The Turner Prize is awarded to a British artist under 50 for an outstanding exhibition or other presentation of their
work in the twelve months preceding 16 May 1999. The Prize was established in 1984 by the Tate Gallery's Patrons
of New Art and is intended to promote public discussion of new developments in contemporary British art. It is
widely recognised as one of the most important and prestigious awards for the visual arts in Europe.
The shortlisted artists are:
Tracey Emin for her exhibitions in New York and Japan in which she continued to show her versatility across a
wide range of media, her vibrancy and flair for self-expression.
Steve McQueen for his exhibition at the ICA which documented the further development of his work in film,
including a major new piece Drumroll, and his first presentation of work in other media.
Steven Pippin for his exhibition Laundromat-Locomotion in San Francisco and Philadelphia in which he
transformed twelve laundry machines into cameras in an ambitious experiment exploring the relationship between
vision and motion through photography.
Jane & Louise Wilson for their exhibition Gamma at the Lisson Gallery which revealed the wit, intelligence and
drama of their work in video, sculpture and photography.
The winner of the £20,000 prize will be announced at the Tate Gallery on 30 November 1999 during a live
broadcast by Channel 4. Work by the shortlisted artists will be shown in an exhibition at the Tate Gallery from 20
October 1999 until 6 February 2000.
The members of the 1999 Turner Prize Jury are: Bernhard Burgi, Director of the Kunsthalle, Zurich; Sacha
Craddock, writer and critic; Judith Nesbitt, Head of Programming, Whitechapel Art Gallery; Alice Rawsthorn,
representative of the Patrons of New Art; Nicholas Serota, Director of the Tate Gallery and Chairman of the Jury.
An extensive events programme of discussions and talks has been organised throughout the UK, including Belfast,
Glasgow, Manchester, Southampton, St Ives and Sunderland. Information on the Turner Prize and associated events
is available on Channel 4's website.
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