Provocation, Subversion, and Class: A Look At The Young.
The Young British Artists, or YBAs, rose to prominence in the late 1980s when they began to exhibit together in self-initiated group shows, such as the seminal Freeze exhibition of 1988, organised by Damien Hirst. Many of the artists in this group attended Goldsmiths College and were taught by Richard Wentworth and Michael Craig-Martin. They were noted for their entrepreneurial spirit.
It was there that the work of the Young British Artists caught the attention of the collector Charles Saatchi. The catalogue for Freeze had surprisingly high production values for a student exhibition. (citation needed) It was designed by Tony Arefin and included an essay by art critic Ian Jeffrey. The catalogue was funded by the property.
Sensation: Young British Artists from the Saatchi Collection by Brooks Adams, Lisa Jardine, Martin Maloney, Norman Rosenthal, Richard Shone and a great selection of related books, art and collectibles available now at AbeBooks.co.uk.
This volume brings together work which has startled the art world. As a collector and patron of young British artists, Charles Saatchi has been a committed supporter of British art as it is being produced. This support has extended beyond artists of renowned notoriety, such as Rachel Whiteread and Damien Hirst, to others at the cutting edge of art.
This book provides a personal, intimate account of the meteoric success of the young British artists and of the often painful realities of the contemporary art world. Arguably the most ambition artists of their generation, the yBas came to prominence in the early 1990s when, acting as their own curators, they staged dramatic exhibitions in various neglected spaces throughout Britain.
Essays analyse the phenomenon of the British art scene from the late 1980s, assessing the critical reaction of the work, placing it in its historical context, and revealing the startling achievements of these young artists in Britain and the role played by imaginative and courageous patronage.
By 1994 Saville’s increasing profile enabled her to exhibit in several notable group shows: Young British Artists III, Saatchi Gallery, London (1994), Contemporary British Art ’96, Museum of Kalmar, Stockholm (1996) and the iconic Sensation: Young British Artists from the Saatchi Collection, Royal Academy of Arts, London (1997), positioning Saville as one of the foremost painters of her.