Martin Creed “The Lights Going On and Off” / eggs

(In 2001, a woman named Jacqueline Crofton smuggled eggs into London’s Tate Museum and threw them at Creed’s work (which consists of an empty room with two flashing lights). The eggs were wiped away in short order and the room was returned to normal viewing soon after.

Crofton, a 52-year-old artist and grandmother, had actually dreamed of committing the act the night before. After awaking from the dream, she told her husband of her intentions and promptly set out for the museum.

Explaining her actions, Crofton claimed that the attention gained by the Turner Prize-winning exhibit was “humiliating” for the majority of “genuine artists” in the UK.“I have nothing against Creed, although I do not think his work can be considered as art,” she said. “At worst, ‘The Lights Going On And Off’ is an electrical work. At best, it is philosophy.”

She continued, “What I object to fiercely is that we’ve got this cartel who control the top echelons of the art world in this country and leave no access for painters and sculptors with real creative talent. All they are interested in is manufacturers of gimmicks like Creed, who made his name with a ball of BluTac and a sheet of A4 paper crumpled into a ball. Someone had to make a stand.”)