Turner Prize accused of age discrimination

The Turner Prize, one of Britain’s most prestigious contemporary art awards, is under attack for alleged age discrimination. The Turner prize, which comes under the auspices of the Tate Gallery, is restricted to artists under 50. The justification for this is to avoid having younger artists just setting out pitted against artists at the height of their career. According to Britain’s Equal Opportunities Review, however, this age limit constitutes discrimination and should be removed.

One of the other justifications for it being only for young artists is set out on the gallery’s website: The prize was founded by a group called the Patrons of New Art. They were formed in 1982 to help buy new art for the Tate Gallery's collection, and to encourage wider interest in contemporary art.