British artist, born in Guildford. He studied at the *Royal College of Art but was denied his MA certificate after leaving his exhibition space empty and hanging simply a blue plaque, in the style used in London to commemorate the dwellings of the famous, saying ‘Borough of Kensington. Gavin Turk Sculptor Worked Here 1989–1991’. His subsequent work has usually played on ideas about authenticity, through activities such as plagiarizing the signature of Piero *Manzoni. His best-known work is Pop (1993), a lifesize waxwork of Turk playing the Sex Pistol Sid Vicious taking on the pose of Elvis Presley as cowboy as appropriated by Andy *Warhol.