JMW Turner, the great landscape painter was quite controversial in his day and that’s why they named the modern art prize after him.
Who can forget his “Dog in Vinegar by the Piazetta, Venice”, only matched by “Distant View of Corfe Castle Lights Going On and Off”.
Yes, controversial, but definitely art.
This year we have the usual ‘Man wandering around in a bear suit’
and ‘Amnesiac Shrine, or The Misplacement (a Futurological Fable): Mirrored Cubes – Inverted – With the Reflection of an Inner Psyche as Represented by a Metaphorical Landscape’
Yeah, I know, “i’ve seen that one before, why don’t they ever have any art?”
Well, the truth is that the prize isn’t about art at all.
The anonymous sponsor who started the whole thing decreed that if anything resembling real art ever won the prize then their sponsorship would be withdrawn. The whole thing is a devious plot to make British art look foolish but at the same time increase its reliance on the newspaper and TV media.
The cleaning lady at the gallery said, “It’s a bit spooky at night, ‘specially with that bloody bear wandering around, moaning to himself about his feet aching. Still it’s an interesting group this year, you never know who’s going to win. Two years ago I forgot to put the vacuum cleaner away one night and got second prize!”
