John Moore’s Prize Winners

Observing a legacy through the art movements and artists involved

The John Moore’s Painting Prize has been around since 1957, documenting changes both in contemporary art as well as society. The biannual competition has been home to many artists. such as David Hockney and Peter Doig, but the artists that stood out most to me were the female winners. The first we acknowledged was Mary Martin who won in 1969 with ‘Cross’. It’s a piece I’ve always admired and have since become closer too after discovering that Martin actually passed away during the second stage of judging and was a joint winner alongside Richard Hamilton’s ‘Toaster’.  Instinctively I have taken sympathy of this piece, particularly as it is now classed as a sculpture in the Walker Art Gallery’s records, despite the boundaries and regulations being very firm. Despite Martin receiving the 1969 prize, it was not until 1989 that the jury became majority female and the results, despite everything being anonymous, became overwhelming female orientated that year.

We were also lucky enough to be given a talk from 2018 winner, Jacqui Hallam, which I will delve into later.

After attending a tour through the Prize Winner collection and learning about certain artists’ work and receiving a talk from the 2018 winner, we were able to compare and contrast the paintings on view to each other and correlate them to the art movements at that time. Each year the jury who judge the work, judge it anonymously and can often focus on the social and political movements of that time, which means the winning artists’ work often reflect the time period or style that year.

1960                               1970                                   1980                                  1990

|—————————-—|———————————|———————-———|

Conceptual                Fluxus               Neoexpressionism        Postmodernism

Minimalism       Neoexpressionism         Figuration        Self expressionism

One winner in particular whose work stands out in direct reference to the political atmosphere of that year, is in fact David Hockney’s ‘Peter Getting Out of Nick’s Pool’ 1996, winner of the 1997 prize. This year marked the legalisation of gay marriage and finally the acceptance Hockney yearned for as a homosexual man himself. This painting is based on his own partner at that time showing his work to follow the self expressionist movement at that time, and it is clear from the result that the jury’s viewpoint that year was swayed in particular towards key social elements, and Hockney certainly played on this. And quite rightly, it is a great piece of affection and expression.

On another note, one of my favourite pieces in the collection is an obscure figuration hidden round the corner; Tim Head’s ‘Cow Mutations’, 1987. As mentioned in a previous post about visiting artist Chris Evans, I am a fan of cows and despite being dubbed as a ‘mutilation’, I feel this piece truly acknowledges a gentle nature, and reflects a herd through the busy collage of cow print and faces. I have undergone thorough research to find some correlation of cows to 1987, but nothing particularly stood out. Clearly the jury liked cows as much as I do.

Jacqui Hallam was as any modern artist would be having won the 2018 prize; giddy and still buzzing with being involved in an exhibition alongside such renowned artists. Her work, ‘King and Queen of Wands’, 2018, is truly a modern, upbeat painting that stands out against the ‘Moore’ classical paintings of canvases. She explained how she uses a very experimental technique, pinning the material up in various ways, instinctively. We were also shocked to discover that when transporting the large, loose material she simple rolls it up and drags it through her house to different studios and rooms. This painting, a John Moore’s Prize Winner, is literally dragged. She also managed to break boundaries of regulations by constantly having variable dimensions; she always hangs this stage-like scene differently until satisfied (the gallery could not do her justice so had to constantly send her pictures to confirm if she was content with it).

Hallam, J. 2018. King and Queen of Wands. [Oil paint on sheet]. Liverpool, England.

I can’t say that Hallam’s work is particularly my cup of tea as I am a fan of the good old paint and canvas with precision and accuracy, however I appreciate how the jury have acknowledged the worldwide amovements in art and society and been able to distinguish the characters and tarot context into being a suitable and worthy winner in 2018.

With this development being so radical compared to the other winners, it is exciting to wonder what this following year holds and were the John Moore’s Painting Prize’s own artist movement will take us.