If you are interested in contemporary art, these names you will definitely know. You know them, even if not interested in art at all, and only read the news - calf in formaldehyde , action on animal protection against extinction of butterflies , clearance stadium during the closing ceremony the 2012 Olympics in London , multimeter installation instead of advertising in Times Square in New York , sculptural portrait of Kate Moss, yoga, life-size - it's all of them -" Young British Artists »(Young British Artists), or britart.

The history of art is not often seen, as if suddenly in one place concentrated innovative power - and with their explosion of something new being born. If there was no one to assess the novelty, the rush turned out fruitless. But the Young British Artists (then no groups, movements, and quotation marks) lucky - they saw Charles Saatchi.

all started in 1997 when the Saatchi Gallery in an exhibition of works of recent decades " Young British Artists ", mostly graduates Goldsmitskogo College London.

Or even this: it all started in 1988, when Charles Saatchi, founder of the eponymous gallery, acquainted with the work of emerging artists, Damien Hirst, Tracey Emin, Marc Quinn and their fellow students - participants of the exhibition Freeze in building docks of South London, organized by the then student Damien Hirst. Later formed the core of exhibitors britarta artists, well, then Charles Saatchi was so impressed that he even bought himself a job and more Kollishou Matt tried not to lose sight of this promising new trend of British art.

In the 1990s, the market for contemporary art in the UK due to the economic recession greatly subsided. In this situation, Charles Saatchi was one of the few specialists who specifically supports the development of modern art. He helped artists financially, buying their work, exhibitions.

In 1997, the organizers were able to collect more than 100 works by 42 different authors, and show them to the public in England (Royal Academy, London) Germany (Museum of Contemporary, Berlin), USA (Brooklyn Museum, New York). Thus was born the international exhibition "Sensation". In total exhibition lasted from 1997 to 2000. It justifies its name in each country: to get into the room, people defended the huge queue. Wrote about it the largest edition. And some of the exhibits after the exhibition came to the auctions where left at exorbitant prices. It is known that while Saatchi worked with Christie's, which also sponsored the "sensation", in particular, to an exhibition in Brooklyn Saatchi allocated $ 160 000, Christie's - $ 50 000 and 10 000 U.S. dealers have given artists. Interesting fact: The Australian National Gallery refused to host the "sensation" as "too close to the market" in order to exhibit at the State Museum.

Admission to the exhibition "Sensation". Royal Academy, London. 1997 Source:

Thus, 110 of the forty-two completely different artists so startled mind and imagination of both critics and ordinary viewers, all of them combined in the group (although rather over) - "Young British Artists". The group originally consisted of Jake and Daynos Chapman (Jake & Dinos Chapman), Schottky Adam (Adam Chodzko), Matt Kollishou (Mat Collishaw), Tracey Emin (Tracey Emin), Marcus Harvey (Marcus Harvey), Damien Hirst (Damien Hirst) Gary Hume (Gary Hume), Michael Landy (Michael Landy), Abigail Lane (Abigail Lane), Sarah Lucas (Sarah Lucas), Chris Ofili (Chris Ofili), Richard Patterson (Richard Patterson), Simon Patterson (Simon Patterson), Marc Quinn (Marc Quinn), Fiona Rae (Fiona Rae), Sam Taylor-Wood (Sam Taylor-Wood), Gavin Turk (Gavin Turk), Gillian Wearing (Gillian Wearing), Rachel Whiteread (Rachel Whiteread), etc. By the way, Today the "Young British Artists" sometimes mistakenly attributed and other British writers merely on simple grounds that their work shows the Saatchi Gallery.

Marc Quinn, in an interview said: "' Young British Artists "- is simply a geographic coincidence. It so happens that all of these artists have appeared in London in the same period and their works bought by Charles Saatchi. But this is very different artists. Perhaps the only thing that binds us together - that's what we tried to bring to the art of reality, and not just doing art about art. " This is quite true. All of these authors work in their techniques and often original, use a different metaphor, associations and concepts on the way to the consciousness of the viewer.

Works Sarah Lucas, Rachel Vaytrid, Demian Hirst, Chapman brothers in the exhibition "Sensation» Royal Academy, London. 1997 Source: Works by Martin Maloney, Chapman brothers, Damien Hirst at the exhibition "Sensation» Royal Academy, London. 1997 Source:

But there are also common. Art of the young British artists - this is primarily the art of the actual. It is technically true: The authors often use to put their ideas latest gadgets and materials (the head of the blood Marc Quinn, and his art prints, formaldehyde and butterflies Hirst, Emin neon and video installations, ready-made objects Sarah Lucas). It is important to your message: almost always a topic of work - this is what is currently concerned about the author's local, personal and global scale (from "The kiss was perfect," or "My bed" Emin, to "the physical impossibility of death in the minds of living" Hirst).

often work openly provocative, and society's response to them - some of their own. For example, a portrait of Myra Hindley (main supernumerary in the sensational case of "Murder in the marshes", convicted of the brutal murder of five children in England 1963-1965) Marcus Harvey's work has caused a tidal wave of controversy in the press and was even removed from the exhibit at the exhibition in London. A "Holy Virgin" Chris Ofili caused this protracted controversy in New York, the flow of reasoning and even sharp controversy on both sides of the ocean to the effect that there is a contemporary art and where is the line that separates it from the empty provocations and even non-art . In the end it turned out to only benefit: professional community once again to think, the media has brought these thoughts to millions of people, and the general public interested in contemporary art.

