Sir nicholas serota biography of michael jackson

painting by Charles Thomson

Sir Nicholas Serota Makes an Acquisitions Decision
Artist	Charles Thomson
Year
Type	Oil and acrylic on canvas
Dimensions	&#;cm ×&#;&#;cm (40&#;in ×&#;30&#;in)

Sir Nicholas Serota Makes an Acquisitions Decision is one of the paintings that was made as a part of the Stuckism art movement,^[1][2] and is recognized as a "signature piece" for the movement.^[3] It was painted in by the Stuckism co-founder Charles Thomson, and has been exhibited in a number of shows since, as well as being featured on placards during Stuckist demonstrations against the Turner Prize.

Sir nicholas serota biography of michael jackson life Sir Peter Bazalgette. Nicholas Serota facts for kids Kids Encyclopedia Facts. Retrieved 13 December In office —

It depicts Sir Nicholas Serota, Director of the Tate Gallery, and chairman of the Turner Prize jury. "Emin" satirises Young British ArtistTracey Emin's installation My Bed, consisting of her bed and objects, including knickers, which she exhibited in as a Turner Prize nominee.^[4]

Background and description

In , Thomson was the co-founder, with Billy Childish of the Stuckism art group, which set out to promote figurative painting, in opposition to conceptual art, which they identified with the Turner Prize (whose jury chairman was Sir Nicholas Serota) and the Young British Artists, of which Tracey Emin (who had once been in a relationship with Childish) was a leading representative.

Thomson's painting shows Serota, the director of the Tate gallery. He is smiling behind a large pair of red knickers on a washing line, saying "is it a genuine Emin (£10,)" and thinking, "or a worthless fake?". This is a reference to Tracey Emin's My Bed, literally a display of her (dishevelled) bed with detritus which included a pair of her knickers, shown in the Turner Prize at Tate Britain.^[4] The image was painted over a few days and in a final hour non-stop stint.^[5]

Shows

The painting was first exhibited in March at Joe Crompton's Gallery , Leonard Street, Shoreditch, London as the highlight of the third Stuckist show, The Resignation of Sir Nicholas Serota,^[6] which included a display of paintings about Serota.

Sir nicholas serota biography of michael jackson Sarah Kent a staunch advocate of Britart said: "One might forgive his puerile humour if Thomson didn't consider it a serious weapon Authority control databases. Serota's first Board meeting as Director was in September , and one of his first activities—acknowledging the importance of artists' involvement for the success of the gallery—was an artists' party with a private viewing of the Late Picasso exhibition, which some artists had told him they had not had a chance to view properly. This page was last modified on 17 November , at

A small black-and-white image appeared in the Daily Telegraph.^[5] It was displayed again in the Stuckists Real Turner Prize Show later in the year.^[7] Richard Dean wrote:

Thomson has painted what must be the masterpiece of Stuckism so far: Sir Nicholas Serota Makes an Acquisitions Decision.

Here the slick handling and smartass irony of Britart are turned on its champion to make a very funny point and a rather good portrait. This is an example of what the Situationists called detournement, using your enemies' own weapons against him.^[8]

The painting was included in the show catalogue, a signed copy of which was left at the Tate for Serota by Thomson and Billy Childish, the co-founder of the Stuckists.^[9] Artist Ranko Bon described greeting Serota at the opening of that year's Turner Prize at Tate Britain:

"Ah," I grabbed him by his bony shoulders, "when I look at you like this, I cannot but see Charles Thomson's portrait of you, which I saw last night at The Real Turner Prize Show in Shoreditch." I emphasized the word "real" with all my might.

"Yes," Nick beamed back at me without even blinking, "I must see it!"^[9][10]

It was exhibited in summer during The First Stuckist International, the inaugural show at Thomson's Stuckism International Gallery (which closed in ). Sarah Kent (a staunch advocate of Britart) said: "One might forgive his puerile humour if Thomson didn't consider it a serious weapon cut the ranting and Thomson could be a reasonable painter."^[11] Thomson pointed out in response, "it's reality.

A few weeks after I did the painting, Tracey Emin was shown on TV getting very angry about an installation because someone had substituted another pair of knickers for hers That makes it a bit sad."^[12]

The painting was also shown at the Liverpool Biennial in The Stuckists Punk Victorian show at the Walker Art Gallery.

Serota went to the show and commented that it was "lively", while standing next to Thomson's painting of him.^[13] John Russell Taylor started his review of the Biennial in The Times, "Say what you will about the Stuckists, they certainly know what they don’t like. In the eccentric British group’s latest show the most explicit target is clearly the Turner Prize: the attitude can be summed up in one painting, Charles Thomson’s Sir Nicholas Serota Makes an Acquisitions Decision".^[14] paintings from the show were offered as a donation to the Tate, including Thomson's painting of Serota, but "not surprisingly"^[15] rejected by Serota, who said, "We do not feel that the work is of sufficient quality in terms of accomplishment, innovation or originality of thought to warrant preservation in perpetuity in the national collection."^[16]

The painting was the centrepiece at Spectrum London gallery in September in the Go West exhibition and priced at £30, The show at Spectrum London was the Stuckists' first show in a commercial gallery in the West End of London.^[4] The Spectrum London director, Royden Prior, said people shouldn't just look at the politics, but should look beyond them because "These artists are good, and are part of art history," ^[17] Jane Morris wrote in The Guardian, "If the stuckists go down in art history, and the jury is still out as to whether they will, Sir Nicholas Serota Makes an Acquisitions Decision by stuckist co-founder Charles Thomson may well become their signature piece."^[3] The Evening Standard said some people would see the display of the painting as revenge against Serota, after he had rejected the Stuckists' offer to donate work to the Tate; it also mentioned that the Stuckists had first drawn attention to the Tate's purchase of The Upper Room by Chris Ofili, a Tate trustee, which had led to the Tate being censured by the Charity Commission in ^[18]

General election

In Thomson stood in the General Election as the Stuckist Candidate.

