50 most influential artists in Britain revealed: David Bowie, Steve McQueen and Russell T Davies among top spots
David Bowie has taken the top spot as the most influential artist in Britain
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Your support makes all the difference.Britain’s top 50 most influential artists from the last 50 years have been revealed.
David Bowie has won the top spot in the Sky Arts list owing to his transcendent influence on British culture.
The late singer, who died from cancer in 2016 aged 69, beat the likes of the Spice Girls, Banksy and Elton John to the top.
In second place is Sir Steve McQueen CBE, who won an Oscar for his direction of 12 Years a Slave.
Close behind was Russell T Davies, who directed Channel 4’s most watched series, It’s a Sin - and took over Doctor Who in 2005.
The list, which included musicians, actors, writers, comedians, designers and creators, also featured familiar names such as Vivienne Westwood, Victoria Wood and Ricky Gervais.
Rapper Stormzy also won 8th place on the list for his work both as a musician and a political activist.
Broadcaster Lauren Laverne, who was on the judging panel for the list said she was “honoured to be chosen” to take part on the judging which led to “fascinating conversations”.
“David Bowie coming in at number one was the cherry on top of a brilliant judging process, and it was great to be a part of it,” she said.
“The judges took so much time and care with their scoring to ensure the Top 50, Top 20 and Top 10 lists were truly the best of the best in terms of influence, and the final list are artists that are so deserving of their places.”
To honour Bowie’s achievement, artist Joe Black was commissioned to create a piece of artwork to represent the musician’s influence on culture.
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Made entirely of plectrums, the artwork stands at six feet high, and will be donated to a school in Bowie’s birthplace of Brixton.
Phil Edgar-Jones, director of Sky Arts, said: “As our number one artist, we wanted to honour David Bowie in a way that befits the magnitude of his influence.
“Bowie’s influence transcends genres, through picks with cut-out designs of music, art, stage and screen,” he added.
You can read Top 50 list below:
1. David Bowie
2. Sir Steve McQueen
3. Russell T Davies
4. Vivienne Westwood
5. Caryl Churchill
6. Michael Clark
7. Angela Carter
8. Stormzy
9. Muriel Spark
10. Michaela Coel
11. Andrea Levy
12. Jenny Sealey
13. Alan Hollinghurst
14. Siouxsie Sioux
15. Yinka Shonibare
16. Sonia Boyce
17. Akram Khan
18. Linder
19. Ricky Gervais
20. Skin (Skunk Anansie)
21. Ali Smith
22. Ridley Scott
23. Soul II Soul
24. Harold Pinter
25. Christopher Nolan
26. Bernardine Evaristo
27. Sarah Kane
28. Sade
29. Simon McBurney
30. Lynette Woods
31. Alexander McQueen
32. Punch Drunk
33. Steve Coogan
34. Banksy
35. Elton John
36. Penelope Fitzgerald
37. Black Audio Film Collective
38. Mike Leigh
39. Victoria Wood
40. Emma Rice
41. Tracey Emin
42. The Specials
43. Sarah Waters
44. Zadie Smith
45. Boy George
46. Chris Ofili
47. The Spice Girls
48. Kae Tempest
49. Debbie Tucker Green
50. Alfred Hitchcock
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