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.

They are worthy of a mention here. I'm referring to Mark Titchner curiously known as a "billboard artist", Rebecca Warren - a highly original sculptress and last but not least Phil Collins - who I'm told makes films. Of the three - it was Rebecca Warren that most bookies were tipping to win the prize.

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.

Well OK - which medium doesTomma Abts work with? Well - she's a painter working in the main with acrylics - creating abstract art. This would tend to go against the form of previous Turner Prize winners who have tended not to be painters. However it was precisely the painting of Tomma Abts that gained her original selection. Tomma held exhibitions in Switzerland - Kunsthalle Basel and the UK - London's "Greengrassi"

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 fullsome praise for Tomma around - it isn't difficult to see why she won the 2006 Turner Prize. As for my thoughts?...well - I think Tomma Abts is "OK" without being "KO".

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.

48 x 38 cms - exactly. These are the dimensions of every Tomma Abts painting. I'm not sure quite why Tomma selected these dimensions. Obviously she finds them appealing and I suppose they make for a very compact painting.

The titles of Tomma Abts paintings are apparently just taken from a German first name dictionary! This is how Tomma came to name one of her art works "Veeke". Well I suppose it's better than simply numbering her creations...I think.

Based on photographs of some of the prize winning work by Tomma Abts I would say that unlike previous winners of the Turner Prize - Tomma's work is pretty accessible to the general public. Furthermore the artwork of Tomma Abts could not conceivably offend even the most "dyed in the wool" and reactionary of "Mary Whitehouse" types.

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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Author: Flo Cordon worships Art. Read her stimulating articles on 2006 Turner Prize Winner Tomma Abts. Flo represents a whole new perspective on Abstract Art. This article is available as a unique content article with free reprint rights.