The Stuckists Punk Victorian

The Stuckists Punk Victorian show at the Walker Art Gallery, Liverpool, 2004. Foreground: artists Rachel Jordan and Paul Harvey. Between them (back turned): Bill Lewis. Background paintings, left to right: Wolf Howard, Mandy McCartin, Charles Thomson, Ella Guru.

The Stuckists Punk Victorian was the first national gallery exhibition of Stuckist art.[1] It was held at the Walker Art Gallery and Lady Lever Art Gallery in Liverpool from 18 September 2004 to 20 February 2005 and was part of the 2004 Liverpool Biennial.

It comprised more than 250 paintings by 37 artists, mostly from the UK but also with a representation of international Stuckist artists from the US, Germany and Australia. There was also a smaller accompanying exhibition of the Stuckist Photographers. A book, The Stuckists Punk Victorian, was published to accompany the exhibition. Six fringe shows, created in association with the event, took place internationally.

Some of the work was compared with the "shocking" work of YBAs, Jake and Dinos Chapman.[2] The gallery posted a warning notice of some "sexual and violent" subject matter.[3] Daily Mail journalist, Jane Kelly, exhibited a painting of Myra Hindley and was dismissed from her job.[4]

Critical reaction to the show ranged from "dreadful"[5] to "the next big thing in art".[6] Sir Nicholas Serota, director of the Tate gallery, visited the show and called it "lively".[6] The Walker deemed it a very successful show and extended the run.[7]

In 2005, the Stuckists offered 160 of the paintings as a donation to the Tate gallery. This was turned down by Serota on the grounds that the work was not of "sufficient quality".[8] The rejection stimulated a campaign by the group over purchases of trustee work by the Tate. These purchases were subsequently censured by the Charity Commission.[9]

The Walker Art Gallery during the show.
  1. ^ Moss, Richard. "Stuckist's Punk Victorian gatecrashes Walker's Biennial, Culture24, 17 September 2004. Retrieved 3 December 2009.
  2. ^ Mansfield, Susan. "The artists who are glad to be stuck in their ways", The Scotsman, 28 September 2004. Retrieved 1 February 2008
  3. ^ Walker Art Gallery website Archived 2006-02-24 at the Wayback Machine Retrieved 26 March 2006
  4. ^ Wells, Matt and Cozens, Claire. "Daily Mail sacks writer who painted Hindley picture", The Guardian, 30 September 2004. Retrieved 1 February 2008. In 1997 the Daily Mail had condemned Britartist Marcus Harvey's painting Myra, a portrait of Hindley made from children's hand prints, when it was exhibited at the Sensation exhibition in the Royal Academy, London.
  5. ^ Searle, Adrian. "Scouse Stew", The Guardian, 21 September 2004. Retrieved 1 February 2008.
  6. ^ a b Pia, Simon. "Simon Pia's Diary: Now the Stuckists are on the move", The Scotsman, p.22, 22 September 2004. Retrieved from newsuk, 15 March 2008.
  7. ^ "The Stuckists Punk Victorian", stuckism.com. Retrieved 9 April 2008.
  8. ^ Alberge, Dalya. "Tate rejects £500,000 gift from 'unoriginal' Stuckists", The Times, 28 July 2005. Retrieved 1 February 2008.
  9. ^ Higgins, Charlotte. "How the Tate broke the law in buying a £600,000 Ofili work", The Guardian, 19 July 2006. Retrieved 1 February 2008