8. Gilbert & George – Winners, 1986
The duo were shortlisted for the prize in 1984 they won it two years later, on the back of their brightly coloured photo-montages that juggled heads, profanities, flowers, turds, streets and all manner of delights. It was a brief moment of glory in what the artists regard as lifelong neglect by the UK art establishment. Despite the fact that they can be found in the Yellow Pages (under “artists”) and people often approach them in the street, they claimed not to have sold a work of their nefarious art in England in 10 years