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Go West is the title of the first exhibition by Stuckist artists in a commercial London West End gallery. It was staged in Spectrum London gallery in October 2006. The show attracted media interest for its location, for the use of a painting satirising Sir Nicholas Serota, Director of the Tate gallery, and for two paintings of a stripper by Charles Thomson based on his former wife, artist Stella Vine.

Show

The Stuckists had previously been seen as art world outsiders, but with the backing of a West End gallery in a "major exhibition"^[1] became "major players" in the art world.^[2] Ten leading Stuckist artists were exhibited.^[3]

Royden Prior, the director of Spectrum London, said, "These artists are good and are part of history. Get past the art politics and look at the work."^[4]^[5]

Art critic Edward Lucie-Smith wrote in an essay for the show:

Stuckism has gained so much fame from its demonstrations and media campaigns that its real purpose is in some danger of being overshadowed. That purpose is perfectly obvious – to make art, and to have it seen and discussed without preconceptions, in a perfectly normal and rational fashion.^[6]

Rachel Campbell-Johnston, art critic of The Times, condemned the work as "empty of anything much" and "formulaic".^[7] Nevertheless, Thomson's and Joe Machine's paintings sold out, before the show opened, to buyers from the UK, Japan and the US.^[8]

Exhibition dates: October 6 – November 4, 2006.

Controversy

It was suggested that the exhibition of Thomson's painting, Sir Nicholas Serota Makes an Acquisitions Decision, satirising Sir Nicholas Serota, displayed in the gallery window (see image above), could be seen as revenge for the Tate's rejection of a Stuckist donation of 175 paintings the previous year.^[2]

Thomson was also accused of revenge for exhibiting two paintings of strippers, which he said were based on his ex-wife and one-time stripper, Stella Vine. She was briefly a member of the Stuckists group at the time of their marriage in 2001, but has since attracted solo attention. Rivalry increased when her work was promoted by Charles Saatchi in 2004.^[1] Thomson denied any intention of vengeance with the paintings and said that "I would prefer her to enjoy these, as I still enjoy her art".^[9]

Michael Dickinson, a Stuckist from Istanbul, was a guest artist at the show with a folder of collages.^[10] He had recently been released from ten days in a Turkish jail without charge after exhibiting Good Boy, a collage of the Turkish prime minister, Tayyip Erdoğan as a dog.^[11]

Artists in the show

Guest artist

Michael Dickinson

Notes and references

^ ^a ^b Barnes, Anthony (2006) "Portrait of an ex-husband's revenge" The Independent on Sunday. Retrieved 9 October 2006, from findarticles.com
^ ^a ^b Teodorczuk, Tom (2006) "Modern art is pants" Archived 2009-06-17 at the Wayback Machine Evening Standard, 22 August 2006. Retrieved 9 October 2006 from thisislondon.co.uk.
^ "Go West", The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 29 March 2008.
^ "The first West End show for the Stuckists" Archived 2007-09-29 at the Wayback Machine saatchi-gallery.co.uk. Retrieved 9 October 2006
^ "Stuckists art group in major show" BBC online, August 23, 2006. Retrieved October 9, 2006
^ Lucie-Smith, Edward (2006) "Stuckism" Archived 2006-12-21 at the Wayback Machine spectrumlondon.co.uk. Retrieved 9 October 2006
^ Campbell-Johnston, Rachel (2006) "How the Turner Prize lost the plot"^{[dead link‍]} The Times online, 3 October 2006. Retrieved 9 October 2006
^ Gleadell, Colin (2006) "Market news: Roger Hilton's child-like drawings, 'stuckist' paintings and Edward Seago" The Daily Telegraph online, 3 October 2006. Retrieved 9 October 2006
^ Thomson, Charles (2006), "Paint Stripper", Letters, p. 40, The Independent on Sunday", 10 September 2006
^ "Michael Dickinson, Stuckist artist jailed in Turkey for a collage, now free. See his work at Go West" stuckism.com. Retrieved October 9, 2006
^ "Keeping Turkey out of the EU" (Video interview with Michael Dickinson on More 4) channel4.com. Retrieved October 9, 2006

