Turner Prize returns to artistic roots

German painter Tomma Abts, who admits that she has no idea what her finished paintings will look like when she starts them, has won the Turner Prize.

Abts, who lives in Clerkenwell, is the first female painter to win the £25,000 prize, which this year was untypically free of controversy.

The abstract painter beat reality TV video artist Phil Collins, installationist Mark Titchner and sculptor Rebecca Warren to land modern art's most famous accolade in a ceremony at Tate Britain last night.

The award to Abts, presented by Yoko Ono, was perceived as the Turner Prize returning to its artistic roots. The first two winners of the 22-year-old prize were painters Malcolm Morley and Howard Hodgkin. The last painter to win was Chris Ofili, who features elephant dung on his canvas, in 1998.

Abts, 38, has been living in London since 1995. She said: "I really like it here. I feel at home. When I came here there was so much more energy here than there was at home."

Abts, who has admitted her paintings don't symbolise anything, said last night of her artistic process: "I start without any idea and then it's a slow process to find shapes and establish abstraction. I aim for an eventual result at some point but not for a while." She added of her victory: "I think it's nice but every artist deserved to win."

Collins made history for being the first shortlisted artist not to have completed his Turner Prize submission by the time of the ceremony.

Unknown to most at the event, Collins said the awards night was also the office party of Shady Lane Productions, the company he set up at Tate Britain, as part of his entry documenting the experiences of former reality TV show contestants.

He told the Standard: "It's been a great ride but there's still work to be done. My entry finishes on 14 January when the Turner Prize exhibition ends. It doesn't matter that I haven't won because tonight this is our office party. We're all really happy." Some art cognoscenti were unconvinced by Abts's geometric pictures which always measure 19 by 15 ins and which derive their titles from a dictionary of German first names.

Nicholas Logsdail, owner of the Lisson Gallery, said: "It's intelligent work but it's very retro. I like 1950s art from the 50s, not from the 21st century. I'm happy for her but if I was on the jury I would have gone for Phil Collins."