who has since left, to promote figurative painting and oppose conceptual art.

The movement started with 13 artists and now consists of 200 separate groups in 48 countries. It was named by Mr Thomson after Tracy Emin told Mr Childish, her partner, that he was “stuck” for continuing to paint, while she was practising conceptual art.

Members will be demonstrating at the Tate Britain from 9am until early afternoon, and again on December 7, when the prize is awarded.

For more information, visit www.stuckism.com