External links

51°31′10″N 0°8′28″W / 51.51944°N 0.14111°W / 51.51944; -0.14111

[portrait-1] Barnes, Anthony (2006) "Portrait of an ex-husband's revenge" The Independent on Sunday. Retrieved 9 October 2006, from findarticles.com

[pants-2] Teodorczuk, Tom (2006) "Modern art is pants" Archived 2009-06-17 at the Wayback Machine Evening Standard, 22 August 2006. Retrieved 9 October 2006 from thisislondon.co.uk.

[3] "Go West", The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 29 March 2008.

[first-4] "The first West End show for the Stuckists" Archived 2007-09-29 at the Wayback Machine saatchi-gallery.co.uk. Retrieved 9 October 2006

[5] "Stuckists art group in major show" BBC online, August 23, 2006. Retrieved October 9, 2006

[edward-6] Lucie-Smith, Edward (2006) "Stuckism" Archived 2006-12-21 at the Wayback Machine spectrumlondon.co.uk. Retrieved 9 October 2006

[how-7] Campbell-Johnston, Rachel (2006) "How the Turner Prize lost the plot"^{[dead link‍]} The Times online, 3 October 2006. Retrieved 9 October 2006

[market-8] Gleadell, Colin (2006) "Market news: Roger Hilton's child-like drawings, 'stuckist' paintings and Edward Seago" The Daily Telegraph online, 3 October 2006. Retrieved 9 October 2006

[paint-9] Thomson, Charles (2006), "Paint Stripper", Letters, p. 40, The Independent on Sunday", 10 September 2006

[Michael-10] "Michael Dickinson, Stuckist artist jailed in Turkey for a collage, now free. See his work at Go West" stuckism.com. Retrieved October 9, 2006

[keeping-11] "Keeping Turkey out of the EU" (Video interview with Michael Dickinson on More 4) channel4.com. Retrieved October 9, 2006

