Home | Arts
In December 2006 German born artist Tomma Abts went down in history as the first female artist to win the coveted Turner Prize. Tomma Abts accomplished this noteworthy historical victory by beating off three other - worthy finalists. In no particular order of importance these were - sculptress Rebecca Warren who was the fancied hot favourite with many bookies, "billboard artist" Mark Titchner - and finally film maker Phil Collins...(No not him of Genesis fame!). By winning the Turner prize Tomma Abts added a cool 25,000 pounds sterling to her bank balance. However it's often said that when it comes to the Turner Prize the exposure one gets from winning is worth far more than the cash value... What kind of art does Tomma Abts create? Well acrylic or oil paintings actually - abstract art. Perhaps some would say this is unusual considering this is theTurner Prize. It's not known for selecting simple "lowly" painters as winners. NonethelessTomma Abts was chosen originally because of her solo painting exhibitions. The exhibitions based specifically at Greengrassi, London and Kunsthalle Basel, Switzerland. Tomma Abts has been praised by no less than the Tate Gallery who describes her canvases as "intimate" and "compelling". They also comment on Tomma's "consistent" and even "rigorous" method of painting. In addition the Tate states that Tomma Abts "enriches the language of abstract art". With endorsements like this is it any wonder she won the prize?! In my personal opinion I think Tomma Abts is OK, but for me she doesn't have "Knock Out" impact. The images or paintings of Tomma Abts are created by the repetiton of various geometrical shapes on a base of rich colour. Personally - I don't think that Tomma's approach to painting is particularly original. However I have to admit that while not being "knock out" I find some of Tomma's images pretty compelling and touching. I have to say that this does surprise me. Curiously - every work by Tomma Abts is said to measure precisely 48 x 38 cms...I'm told that there's nothing particularly significant about these dimensions. She just likes that size! The titles of art works by Tomma Abts - such as "Veeke" are said to be simply lifted from a dictionary of German first names! Well why not? It beats just giving her paintings numbers! All in all I think that Tomma Abts creates abstract art that is pretty accessible to the public at large. This is something that perhaps could not be said about the artwork of previous Turner Prize winners! I base my opinion of course on Tomma's prize winning paintings. I would go further and state that I cannot conceive of a Tomma Abts creation offending anyone - even slightly. It seems to me that Tomma Abts could become a "brand name" of the abstract art world in the not too distant years to come - recognised by one and all. Alternatively she might disappear from our collective consciousness in a puff of hot air and hype. As per usual - only time will tell.
By: Flo Cordon
About The Author: Flo Cordon loves Art. Read her fascinating writing on 2006 Turner Prize Winner Tomma Abts. Flo provides a whole new outlook on Abstract Art. Get your own completely unique content version of this article.
Article Directory: http://www.articlewisdom.com
Please Rate this Article
5 out of 54 out of 53 out of 52 out of 51 out of 5
Not yet Rated
Powered by Article Dashboard
