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German born artist Tomma Abts won the much vaunted Turner Prize In December 2006. By doing so she made history as the first ever woman to do so. In order for Tomma Abts to triumph in the 2006 Turner Prize she had to overcome three other splendid 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!). In the end good fortune - and the judges smiled on Tomma Abts. Tomma won 25,000 - surely a welcome addition to her bank account - and the prize itself. However the exposure Tomma Abts will receive from winning is worth much more than the cash - or so it's often said. I tend to agree. What does Tomma Abts do? Well she actually paints abstract art; usually in oils or acrylics. - something of a novelty for the Turner Prize - some would say! Tomma Abts was originally selected for her solo art exhibitions at Kunsthalle Basel, Switzerland, and Greengrassi, London. The Tate Gallery has lauded her "rigorous and consistent approach to painting" .Furthermore this prestigous gallery comments on the "intimate and compelling canvases" of Tomma Abts and how she "enriches the language of abstract art"....I think they like her - a lot! With such praise heaped upon her head it's no surprise to me that she won the prize. However I actually feel that Tomma's abstract artwork isn't "knock out" but it definitely is OK. Tomma Abts creates her works through repeating geometric shapes and figures on layers of rich colours. I don't consider this a particularly original way to paint. That being said I do find that some of Tomma's artwork work does actually move me in unexpected ways. I don't really know why - but each Tomma Abts painting measures exactly 48 x 38 cms. However I can see that this makes for more concentrated or focused artwork. Only Tomma herself knows why she opted for these exact measurements. 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! There is no doubt that Tomma Abts makes abstract art that is comprehensible to the general public. This something that is in marked contrast to some other winners of the Turner Prize. Furthermore a picture by Tomma Abts could not possibly offend anyone save the most feeble-minded of souls! In the end it's just my personal opinion but I do believe that it's entirely posible that Tomma Abts will go on to become a household name - within her own lifetime...Of course she could also disappear without trace from the media - and our minds in the blink of an eye, for precisely the same reasons.
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About The Author: Flo Cordon loves Art. Read her stimulating writing on 2006 Turner Prize Winner Tomma Abts. Flo represents a whole new outlook on Abstract Art. Click here to get your own unique version of this article.
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