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@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
+{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2022}}
-[[Image:SpectrumLondonGallery.jpg|thumb|[[Spectrum London]] gallery, September 2006, during the [[Stuckists]] ''Go West'' show.]]
+{{italic title}}
-'''Go West''' is the title of the first exhibition by [[Stuckism|Stuckist]] artists in a commercial London West End gallery. It was staged in [[Spectrum London]] gallery in October 2006. The show attracted media interest for its location, for the use of a painting satirising Sir [[Nicholas Serota]], Director of the [[Tate gallery]], and for two paintings of a stripper by [[Charles Thomson (artist)|Charles Thomson]] based on his former wife, artist [[Stella Vine]].
+[[Image:SpectrumLondonGallery.jpg|300px|thumb|[[Spectrum London]] gallery, September 2006, during the [[Stuckists]] ''Go West'' show.]]
+'''''Go West''''' is the title of the first exhibition by [[Stuckism|Stuckist]] artists in a commercial London West End gallery. It was staged in [[Spectrum London]] gallery in October 2006. The show attracted media interest for its location, for the use of a painting satirising Sir [[Nicholas Serota]], Director of the [[Tate gallery]], and for two paintings of a stripper by [[Charles Thomson (artist)|Charles Thomson]] based on his former wife, artist [[Stella Vine]].
-==Show==
+== Show ==
 [[Image:2006 Spectrum London.jpg|thumb|Exhibiting artist, [[Ella Guru]], is interviewed at [[Spectrum London]] gallery during the show by [[Richard Quest]] of [[CNN International]].]]
-The Stuckists had previously been seen as art world outsiders, but with the backing of a West End gallery in a "major exhibition"<ref name=portrait>Barnes, Anthony (2006) [http://www.findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qn4159/is_20060903/ai_n16710587 "Portrait of an ex-husband's revenge"] ''The Independent on Sunday''. Retrieved 9 October, 2006, from findarticles.com</ref>  became "major players" in the art world.<ref name=pants> Teodorczuk, Tom (2006) [http://www.thisislondon.co.uk/arts/article-23364213-details/Modern+art+is+pants/article.do "Modern art is pants"] ''Evening Standard'', 22 August, 2006. Retrieved 9 October, 2006 from thisislondon.co.uk.</ref> Ten leading Stuckist artists were exhibited.<ref>[http://www.telegraph.co.uk/core/Slideshow/slideshowContentFrameFragXL.jhtml?xml=/arts/slideshows/gowest/pixgowest.xml&site= "Go West"], ''[[The Daily Telegraph]]''. Retrieved [[29 March]] [[2008]].</ref>
+The Stuckists had previously been seen as art world outsiders, but with the backing of a West End gallery in a "major exhibition"<ref name=portrait>Barnes, Anthony (2006) [http://www.findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qn4159/is_20060903/ai_n16710587 "Portrait of an ex-husband's revenge"] ''[[The Independent|The Independent on Sunday]]''. Retrieved 9 October 2006, from findarticles.com</ref> became "major players" in the art world.<ref name=pants>Teodorczuk, Tom (2006) [http://www.thisislondon.co.uk/arts/article-23364213-details/Modern+art+is+pants/article.do "Modern art is pants"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090617120902/http://www.thisislondon.co.uk/arts/article-23364213-details/Modern+art+is+pants/article.do |date=2009-06-17 }} ''[[Evening Standard]]'', 22 August 2006. Retrieved 9 October 2006 from thisislondon.co.uk.</ref> Ten leading Stuckist artists were exhibited.<ref>[https://archive.today/20120911141354/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/core/Slideshow/slideshowContentFrameFragXL.jhtml?xml=/arts/slideshows/gowest/pixgowest.xml&site= "Go West"], ''[[The Daily Telegraph]]''. Retrieved 29 March 2008.</ref>
-Royden Prior, the director of Spectrum London, said, "These artists are good and are part of history. Get past the art politics and look at the work." <ref name=first>[http://www.saatchi-gallery.co.uk/blogon/2006/08/the_first_west_end_show_for_th.php "The first West End show for the Stuckists"] saatchi-gallery.co.uk. Retrieved 9 October, 2006</ref><ref>[http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/5278900.stm "Stuckists art group in major show"] BBC online, August 23, 2006. Retrieved October 9, 2006</ref>
+Royden Prior, the director of Spectrum London, said, "These artists are good and are part of history. Get past the art politics and look at the work."<ref name=first>[http://www.saatchi-gallery.co.uk/blogon/2006/08/the_first_west_end_show_for_th.php "The first West End show for the Stuckists"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070929211146/http://www.saatchi-gallery.co.uk/blogon/2006/08/the_first_west_end_show_for_th.php |date=2007-09-29 }} saatchi-gallery.co.uk. Retrieved 9 October 2006</ref><ref>[http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/5278900.stm "Stuckists art group in major show"] [[BBC]] online, August 23, 2006. Retrieved October 9, 2006</ref>
