Whale skeleton vs cow brain at Turner art prize

Opponents of the award, who call themselves "Stuckists," stood outside the Tate Britain gallery on London's River Thames where the award is staged and called on Monday for the "tired" and "exhausted" show to be scrapped.

But curator Lizzie Carey-Thomas defended the institution, which dates back to 1984 and has been won by the likes of Gilbert & George, Richard Long, Anish Kapoor and Damien Hirst.

"Art has more of a place in contemporary British culture than ever before," she told Reuters at the Tate, where works by the four shortlisted artists go on display to the public from October 6-January 3, 2010.

"I think last year we had 90,000 visitors to the show which was the highest for a number of years. The YBAs (Young British Artists) helped to popularise contemporary art and bring it to a new audience, although the art has moved on since then."

WHALE SKELETON, COW BRAIN

The first rooms of the show are dedicated to Lucy Skaer, the only woman among the nominees.

Her works include tall, black, skittle-like sculptures made with coal dust and arranged in rows and in a pile on the floor.

"Leviathan Edge" (2009) is a partial skeleton of a male sperm whale visible through narrow slits in the wall.

"Lucy Skaer is slowing down the art of looking. You can't just grasp the art in once glance," said Carey-Thomas.