Kentucky Fried Turner

A sculptor who made lead models of every item on a Kentucky Fried Chicken menu, chips included, was today shortlisted for the £20,000 Turner Prize.

The judges maintained the competition's reputation as a scourge of traditional art by picking Keith Tyson, whose exhibits include pouring a thimble full of paint from a skyscraper and attaching 366 breadboards to a wall.

Tyson, 33, who feeds ideas into a computer then carries out whatever the machine spews out, was not at Tate Britain today to defend his work, but the judges did that for him, describing him as "a weaver of magic spells".

"There is an incredible playfulness and humour to everything he does," said Hayward Gallery director Susan Ferleger Brades. "Keith has a remarkable brain, and I just think he sets our imaginations loose."

There is not one painter among the four artists short-listed, though Tate director Sir Nicholas Serota said that reflected the jury's enthusiasms rather than the state of contemporary British painting.

Praising the four contenders, Sir Nicholas said they were artists whose work the judges wanted to see brought before a wider public "and as it happens they didn't include a painter".

Previous winners include Gilbert & George, Rachel Whiteread, Antony Gormley and Damien Hirst. Tracey Emin, notorious for her rubbish-strewn bed, was short-listed in 1999.

The others on today's shortlist are Fiona Banner, 36, who once exhibited giant full-stops carved out of polystyrene; Liam Gillick, 38, whose sculptures also function as furniture; and Catherine Yass, 39, a video artist whose work includes a study entitled Toilets which, according to the judges, "presents powerful and captivating images".

Jury chairman Sir Nicholas said 506 nominations had been received, slightly more than last year. He said: "You will hear of these artists again and again."

Various works by the candidates on the shortlist will be displayed at Tate Britain from 30 October. The winner will be announced on 8 December.