Sensation is the first definitive survey of work by the younger generation of British artists that has captivated the international art world with its vitality and inventiveness. As a constant and prodigious collector and patron of young British artists, Charles Saatchi has been unique in his commitment to British art as it is now being produced. His support extends far beyond those such as Damien Hirst and Rachel Whiteread, whose work has acquired wide notoriety, to dozens of others at the cutting edge of the current art scene...

Sensation is the first definitive survey of work by the younger generation of British artists that has captivated the international art world with its vitality and inventiveness. As a constant and prodigious collector and patron of young British artists, Charles Saatchi has been unique in his commitment to British art as it is now being produced. His support extends far beyond those such as Damien Hirst and Rachel Whiteread, whose work has acquired wide notoriety, to dozens of others at the cutting edge of the current art scene.

Sensation features the work of forty-two of the most exciting and radical artists working in Britain today. Many of them - such as Jenny Saville, Fiona Rae or lake & Dinos Chapman - are already internationally acclaimed; others are destined to be. The book's original and penetrating essays introduce the critical context of their work and trace the phenomenon of the British art scene since 'Freeze' the 1988 exhibition that is now recognized as a defining moment in the story of British art.

Cutting through tabloid headlines, controversial press coverage and art world debate, Sensation reveals the achievements of young British artists and the role played by courageous and imaginative patronage.

Acknowledgements

Norman Rosenthal

The Blood Must Continue to Flow

Richard Shone

From 'Freeze' to House: 1988-94

Martin Maloney

Everyone a Winner! Selected British Art from the Saatchi Collection 1987-97

Brooks Adams

Thinking of You: An American's Growing, Imperfect Awareness

Lisa Jardine

Modern Medicis: Art Patronage in the Twentieth Century in Britain

Plates

Artist Biographies

Select Bibliography

List of works

Contributors

Photographic Credits

Index