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This month, we're focusing on the many talented contemporary artists from Britain, who have seen significant success in our recent auctions. Our Urban & Contemporary Art Specialist, Elise, offers insight into noteworthy British artists, such as the YBAs, along with predictions for artists on the rise.
Bridget Riley, David Hockney and Sir Peter Blake amongst many others, are three significant figures who emerged into the twentieth century art world, and continue to have a huge impact today. Set within the backdrop of the 1960’s, where popular culture was rising and social norms were being challenged, we saw alignment shown through the experimentation within the creative industries.
Bridget Riley, known for her consistent experimentation with colour and shape compositions, is often associated with the art movement known as ‘Op Art’. Her impressive career places her as a key figure within 20th century art, through the expansive body of work she has created and the impact it continues to have today. We often offer Bridget Riley works, with two recent highlights being ‘Fold’ 2004 and ‘Untitled (Elongated Triangles 2)’ 1971, both limited edition screen prints. Please see link below to see results on these wonderful pieces:
Another leading figure within Contemporary Art history is David Hockney, potentially most recognised for his 1960s ‘Splash’ paintings and 1972 piece ‘Portrait of An Artist (Pool With Two Figures). His work has remained relevant for decades, through his experimentation with various media and artistic styles. From our recent live sale, we saw a competitive end result of £2,000 including premium on David Hockney, 'Olympische Spiele München 1972', 1970. With an estimated value of £400-£600, this presents the continued popularity of his work amongst collectors today. Another notable result for Hockney was ‘A Bigger Book’ in our February auction, which excelled by achieving an end result of £3,438 including fees against an estimate of £800-£1200.
As well as being a significant figure within the emergence of Pop Art in Britain, Blake is highly recognised for his co-creation of The Beatles 1967 album Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band. Peter Blake’s work was extremely relevant within a time where music and art became expressions of popular culture, with his work creating a direct parallel between art and society. As seen commonly within Pop Art, Blake’s work often includes popular figures as well as imagery from popular brands and iconography from various advertisement. For example please see the following work, ‘100 Sources Of Pop Art’ which achieved a great result of £6,875 against an estimate of £3,500-£5,500 in our February sale:
Following in the footsteps of the great artists already on the scene, came a new generation of creatives who adopted a similar approach of curiosity within their practices. This new wave of artists emerged with an exciting and experimental attitude to creating. The YBA’s (Young British Artists) entered the art scene in 1988, with a collective goal of creating a new vision for the art industry. Amongst this group were names such as Damien Hirst, Tracey Emin and Marc Quinn, who all remain relevant within the industry today.
As one of the pioneers of this 90s movement, Hirst played a key role in the organisation and curation of the first pop up exhibition to display the works of himself and his peers. After gaining the support of art collector Charles Saatchi, Hirst helped gain the publicity that eventually led to the success of this group of young artists. He is arguably one of the most successful living artists today, with his works frequently exceeding expected values. We frequently offer Damien Hirst works in both our online and live auctions, please see a link to browse all Hirst results below:
Recognised for her distinctive style and bold imagery, Emin’s honest and confessional work presented a shift from traditional methods of creating. ‘My Bed’ 1998 is potentially seen as one of Emin’s most famous works, being exhibited for the 1999 Turner Prize Exhibition at the Tate Britain, London. The honesty and vulnerability within Emin’s practice drew attention to her work, creating a narrative that directly connected her work with her audience. Emin has had an impressive career, and continues to create impactful pieces today. Her recent 2024 solo exhibition ‘I Followed You To The End’’, at the White Cube Gallery highlighted her consistency in forming compelling pieces that create a direct parallel with her lived experiences.
Marc Quinn’s practice explores the human form through various mediums and angles, often using unusual materials to create his pieces. His body of work becomes symbolic of human experience, both through the process and the outcome. Within our recent Urban and Contemporary auction, Quinn’s ‘Heliosphere’ exceeded its estimated value of £1,200-£1,800, achieving a great result of £4,250 including premium. Please see the result for this work below;
Amongst the array of talent within Contemporary Art today, are Helen Beard, Charlotte Keates and Jadé Fadojutimi. All three artists are contributing to the ever growing industry, with original themes, experiences and approaches.
With a focus on colour, structure and form, Beards practice highlights themes of sex, gender and intimacy. Her striking imagery and bold colours have allowed her to form a captivating and distinctive practice. A standout highlight of Helen Beards’ work within our auctions is the below result of £3,438 including premium which was achieved against an estimate of £100-£200. Please see result below for Beards’s 2021 limited edition silkscreen print titled ‘If They Be Two They Are Two So’:
Charlotte Keates’ practice is bold and colourful, often depicting architectural imagery, with a focus on mid-century aesthetics. There is a carefully constructed approach to Keates’ practice, with every element being curated with detail and intention. Geometry, form, shape and line are her main focuses, considering these elements as she generates unique spaces and experiences within her paintings. Keates popularity developed through her first solo London show titled ‘A Constant Hum’, which was exhibited at the Arusha Gallery back in 2021. Published by Arusha Gallery in association with this show, is the below work which is a limited edition hand -embellished digital print. 
London based artist Jadé Fadojutimi creates abstract pieces which frequently reference themes of ‘identity, environment and formation of the self’. Her paintings experiment with colour, scale and space, creating detailed compositions of expression. Please see below an example of Fadojutimi’s work, ‘A Seasons Echo’, a limited edition lithograph which was released in 2020:
Keep an eye on our upcoming auctions, to see any upcoming works by mentioned artists. If there are any of the artists listed that you are looking to either buy or sell with us, please do reach out to info@tateward.com