Myra Hindley portrait of Marcus Harvey at "Sensation» Royal The Academy, London. 1997 Source:

Generally, provocation, extreme intimacy, sometimes reaching up to the exhibitionism of this - one of the common areas in the work of the "Young British ". It is no accident often the subjects of their work - that's what bothers people about what they think and what not to say, - sex, violence, death, the artificiality of the surrounding space, the fears associated with it. Perhaps it was a kind of catharsis, which is going through a viewer, plunged into the world of their own (and the artist, of course) the unspoken fears and experiences - the reason why the interest in this art has not diminished that decade. Of this - the exhibitions held around the world with great success (eg, recent exhibition Marc Quinn, Phillips organized in the Multimedia Art Museum in Moscow ), record sales of works by these artists in the open market and in gallery transactions. On 15 September 2008, at the height of the financial crisis, the auction house Sotheby's took a chance to do a solo auction Hirst, which had sold 218 of the 223 exhibited lots amounting to 111,464,800 pounds, a record for such trades.

Pre-auction exhibition of Damien Hirst 5-15 September 2008. Sotheby's, London Source:

Specialists can not but admire the constant search for new forms, signs, symbols and other means of expression, which is not interrupted in the work of such diverse inherently artists.

That most famous of them.

Damien HIRST The Golden Calf. 2008 stuffed bull, gold, glass, gold-plated steel, silicone, formaldehyde, the pedestal of Carrara marble. 215.4 x 320 x 137,2 Sotheby's. 15.09.2008 Estimate: 8.12 million pounds Result: 10.3 million pounds Source: damienhirst.com

Damien Hirst (1965) - the most famous representative of the" Young British Artists ". Holds the 4th place in the top AI of living artists, and is considered one of the most financially successful modern authors. His record sales relate mainly to the years 2007-2008, and the most expensive work, "The Golden Calf" (2008), was sold by auction house Sotheby's September 15, 2008 of 10,345,250 pounds. In addition to the auction record, named Hurst connected and semi-mythical sum of 50 million pounds, which, according to the artist, paid in 2008 in a private transaction for his platinum skull titled "For the love of God».

Tracey Emin This is how we think. 2004 Textile applique. 305 x 228 Christies. 12.02.2010 Estimate: 100 000-150 000 pounds Result: 157,250 pounds Source:

Tracey Emin (1963) - one of the most prominent representatives of the "Young British Artists". Her name is remembered by many of the controversial show installation "My Bed", as well as publications in the media bright. Tracey Emin is recognized by the professional community: it was put forward for the Turner Prize, represented Great Britain at the Venice Biennale in 2011, a professor of drawing at the Royal Academy of Arts (Tracey Emin and her fellow "Young British Artists" Fiona Rae - the first female professors of this institution ). Emin works - often come in high-end catalogs auction of contemporary art. Although most of her work is represented at these auctions famous neon text-installations, the most expensive work to date is the painting (textile applique), "This is how we think" (2004), gone to auction at Christie's February 12, 2010 for 157,250 pounds .

Marc Quinn The myth of Venus. 2006 Painted Bronze. 305 x 228 x 200 Christies. 12.05.2011 Estimate: 800 000-1 200 000 Result: 1 202 500 Source:

Marc Quinn (1964) - another iconic figure britarta. Brought him fame sculptural self-portrait in 1991 - the head of the artist in full size, for which he used a 4.5 liters of his own blood. Since then, Marc Quinn continues to surprise, even shock, and at the same time fascinate audiences. So, do not lose the popularity of his sculptures of model Kate Moss, frozen in bizarre postures of yoga, as well as many exotic flowers. One of the images of Kate Moss - "The myth of Venus" (2006) is also the most expensive work of the artist. It was sold by auction house Christie's in May 2011 for U.S. $ 1,202,500.

Sarah Lucas In some ways changed Raymond cabinet, lamp, mirror, hangers, bird bunny bank 266 x 189,9 x 93,1 Shristie's. 01.07.2008 Estimate: 40 000-60 000 pounds Result: 145,250 pounds Source:

Sarah Lucas (1962). This artist, being part of the movement since the days of the exhibition Freeze, known for its dark humor, ironic look at the surroundings and the severity of problems, which she says in his work. The main themes of her work - all sorts of vices of our everyday life, from the lies and silence social issues to smoking. She is known primarily for his installations in the art ready-made. That such work is a record of the price sold at the auction: Installation "In some ways changed Raymond" was sold July 1, 2008 in London at the auction the auction house Christie's for 145,250 pounds.

Chapman Brothers Frustration War III. 2000 portfolio of 83 prints with watercolors. 24,5 x 34,5 (each sheet) Phillips de Pury. 13.10.2007 Estimate: 200 000-300 000 pounds Result: 192,000 pounds Source:

brothers Jake and Daynos Chapman (1962 and 1966) took place among the most controversial and provocative writers britarta.