Tomma Abts gets Turner Prize

An abstract painter was awarded Britain’s most high-profile -- and controversial -- arts award on Monday, the Turner Prize.

The paintings by German-born Tomma Abts, 38, all measure exactly 18.9 inches by 15 inches. She has said that she begins every piece with no idea what she is about to paint and that they symbolize nothing at all.

The $49,000 prize was presented by Yoko Ono during a ceremony at London’s Tate Britain gallery.

This year’s eclectic shortlist, which included an installation made of trash and a video of dancing Palestinians, is typical of a prize that has in the past honored “Brit Art” upstarts such as transvestite potter Grayson Perry, dung-daubing painter Chris Ofili and shark pickler Damien Hirst.