The Shows That Made Contemporary Art History: Sensation

There are multiple ways to delve into the fascinating world of contemporary art. One may consider the development and succession of different artistic movements; the personalities of the major players in the field; not to mention the most iconic artworks that have defined our era. But why not consider the history of art exhibitions themselves? Landmark shows of the modern and contemporary period have impacted and shaped the course of art history, both launching entirely new genres and shaping the history and habits of exhibition-making through innovative practices.

In 1997, the Royal Academy of Arts in London exhibited Sensation, the controversial art show with works from the private collection of Charles Saatchi that would launch the careers of a new generation of British artists and bring Young British Art into the public consciousness. From Damien Hirst’s iconic formaldehyde shark to Marc Quinn’s self-portrait made of his own blood, Sensation would change the shape of contemporary art as people had known it.

Charles Saatchi and the Young British Artists

After visiting Damien Hirst’s exhibition Freeze in 1988, and seeing the artist’s first major animal installation, A Thousand Years, art dealer and collector Charles Saatchi set his sights on the art that was to become known as Young British Art. He became Hirst’s first collector, and an important sponsor for other Young British Artists. From 1992, Saatchi put on a series of shows called Young British Artists, bringing a great deal of media coverage to these artists. The Sensation art show at the Royal Academy was really the point at which the importance of the Young British Artists was solidified. The exhibition attracted around 300.000 visitors, provoked many protests and started a media sensation.

Sensation’s Sensational Artworks

The Sensation exhibition included 110 works by 44 different artists, and gave the art world a shock the likes of which had not been felt in a long time. According to Gregor Muir, author of “Lucky Kunst: The Rise and Fall of Young British Art”: “For better or for worse, Sensation put British art on the map. Nowhere has embraced contemporary art in quite the same way Britain has. Everyone from cab drivers to politicians was talking about a group of young artists. It felt like an opening up of art. Suddenly it wasn’t elitist.”  

Indeed, it seemed like large audiences were strictly reserved for Old Master and Impressionist exhibitions, but Sensation helped make contemporary art more accessible and desirable for the general public. Nearly 300.000 people flocked to see the show, and the exhibition prepared the ground for the opening of Tate Modern 3 years later in 2000.

Although the art included in Sensation spanned many different styles and media, what tied them all together was the shock-factor. The biggest media controversy was over Myra, Marcus Harvey’s image of the serial killer Myra Hindley made up of hundreds of copies of a child’s handprint. The Mothers Against Murder and Aggression protest group, accompanied by Winnie Johnson, the mother of one of Hindley’s victims, picketed the show and demanded the portrait be removed. Demonstrators threw ink and eggs at the artwork, and several people working at the Royal Academy resigned. Despite all this controversy, the painted remained hanging.

Other notable works included Tracey Emin’s tent titled Everyone I Have Ever Slept With, Damien Hirst’s iconic formaldehyde shark, The Physical Impossibility of Death in the Mind of Someone Living, and Marc Quinn’s Self, a self-portrait of the artist created by filling a frozen silicone cast of Quinn’s face with ten pints of his own blood.