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 | | Wednesday, 22 September, 1999, 09:23 GMT 10:23 UK Top prize for art world recluse  Prunella Clough's work has "a reticence about it'', say judges One of the most prestigious prizes in British painting has been won by a reclusive 80-year-old woman from west London. Prunella Clough, once described as "the best kept secret in British art", was awarded the �30,000 Jerwood Painting Prize at a ceremony in London. The artist has been painting since 1949, but this is the first time she has won an award for her work. The Jerwood prize is the most valuable awarded to a single artist in the UK. Prunella Clough's early paintings feature urban and industrial landscapes, but have become more abstract over the years.
Dr Judith Collins of the Tate Gallery, one of this year's judges, said: ''Her paintings have a reticence about them. They have a quietness, and then they suddenly come up and catch you by the heel. "She likes black bin liners at the moment and bits of lino that have fallen off the back of lorries - odd, urban subject matter. 'Hermit-like existence' "She once said: 'I like to say a small thing edgily'." Dr Collins said the artist had chosen a "hermit-like existence". True to her shy and unassuming reputation, the artist slipped away after the ceremony at the Jerwood Gallery on Tuesday, refusing to be interviewed about her success. But she did say that the prize was reward "for a lifetime's grafting". The Jerwood Foundation was established in 1977 to promote the arts, while the Jerwood Painting Prize competition is now in its sixth year. Prunella Clough's work is on show at the Jerwood Gallery until 24 October 1999. | |
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