David Lee (born 1953) is an outspoken English contemporary art critic—condemning
conceptual art
Conceptual art, also referred to as conceptualism, is art in which the concept(s) or idea(s) involved in the work take precedence over traditional aesthetic, technical, and material concerns. Some works of conceptual art, sometimes called insta ...
in general and the
Turner Prize
The Turner Prize, named after the English painter J. M. W. Turner, is an annual prize presented to a British visual artist. Between 1991 and 2016, only artists under the age of 50 were eligible (this restriction was removed for the 2017 award) ...
in particular. He publishes and edits ''The Jackdaw'' magazine, critical of the contemporary art world.
Career
David Lee was editor of ''Art Review'' magazine, but left to found his own satirical, opinionated, often vitriolic, magazine ''The Jackdaw'' to continue his campaign at what he sees as unacceptable standards in the art world. ''The Jackdaw'' was founded in 2000, and is published six times a year.
['The Magazine']
''The Jackdaw''. Retrieved January 27, 2015
Lee took with him from ''Art Review'' a section titled "Artbollocks", where Lee reprints what he considers to be nonsensical and pretentious use of language by critics, galleries and artists, when describing art.
He has been linked with the
Stuckists art movement because of their similar response to the
Young British Artists
The Young British Artists, or YBAs—also referred to as Brit artists and Britart—is a loose group of visual artists who first began to exhibit together in London in 1988. Many of the YBA artists graduated from the BA Fine Art course at Goldsm ...
, the Turner Prize and conceptual art. However, he is equally opposed to their art and, when the Stuckists offered a donation of work to the
Tate Gallery
Tate is an institution that houses, in a network of four art galleries, the United Kingdom's national collection of British art, and international modern and contemporary art. It is not a government institution, but its main sponsor is the U ...
, he declared: "If the Tate accepts these ridiculous daubs ''The Jackdaw'' will dance naked – except for his favourite swastika armband – down Whitehall singing Mamma Mia."
He called the
Charles Saatchi's ''New Blood'' exhibition in 2004,
"an assortment of tricks and stunts that was promoted with desperation and hitherto unsuspected tastelessness ... He promoted a rotten, talentless painter called
Stella Vine
Stella Vine (born Melissa Jane Robson, 1969) is an English artist, who lives and works in London. Her work is figurative painting, with subjects drawn from personal life, as well as from rock stars, royalty, and other celebrities.
In 2001, she ...
to public notoriety".
Lee acted as "an independent art critic" for a task in the British 'Big Brother' TV show, broadcast 2 July 2009, where he judged three pieces, two of which were done by housemates and the third by a six-year-old child. Though Lee was told all three were by housemates, he still judged the six-year-old's the worst.
Lee has been one of the three judges on the
BBC2 art series, ''
''.
Show Me the Monet
BBC website. Retrieved 11 February 2013.
Notes and references
External links
Jackdaw official site
{{DEFAULTSORT:Lee, David
1953 births
Living people
British art critics
Place of birth missing (living people)