 Art critic [[Edward Lucie-Smith]] wrote in an essay for the show:
-{{cquote|Stuckism has gained so much fame from its demonstrations and media campaigns that its real purpose is in some danger of being overshadowed. That purpose is perfectly obvious – to make art, and to have it seen and discussed without preconceptions, in a perfectly normal and rational fashion.<ref name=edward>Lucie-Smith, Edward (2006) [http://www.spectrumlondon.co.uk/new/stuckists.htm "Stuckism"] spectrumlondon.co.uk. Retrieved 9 October, 2006</ref>}}
+{{cquote|Stuckism has gained so much fame from its demonstrations and media campaigns that its real purpose is in some danger of being overshadowed. That purpose is perfectly obvious – to make art, and to have it seen and discussed without preconceptions, in a perfectly normal and rational fashion.<ref name=edward>Lucie-Smith, Edward (2006) [http://www.spectrumlondon.co.uk/new/stuckists.htm "Stuckism"] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061221064418/http://www.spectrumlondon.co.uk/new/stuckists.htm |date=2006-12-21 }} spectrumlondon.co.uk. Retrieved 9 October 2006</ref>}}
-[[Rachel Campbell-Johnston]], art critic of ''[[The Times]]'', condemned the work as "empty of anything much" and "formulaic".<ref name=how>Campbell-Johnston, Rachel (2006)   [http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,585-2385068_2,00.html "How the Turner Prize lost the plot"] ''The Times'' online, 3 October, 2006. Retrieved 9 October, 2006</ref> Nevertheless Thomson's and [[Joe Machine]]'s paintings sold out, before the show opened, to buyers from the UK, Japan and the US.<ref name=market>Gleadell, Colin (2006) [http://www.telegraph.co.uk/arts/main.jhtml?xml=/arts/2006/10/03/bamkt03.xml "Market news: Roger Hilton's child-like drawings, 'stuckist' paintings and Edward Seago"] ''Daily Telegraph'' online, 3 October, 2006. Retrieved 9 October, 2006</ref>
+[[Rachel Campbell-Johnston]], art critic of ''[[The Times]]'', condemned the work as "empty of anything much" and "formulaic".<ref name=how>Campbell-Johnston, Rachel (2006)   [http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,585-2385068_2,00.html "How the Turner Prize lost the plot"]{{dead link|date=September 2024|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}} ''[[The Times]]'' online, 3 October 2006. Retrieved 9 October 2006</ref> Nevertheless, Thomson's and [[Joe Machine]]'s paintings sold out, before the show opened, to buyers from the UK, Japan and the US.<ref name=market>Gleadell, Colin (2006) [https://web.archive.org/web/20070311054646/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/arts/main.jhtml?xml=%2Farts%2F2006%2F10%2F03%2Fbamkt03.xml "Market news: Roger Hilton's child-like drawings, 'stuckist' paintings and Edward Seago"] ''[[The Daily Telegraph]]'' online, 3 October 2006. Retrieved 9 October 2006</ref>
-Exhibition dates: [[October 6]] &ndash; [[November 4]], 2006.
+Exhibition dates: October 6 – November 4, 2006.
-==Controversy==
+== Controversy ==
-[[Image:Charles Thomson. Sir Nicholas Serota Makes an Acquisitions Decision.jpg|thumb|Charles Thomson. ''Sir Nicholas Serota Makes an Acquisitions Decision''.]]
+[[Image:Charles Thomson. Sir Nicholas Serota Makes an Acquisitions Decision.jpg|thumb|upright|Charles Thomson. ''[[Sir Nicholas Serota Makes an Acquisitions Decision]]''.]]
-[[Image:Charles Thomson. Stripper.jpg|thumb|Charles Thomson. ''Stripper''.]]
+[[Image:Charles Thomson. Stripper.jpg|thumb|upright|Charles Thomson. ''Stripper''.]]
 It was suggested that the exhibition of Thomson's painting, ''[[Sir Nicholas Serota Makes an Acquisitions Decision]]'', satirising Sir [[Nicholas Serota]], displayed in the gallery window (see image above), could be seen as revenge for the Tate's rejection of a Stuckist donation of 175 paintings the previous year.<ref name=pants/>
-Thomson was also accused of revenge for exhibiting two paintings of strippers, which he said were based on his ex wife and one-time stripper, Stella Vine. She was briefly a member of the Stuckists group at the time of their marriage in 2001, but has since attracted solo attention. Rivalry increased when her work was promoted by [[Saatchi Gallery|Charles Saatchi]] in 2004.<ref name=portrait/> Thomson denied any intention of vengeance with the paintings and said that "I would prefer her to enjoy these, as I still enjoy her art".<ref name=paint>Thomson, Charles (2006), "Paint Stripper", Letters, p. 40, ''The Independent on Sunday", 10 September, 2006</ref>
