Jenny Saville (b.1970) is a world-renowned painter and member of the Young British Artists, who trained at the Glasgow School of Art.
Her work often explores the human form, drawing from, but often distorting classical figurations. Beneath Saville’s work is an extreme interest in the fleshly and the grotesque, drawing inspiration from pathology textbooks and models who have undergone cosmetic surgery, aiming to capture ‘marks of personality for the flesh.’
One of the most prominent YBAs, her art was featured in several notable group shows, including 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). She is represented by Gagosian, who have organised several solo exhibitions of her work. Additionally, she was appointed as a lecturer at The Slade School of Fine Arts, London, United Kingdom between 2000-2006.
Inspired by the 'Pietà', Saville, along with Gagosian, donated her work 'Exodus' (2020-2021) to the 2021 Art of Wishes Gala auction.
That same year, our founder and patron Batia Ofer flew to Florence to interview Saville about her practice and this work.
