Jonathan Jones (journalist)  Jonathan Jones is a British art critic who has written for "The Guardian" since 1999. He has appeared in the BBC television series "Private Life of a Masterpiece" and in 2009 was a judge for the Turner Prize. He has also been a judge for the BP Portrait Award. Jones was born in Wales, and brought up in North Wales. Both his parents were school teachers and the family visited Italy in the summer holidays which kindled his interest in art. He studied history at the University of Cambridge and, at one time, wanted to be a professional historian. Jones developed an interest in modern art while living in the United States, where his wife was an academic at Brown University. On his return to the United Kingdom he wrote freelance for magazines and art features for "The Guardian". Jones had a public feud with artist Mark Leckey, who won the Turner Prize in 2008. By 2011, "Whitehot Magazine" referred to "the ongoing 3-year battle" between the two. Later that year, Jones gave a highly negative review to Leckey's exhibition at the Serpentine Gallery, describing it as being "full of lumbering inanities". The review provoked strong responses in art circles and many comments on "The Guardian"'s webpage, including replies from Jones, forcing Jones on to the defensive in the reader comments section time and time again. Jones held to his position that the exhibition was just bad, and his review simply an honest reaction, replying to one reader that he had used "invective because – let's face it – if you really do feel dislike, you may as well exploit the entertainment value of that rage. In other words – bad reviews can be bloody good fun to read", adding "So here is where I am really coming from... I believe ninety-five percent of the British contemporary art that is endlessly promoted by galleries, museums and the media is worthless" and, probably tongue-in-cheek, "Artblogging, it's the new rock n roll". Writing in frieze.com, Isobel Harbison called the review part of a "trend in broadsheet art criticism of opinion-mongering and reader-goading." Jones has also engaged in a long-running feud with the potter Grayson Perry, which began in 2001 with his review of the exhibition New Labour at the Saatchi Gallery, entitled "If I had a hammer...", assumedly in reference to Perry's work. The review of the group show opens with 3 paragraphs deriding Perry's pottery, recommending "Smash them and bury the pieces".