+Thomson was also accused of revenge for exhibiting two paintings of strippers, which he said were based on his ex-wife and one-time stripper, Stella Vine. She was briefly a member of the Stuckists group at the time of their marriage in 2001, but has since attracted solo attention. Rivalry increased when her work was promoted by [[Saatchi Gallery|Charles Saatchi]] in 2004.<ref name=portrait/> Thomson denied any intention of vengeance with the paintings and said that "I would prefer her to enjoy these, as I still enjoy her art".<ref name=paint>Thomson, Charles (2006), "Paint Stripper", Letters, p. 40, ''[[The Independent|The Independent on Sunday]]", 10 September 2006</ref>
-[[Michael Dickinson]], a Stuckist from Istanbul, was a guest artist at the show with a folder of [[collage]]s.<ref name=Michael>[http://www.stuckism.com "Michael Dickinson, Stuckist artist jailed in Turkey for a collage, now free. See his work at Go West"] stuckism.com. Retrieved October 9, 2006</ref> He had recently been released from ten days in a Turkish jail without charge after exhibiting a collage of the Turkish prime minister, [[Tayyip Erdoğan]] as a dog.<ref name=keeping>[http://www.channel4.com/more4/news/news-opinion-feature.jsp?id=402 "Keeping Turkey out of the EU"] (Video interview with Michael Dickinson on More 4) channel4.com. Retrieved October 9, 2006</ref>
+[[Michael Dickinson (artist)|Michael Dickinson]], a Stuckist from Istanbul, was a guest artist at the show with a folder of [[collage]]s.<ref name=Michael>[http://www.stuckism.com "Michael Dickinson, Stuckist artist jailed in Turkey for a collage, now free. See his work at Go West"] stuckism.com. Retrieved October 9, 2006</ref> He had recently been released from ten days in a Turkish jail without charge after exhibiting ''Good Boy'', a collage of the Turkish prime minister, [[Tayyip Erdoğan]] as a dog.<ref name=keeping>[http://www.channel4.com/more4/news/news-opinion-feature.jsp?id=402 "Keeping Turkey out of the EU"] (Video interview with Michael Dickinson on More 4) channel4.com. Retrieved October 9, 2006</ref>
-==Artists in the show==
+== Artists in the show ==
-*[[Charles Thomson (artist)|Charles Thomson]]
+* [[Charles Thomson (artist)|Charles Thomson]]
-*[[Joe Machine]]
+* [[Joe Machine]]
-*[[Paul Harvey (artist)|Paul Harvey]]
+* [[Paul Harvey (artist)|Paul Harvey]]
-*[[Ella Guru]]
+* [[Ella Guru]]
-*[[Peter McArdle]]
+* [[Peter McArdle]]
-*[[Philip Absolon]]
+* [[Philip Absolon]]
-*[[Bill Lewis]]
+* [[Bill Lewis]]
-*[[Wolf Howard]]
+* [[Wolf Howard]]
-*[[Eamon Everall]]
+* [[Eamon Everall]]
-*[[Elsa Dax]]
+* [[Elsa Dax]]
 ;Guest artist
-*[[Michael Dickinson]]
+* [[Michael Dickinson (artist)|Michael Dickinson]]
-==See also==
-*[[Stuckism]]
-*[[Stuckist demonstrations]]
-*[[The Stuckists Punk Victorian]]
-*[[Sir Nicholas Serota Makes an Acquisitions Decision]]
-==Notes and references==
+== See also ==
+* [[Stuckism]]
-<div class="references-small"><references/></div>
+* [[Stuckist demonstrations]]
+* [[The Stuckists Punk Victorian]]
+* ''[[Sir Nicholas Serota Makes an Acquisitions Decision]]''
+== Notes and references ==
-==External links==
+{{Reflist}}
-*[http://www.spectrumlondon.co.uk/new/stuckists.htm ''Go West'' on Spectrum London official site]
-*[http://www.spectrumlondon.co.uk/new/charles_thomson_available.htm ''Stripper'' and ''Strip Club'' paintings by Charles Thomson] (bottom of page)
+== External links ==
+* [https://web.archive.org/web/20061221064418/http://www.spectrumlondon.co.uk/new/stuckists.htm ''Go West'' on Spectrum London official site]
+*[https://web.archive.org/web/20070312205939/http://www.spectrumlondon.co.uk/new/charles_thomson_available.htm ''Stripper'' and ''Strip Club'' paintings by Charles Thomson] (bottom of page)
 *[http://www.stuckism.com Stuckism official site]
 *[http://www.nzherald.co.nz/category/story.cfm?c_id=18&ObjectID=10397657 "Britart critics get West End show", the ''New Zealand Herald'']
-*[http://www.artshub.co.uk/ah1/news/news.asp?Id=99864 "Is being naive the result of naivete" artshub.co.uk]
+*[https://web.archive.org/web/20110717205719/http://www.artshub.co.uk/ah1/news/news.asp?Id=99864 "Is being naive the result of naivete" artshub.co.uk]
-*[http://www.telegraph.co.uk/core/Slideshow/slideshowContentFrameFragXL.jhtml?xml=/arts/slideshows/gowest/pixgowest.xml&site= Slide show of work on telegraph.co.uk]
+*[https://archive.today/20120911141354/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/core/Slideshow/slideshowContentFrameFragXL.jhtml?xml=/arts/slideshows/gowest/pixgowest.xml&site= Slide show of work on telegraph.co.uk]
 {{Stuckism}}
+{{coord|51|31|10|N|0|8|28|W|display=title}}
-[[Category:2006 in London|Go West (exhibition)]]
-[[Category:British art]]
+{{DEFAULTSORT:Go West (exhibition)}}
-[[Category:Art exhibitions]]
-[[Category:English art|Go West (exhibition)]]
+[[Category:2006 in London]]
-[[Category:Contemporary art|Go West (exhibition)]]
+[[Category:Contemporary art exhibitions]]
+[[Category:English contemporary art]]
+[[Category:Art exhibitions in London]]
+[[Category:2006 in art]]

