How the Stuckists exposed Tate Modern
Well now, I go on holiday for a few weeks and find my friends the Stuckists back in the headlines. Following an article in the Times reporting the reprimand delivered by the Charity Commission criticising the Tate’s £600,000 purchase of Chris Ofili’s Upper Room whilst he was a serving trustee (interesting word), Tim Adams does a piece “The were Ofili naughty” in the Guardian.
Speaking with Charles Thomson, co-founder of the Stuckists, Adams asks if they “had been out on the town celebrating their victory” - to which Thomson replied, “‘No, there was just the odd phone call…The news has a bitter-sweet quality. We think of the Tate as our gallery, too.’ Exactly my feelings! I have stated on several occasions that Sir Nicholas Serota has tainted the reputation of one of our greatest modern art assets, by allowing the Tate Modern to be dragged into this sordid little scandal. I personally was especially exasperated by Serota’s cavalier rejection of Gerald Laing’s Iraq works back in January.
Where it will all end, who knows, Serota seems to have teflon skin - or is it that the powers that be are all bark and no bite?
“Tate’s Ofili purchase broke charity law” - Times article by Dalya Alberg here
“The were Ofili naughty” - Guardian article by Tim Adams here
Gerald Laing snub article here
Stuckist site here
Upper Room pictures here
PS Anyone in need of a good laugh - go here