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SITES OF CONFLICT AND COLLABORATION 179

company for demolition. What were the Art controversies and the new
motives of the people who managed to con- dynamics of culture, money
vince him to leave his home expecting that an and power
artist would memorialize his residence?
Protests took many forms, including acts of Not-for-profit cultural institutions, like
vandalism – like splashed paint and graffiti. publicly-funded museums, have complex
One hand-scrawled message read ‘homes for relations with wealthy patrons. Many have
all—black and white’. Art world insiders put in place arms-length governance policies
claimed the controversy only served to that make arts professionals nominally
consolidate evidence of the pertinence of the responsible for aesthetic decisions, in order
artist’s work. In the words of one jury to reduce the influence of financiers or fund-
member ‘Talent at the highest level attracts ing agencies and to enhance their credibility
derision’ (Ellison and Donegan, 1993). as cultural authorities (DiMaggio, 1991,
Criticisms of the musicians continued. One 2000; Ostrower, 2002). However, recent art
cartoon depicted them as ‘art terrorists’ controversies provide evidence that eco-
dressed as masked bandits holding the X Prize nomic forces have considerable power in art
money (Anonymous, 1993a). The musicians worlds, especially in arts institutions.
portrayed themselves as iconoclasts, and pre- In the context of the controversy in con-
sented their gesture as an assault against hyp- nection with the 1993 Turner and X Prizes
ocritical and unfair elites, a rebellion against the amount of money involved heightened
the very institution of prize competitions and public interest in the musicians who awarded
a statement about the lack of opportunities for the X Prize and in the artist who won both
young artists and young people in general, tar- prizes. The musicians had spent a small for-
gets that appealed to the adolescent fans of tune. Their advertisements and public state-
their techno-music. ments suggested that hypocrites make money
Questions about the sincerity of the musi- more important than artistic values, but by
cians and the artist were irrelevant to many art awarding their prize for the worst in British
world insiders because, as Heinich observed, art they showed that an artist who creates art-
in some art worlds controversy and rejection work many people consider worthless can
by uninitiated publics are common, at least for make a great deal of money. The young artist
successful artists. The musicians had chal- had, after all, won £60,000 and benefited
lenged conventions in the world of popular from considerable funds to create an artwork
music too at their own award ceremony that was destroyed. This outraged the former
by expressing disdain for the people who hon- owner of the site the artist used. According to
oured them and then later generated conflict one observer:
with their injurious characterization of
Mr. Gale [the former owner] couldn’t get his head
Whiteread’s work as the worst of the year. But
around the idea that art money is funny money (as
respect for tradition is an expectation that the K Foundation, in their confusion, were soon to
applies to ordinary citizens, not to artists. The prove). You don’t buy a new flat with this stuff. It’s
careers of the artist and many key figures in the theoretical, an equation that has to be balanced.
controversy flourished. The musicians who It’s more like a signature or hallmark. Money is the
guarantee of seriousness.… If you’re already
funded the X Prize experienced financial and
famous, then it’s the material you work with, your
legal problems but soon resumed work as per- medium. If you’re unknown and you cop an unex-
forming artists. The story of the reception and pected bundle from the Saatchi’s you are pro-
destruction of Whiteread’s work illustrates moted directly into the heavy paper surveys. But
both how controversy and singular events con- you can’t spend this kind of cash. That would be
like squeezing the juice from one of Zurbaran’s
tribute to recognition processes within art
lemons. Contemporary art is about credit; the
worlds and provide opportunities for public metamorphosis of money into power (Sinclair,
debates about broader issues in civil society. 1993 reprinted in Lingwood, 1995: 22).