v t e Stuckism
Main articles	Stuckism List of Stuckist artists List of Stuckist shows Stuckist demonstrations Stuckism in the United States Stuckism in Australia
Co-founders	Billy Childish Charles Thomson
Initial group	Philip Absolon Eamon Everall Ella Guru Wolf Howard Bill Lewis Joe Machine Sexton Ming Charles Williams
Artists in Europe	Elsa Dax (France) Guy Denning (France) Michael Dickinson (Turkey) Robert Janás (Czech) Peter Klint (Germany) Odysseus Yakoumakis (Greece)
Artists in UK	Gina Bold John Bourne Jonathon Coudrille Mark D Paul Harvey Stephen Howarth Alexis Hunter Abby Jackson Naive John Rachel Jordan Jane Kelly Emily Mann Peter McArdle Mandy McCartin Peter Murphy Rémy Noë Udaiyan Stella Vine
Artists in US	Jeffrey Scott Holland Frank Kozik Terry Marks Jesse Richards Nicholas Watson
Artists elsewhere	Godfrey Blow (Australia) Asim Butt (Pakistan) Regan Tamanui (Australia)
Artworks	Sir Nicholas Serota Makes an Acquisitions Decision
Shows	The Stuckists Punk Victorian Go West
Galleries	A Gallery Stuckism International Gallery Spectrum London
Related groups	Neomodern Remodernism Remodernist Film Stuckist Photographers The Medway Poets The Romantic Anonymous Fellowship
Stuckism opposed by	Louisa Buck Sarah Kent Adrian Searle Sir Nicholas Serota
Stuckism opposed to	Art intervention Conceptual art Damien Hirst Installation art Saatchi Gallery The Upper Room Tracey Emin Turner Prize White Cube Young British Artists
Wikimedia	Stuckism at Wikiquote Stuckism at Commons
Artists' names in italics indicate artists no longer in the movement (as of November 2011)