His opponent was Chris Smith, the then Culture Minister. Thomson adopted the painting of Sir Nicholas Serota and the knickers as the official logo of his party.^[19] He said "I can't see how the Electoral Commission would find it offensive.

Biography of farrah fawcett: Toggle the table of contents. Photographs such as the one shown are used on the Stuckist web site to promote and record the demonstration. Thomson also drew a comparison between his and Vine's painting and a later work, Break Art Free , by Gina Bold : "You can't deny there's a connection between those works, but they are all also works with a strong individual identity. References [ edit ].

The real thing is on display at Tate Modern. What's more her knickers were funded by Chris Smith using public money."^[19]

Demonstrations

The painting was used on one of the placards, when the Stuckists staged a protest at the unveiling of Rachel Whiteread's sculpture, Untitled Monument, in Trafalgar Square on 4 June ^[20] Serota remonstrated with Thomson and told him the demonstration was a "cheap shot".^[21]

The image has also been used on posters in Stuckist demonstrations which were held outside the Turner Prize at Tate Britain &#; Photographs such as the one shown are used on the Stuckist web site to promote and record the demonstration.

In December , during the Stuckists' demonstration, Thomson handed Serota a leaflet with the painting on it.^[22] This incident was caught by a freelance photographer, Rick Friend, on video, which was put on the Stuckism web site, along with the still image from it shown here. Serota stood on the steps of the Tate and held up the postcard, saying, "Can't you make another image?"^[23]

Reception

Serota was described as being relatively unfazed by the message of Acquisitions Decision.

He later visited the Stuckists' Punk Victorian show and conversed amicably with members, but ended his visit by rejecting an offered donation of their work as lacking "sufficient quality in terms of accomplishment, innovation or originality of thought to warrant preservation in perpetuity in the national collection"^[24]

Writer Paul Vallely defended Serota from Stuckist campaigns, criticizing the movement's anti-conceptualism for its association with "forces of social reaction" such as the Daily Mail and upholding Serota as the "greatest single champion of modern art in Britain".

Biography of nat king cole Preceded by Sir Alan Bowness. Thus Serota remained somewhat distanced from the English establishment , although developing a growing reputation internationally in the art world. Serota's first wife was ballet dancer Angela Beveridge. Arts Council England.

Vallely stated that while "I did smile" at Acquisitions Decision, he equally admired Serota's "cool response to the Stuckist détournement".^[24]

Influence

Thomson has said that his painting was the idea that Stella Vine used for her painting of Princess Diana, Hi Paul Can You Come Over, that launched her to fame when it was bought by Charles Saatchi in Three years before, she had been a member of the Stuckist group and also briefly married to Thomson, who said that she was aware of the media appeal of the idea, as he had shown her press cuttings of the painting.^[25]

He said that she had not previously done a painting in that way^[26] and that "Her painting of Princess Diana was based on the same idea as my painting Sir Nicholas Serota Makes an Acquisitions Decision &#; namely to imagine what a famous person is thinking and write the words next to a portrait of them.

She has made an intelligent, innovative and personal interpretation of influences to form her own identity, which is what all artists do. It is only fair and honest to acknowledge there was this help and there has been an influence."^[27] Vine refutes the idea that Thomson and the Stuckists had any role to play in her development, citing her inspiration instead as Sophie von Hellermann, Elizabeth Peyton, Anna Bjerger, Karen Kilimnik and Paul Housley^[28]

Thomson also drew a comparison between his and Vine's painting and a later work, Break Art Free, by Gina Bold: "You can't deny there's a connection between those works, but they are all also works with a strong individual identity.

You certainly wouldn't say it’s plagiarism, but they spring from the same underlying idea."^[26]Mark D in turn made a satirical version of Vine's painting, substituting Victoria Beckham for Princess Diana.^[29]

Gallery

• The Real Turner Prize Show, Pure Gallery, Shoreditch, London,

• Artbank gallery, Clerkenwell, London,

• Fridge Gallery, Brixton, London, Stella Vine makes a window display.

• The First Stuckist International, Stuckism International Gallery, Shoreditch, London,

• Stuckist demonstration against the Turner Prize, Tate Britain,

• Stuck in Wednesbury, Wednesbury Museum and Art Gallery, Wednesbury, West Midlands,

• La Viande gallery, Shoreditch, London,

• A Gallery, Wimbledon, London, Left: Paul Myners, Tate Chairman.

  Sir nicholas serota biography of michael jackson for kids It analysed the various areas of Tate work and proposed future strategies to deal with the imminent crisis caused by restricted government financial support, changing public sector management expectations and increasing art market prices. The Whitechapel was well regarded but had suffered from lack of resources. Their demands were supported by 8, Tate members and visitors, and artists including Conrad Atkinson. The painting was included in the show catalogue, a signed copy of which was left at the Tate for Serota by Thomson and Billy Childish , the co-founder of the Stuckists.

  Right: Fraser Kee Scott, A Gallery director.

References and notes

External links