Young British Artists

They were formed in 1988, during the Thatcher-era, at a time when arts grants were not especially forthcoming. A group of 16 artists, most of whom were graduates of London's Goldsmiths College, were assembled by Damien Hirst[?] to take part in an exhibition he was curating called Freeze. A lack of interest in modern art on the part of the major galleries led to the show being held in a Docklands warehouse.

One of the visitors to the exhibition was rich art-collector and advertising-mogul Charles Saatchi[?], who has since bought much of the group's work. In addition to Saatchi's patronage, the collective have benefited from the intense media-coverage and controversy that tends to surround the Turner Prize, and also from a fleet of new contemporary galleries such as Jay Joplin[?]'s White Cube[?], and more recently Tate Modern.

However, much of the YBA's work (dubbed Britart[?]) is owned by Saatchi, which led to his 1997 Sensation exhibition, containing much of his personal collection, and shown in London and New York.

Original Young British Artists (from Freeze) :

• Steven Adamson[?]
• Angela Bulloch[?]
• Mat Collishaw[?]
• Ian Davenport
• Dominic Denis[?]
• Angus Fairhurst[?]
• Anya Gallaccio
• Damien Hirst[?]
• Gary Hume
• Michael Landy
• Abigail Lane[?]
• Sarah Lucas[?]
• Lala Meredith Vula[?]
• Richard Patterson[?]
• Stephen Park[?]
• Fiona Rae[?]

Other YBAs:

• The Chapman Brothers - Dinos & Jake
• Tracey Emin
• Chris Ofili
• Marc Quinn
• Gavin Turk[?]
• Sam Taylor Wood[?]
• Gillian Wearing
• Rachel Whiteread