Gavin Turk
Gavin Turk (born 1967) is a British sculptor and conceptual artist based in London, recognized for pioneering techniques in contemporary British sculpture such as painted bronzes, waxworks, recycled historical icons, and the incorporation of everyday rubbish into art.[1][2] Born in Guildford, Surrey, he studied at the Royal College of Art from 1989 to 1991, where his degree show installation Cave—a life-size wax figure of himself modeled after Jacob Marley from A Christmas Carol—provoked controversy by leaving the gallery space empty, resulting in the denial of his MA certificate and early attention from collectors like Charles Saatchi.[3][1] Associated with the Young British Artists (YBA) milieu through exhibitions and Saatchi's patronage, Turk's practice interrogates authorship, celebrity, and authenticity, often through self-portraits mimicking icons like Elvis Presley or Sid Vicious, and public commissions such as oversized nails or doors that blend sculpture with architecture.[2][4] His works, including a signatured blue plaque declaring "Gavin Turk, Sculptor, Worked Here 1989-1991," challenge the mythology of the artist while achieving international renown via gallery representations and solo shows.[1][5]Biography
Early Life and Education
Gavin Turk was born in 1967 in Guildford, Surrey, England.[2] He grew up in nearby Weybridge, Surrey.[6] Turk began his formal art education at the Chelsea School of Art in London, attending from 1986 to 1989, with the intention of learning "how to think and look at art."[7] He then enrolled at the Royal College of Art (RCA) from 1989 to 1991.[2] For his RCA degree show in 1991, titled Cave, Turk presented an empty, whitewashed studio space featuring only a blue commemorative plaque inscribed with "Gavin Turk, Sculptor, worked here 1989-1991," mimicking official English Heritage markers.[1] The RCA declined to award him an MA degree, deeming the installation insufficient for the qualification.[1] This refusal stemmed from the absence of traditional artwork, highlighting Turk's early conceptual approach challenging institutional expectations of artistic production and validation.[1]Personal Life and Influences
Gavin Turk was born in 1967 in Guildford, Surrey, England.[8] His father worked as a jeweller, while his mother, a former journalist, ceased working upon his birth.[8] Turk grew up in a detached Victorian house featuring a large garden with fruit trees and a beech hedge.[8] Turk met Deborah Curtis, also an artist, in 1985 at art college, with their romantic relationship beginning in 1988 after her return from travels.[9] The couple married in 2012 following 24 years together.[9] They reside in east London with their three children: sons Curtis (born circa 1994) and Caesar (born circa 2001), and daughter Frankie (born circa 1996).[8][10] In 2006, Turk and Curtis founded the House of Fairy Tales, a nonprofit traveling art circus project initially aimed at entertaining their children and local youth through immersive experiences in art, science, and performance.[10] Turk's artistic practice draws from a range of modern and conceptual artists, including Marcel Duchamp, Andy Warhol, René Magritte, Yves Klein, Joseph Beuys, Alighiero Boetti, Salvador Dalí, Lucio Fontana, Donald Judd, Josef Albers, César Baldaccini, Jackson Pollock, and Damien Hirst.[11] His explorations of authorship and identity often involve self-portraits disguised as iconic figures such as Sid Vicious, Che Guevara, and Warhol himself, reflecting influences from pop art and arte povera traditions.[12] These inspirations inform Turk's recurring themes of authenticity, originality, and the commodification of artistic signatures.[11]Artistic Career
Formation and Early Recognition
Turk's early artistic development centered on his postgraduate studies at the Royal College of Art, where he enrolled in 1989.[13] For his 1991 MA degree show, he created Cave, an installation in a whitewashed studio space containing solely a blue English Heritage-style plaque reading "Gavin Turk worked here 1989-1991."[14][15] This minimalist work questioned notions of artistic presence, absence, and institutional validation.[16] The Royal College of Art refused to grant Turk his MA degree, arguing that the installation did not constitute a substantive submission.[5][17] Despite—or because of—this rejection, Cave propelled Turk into prominence, symbolizing a paradoxical entry into artistic legitimacy through denial.[16] The piece's notoriety highlighted his preoccupation with signatures, authorship, and self-referential monuments, themes that defined his subsequent practice.[18]