The Saatchi Gallery 100

Art that was “headbuttingly impossible to ignore” is how Charles Saatchi describes the work that intrigued him as he started to collect British art in the early 1990s. Damien Hirst’s giant shark in formaldehyde, Tracey Emin’s unmade bed and a chilling portrait of Myra Hindley by Marcus Harvey are among the artworks that have since become icons of the decade. The Saatchi Gallery, now in the former County Hall in London, is a permanent home for a changing selection of Saatchi’s world-famous collection.

The Saatchi Gallery 100 is a fast-paced and fascinating film featuring one hundred of these artworks, accompanied by reflections and anecdotes from the artists themselves. Sarah Lucas’ confrontational self-portraits are among the highlights, as are the bold paintings of Gary Hume, photographs by Richard Billingham, sculptures of genetically mutated children by Jake and Dinos Chapman, and many more.

Like the collection itself, the film offers a unique understanding of why London has become the centre of the international art world over the past decade – and how art in Britain continues to surprise and challenge and delight.

Duration : 0:3:31

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