for crimes against humanity.”
A Tate spokesman admitted the blanket was a clear attack on the former prime minister but said: “It does appear to be about Mrs Thatcher but may be more than that. It also seems to be about women that Tracey Emin feels are guilty of aggressive acts you’d normally associate with men.”
Gregor Muir, the Tate curator who negotiated the gallery’s purchase, said: “I wonder if it’s not long overdue that artists like Emin should want to consider Thatcher.”
The Tate had no qualms about displaying either the neon signs or the blanket. A sign outside the gallery warns visitors about offensive language and Mr Muir said: “I think that there are very many works of art in the Tate collections which could be said to criticise the powers that be.”
Well yes, I suppose she is following a great tradition of artistic protests. Who can forget Picasso’s heartfelt masterpiece Guernica, “you fucking wankers, killing all those Spanish kiddies”, which, painted just 20 years after the actual bombing, galvanised a whole generation.
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