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Nicholas Serota

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Bureaucrat

The Resume

    (April 27, 1946- )
    Born in London, United Kingdom
    Director of Modern Art Oxford (1973-76), the Whitechapel Gallery (1976-88) and the Tate Gallery (1988- )
    Chairman of the Turner Prize jury (1989-2007)
    Knighted (1999)
    Subject of the satirical 'Stuckist' painting 'Sir Nicholas Serota Makes an Acquisitions Decision' (2000)

Why he might be annoying:

    In 'Who's Who,' he listed his hobby as 'hanging pictures.'
    Between the Tate and the Turner Prize, he has championed a number of controversial examples of conceptual art. (Tracey Emin's unmade bed, Damian Hirst's dissected cows, etc.)
    One critic described his approach at the Tate as 'solemn seriousness coupled with a sort of inane silliness.'
    He admitted that he provided false information on an application to the Art Fund for a £75,000 grant to use in buying a work by Chris Ofili, an artist who was also a trustee of the Tate.
    An investigation concluded that he had broken charity laws in the purchase and found 'serious shortcomings' in the process for managing potential conflicts of interest.

Why he might not be annoying:

    He oversaw the conversion of the abandoned Bankside Power Station into the Tate Modern, which became one of the most popular art museums in the world.
    The director of New York's Museum of Modern Art said he 'vaulted Britain to the forefront of the international art scene.'
    He has consistently placed in the top ten on ArtReview's list of the most powerful people in the world of art.
    The investigation into the Ofili purchase concluded no criminal laws had been broken.
    Despite being a perpetual target of derision from the Stuckist movement, he visited their 'Punk Victorian' show, met the artists and described their work as 'lively.' (2004)

Credit: C. Fishel


Featured in the following Annoying Collections:

Year In Review:

    In 2023, Out of 4 Votes: 100% Annoying
    In 2021, Out of 8 Votes: 100% Annoying
    In 2020, Out of 1 Votes: 100% Annoying
    In 2019, Out of 2 Votes: 100% Annoying
    In 2018, Out of 2 Votes: 100% Annoying
    In 2017, Out of 5 Votes: 60.0% Annoying
    In 2016, Out of 5 Votes: 100% Annoying
    In 2015, Out of 11 Votes: 54.55% Annoying
    In 2014, Out of 12 Votes: 58.33% Annoying
    In 2013, Out of 4 Votes: 75.00% Annoying
    In 2012, Out of 6 Votes: 66.67% Annoying
    In 2011, Out of 9 Votes: 88.89% Annoying