Editing Turner Prize (section)

==Background==
The prize was named after Turner, because, though he is now considered one of the country's greatest artists, when he was active, his work was controversial.<ref name=origin>{{cite web |url= http://www.tramway.org/blog/Pages/A-brief-history-of-the-Turner-Prize.aspx|title=A brief history of the Turner Prize |date=6 July 2015 |publisher=tramway.org |access-date=6 July 2016}}</ref> While he is now looked at as a traditionalist, his new approach to landscape painting changed the course of art history, as many of the Turner Prize winners aspire to do.<ref name=origin/>

Each year after the announcement of the four nominees and 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?"<ref name=art1>[http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/547310.stm "Head to Head: Turner Prize — Is It Art?"] BBC, 2 December 1999. Retrieved 22 March 2006.</ref><ref name=art2>[http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/talking_point/2380393.stm "Turner Prize: Is It Art?"] BBC, 4 November 2002. Retrieved 22 March 2006.</ref>

The shortlisted and winning artists are chosen by the prize's jury based upon a showing of their work that they have staged in the preceding year. Nominations for the prize are usually invited from the public, although these suggestions are not a significant part of the selection process according to [[Lynn Barber]], one of the 2006 judges.<ref name=suffered>Barber, Lynn (2006)[http://arts.guardian.co.uk/turnerprize2006/story/0,,1884682,00.html "How I suffered for art's sake"] ''The Observer,'' 1 October 2006. Retrieved 15 January 2006.</ref> Public nominations were not actively sought for the prize in 2020 or 2021 "given the uncertainties of lockdown".<ref>{{Cite web |date=2021-05-07 |title=For first time Turner Prize 2021 shortlist is made up entirely of artist collectives |url=https://www.theartnewspaper.com/2021/05/07/for-first-time-turner-prize-2021-shortlist-is-made-up-entirely-of-artist-collectives |access-date=2022-03-20 |website=The Art Newspaper - International art news and events}}</ref> The shortlist (usually of four or five artists) is announced in July; a show of the nominees' work opens at Tate Britain in late October; the prize itself is announced at the beginning of December. The exhibition remains on view until January. The prize is officially not judged on the Tate show, however, but on the earlier exhibition for which the artist was nominated.

The exhibition and prize rely on commercial [[sponsor (commercial)|sponsorship]]. By 1987, money for the prize was provided by [[Drexel Burnham Lambert]]; its withdrawal after its demise led to the cancellation of the prize for 1990.<ref>{{Cite web |date=1990-09-30 |title=Turner Prize in turmoil as last year's winner Long exhibits at the Tate |url=https://www.theartnewspaper.com/1990/10/01/turner-prize-in-turmoil-as-last-years-winner-long-exhibits-at-the-tate |access-date=2022-03-20 |website=The Art Newspaper - International art news and events}}</ref> [[Channel 4]], an independent television channel, stepped in for 1991, doubling the prize money to £20,000, and supporting the event with documentaries and live broadcasts of the prize-giving. Channel 4's head of arts at the time, [[Waldemar Januszczak]], was influential in helping set the format for the prize in the following years, such as arguing for the age limit of 50 that was in place from 1991 until 2017.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2017-05-02 |title=Why try to fix the Turner Prize when it ain't broke? |url=https://www.theartnewspaper.com/2017/05/02/why-try-to-fix-the-turner-prize-when-it-aint-broke |access-date=2022-03-20 |website=The Art Newspaper - International art news and events}}</ref> In 2004, they were replaced as sponsors by [[Gordon's Gin]], doubling the prize money to £40,000,<ref>{{Cite web |date=2004-05-19 |title=Gordon's Gin replaces Channel 4 as Turner prize sponsor |url=http://www.theguardian.com/media/2004/may/19/advertising.arts |access-date=2022-03-20 |website=the Guardian |language=en}}</ref> with £5,000 going to each of the shortlisted artists, and £25,000 to the winner. At a press conference for the 2019 prize, bus operator [[Stagecoach Group|Stagecoach]] were announced as the lead sponsors of that year's prize, drawing questions from journalists as to whether the company was an appropriate sponsor, due to the chairman [[Brian Souter]]'s support of [[Section 28]] laws and campaigning against the legalisation of [[same-sex marriage]].<ref>{{Cite web |date=2019-05-01 |title=Turner prize hosts choose sponsor chaired by anti-gay rights campaigner |url=http://www.theguardian.com/business/2019/may/01/turner-prize-hosts-choose-sponsor-chaired-by-anti-gay-rights-campaigner |access-date=2022-03-20 |website=the Guardian |language=en}}</ref> It was announced the following day that Tate and [[Turner Contemporary]] (the gallery hosting that year's prize) had mutually agreed to terminate the sponsorship with Stagecoach.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Turner Prize deal with Stagecoach ends after Brian Souter gay rights row |url=https://www.scotsman.com/news/people/turner-prize-deal-stagecoach-ends-after-brian-souter-gay-rights-row-1418423 |access-date=2022-03-20 |website=www.scotsman.com |date=3 May 2019 |language=en}}</ref>

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 who are rising stars. Former Tate Director Sir [[Nicholas Serota]] was the Chair of the jury from the start of his tenure at the Tate in 1988 until 2006.<ref>{{Cite news |date=2016-09-08 |title=Sir Nicholas Serota to leave Tate for Arts Council role |language=en-GB |work=BBC News |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-37300729 |access-date=2022-03-19}}</ref> There are conflicting reports as to how much personal sway he has over the proceedings.{{according to whom|date=January 2019}}

The media success of the Turner Prize contributed to the success of (and was in turn helped by) such late 1990s phenomena as the [[Young British Artists]] (several of whom were nominees and winners), [[Cool Britannia]], and exhibitions such as the [[Charles Saatchi]]-sponsored ''[[Sensation exhibition|Sensation]]'' exhibition.

Most of the artists nominated for the prize selection become known to the general public for the first time as a consequence. Some have talked of the difficulty of the sudden media exposure. Sale prices of the winners have generally increased.<ref name=serious>Kennedy, Maev (2004), [http://arts.guardian.co.uk/turnerprize2004/story/0,,1368060,00.html "Turner prize shock: out of four serious competitors, the best artist wins"] ''The Guardian'', 7 December 2004. Retrieved 15 January 2007.</ref> [[Chris Ofili]], [[Anish Kapoor]] and [[Jeremy Deller]] later became trustees of the Tate. Some artists, including [[Sarah Lucas]] and [[Julian Opie]], have declined the invitation to be nominated.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Aidin |first=Rose |date=2002-12-08 |title=The terror of the Turner |url=http://www.theguardian.com/theobserver/2002/dec/08/featuresreview.review1 |access-date=2022-03-19 |website=the Guardian |language=en}}</ref>