Jenny Saville
Jenny Saville, born on May 7, 1970, in Cambridge, England, is a renowned British painter and a pivotal figure in the contemporary art world. As one of the original members of the Young British Artists (YBAs), Saville has gained international recognition for her groundbreaking depictions of the female form, transforming the traditional portrayal of nude women into a raw and unfiltered exploration of body image, gender, and identity.
Saville’s journey into the world of art began with her education at the Lilley and Stone School in Newark, Nottinghamshire, followed by a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from the Glasgow School of Art (1988–1992). A pivotal moment in her artistic development came when she was awarded a scholarship to the University of Cincinnati. There, she studied feminist theory and encountered large women whose physicality profoundly influenced her artistic vision. Saville's fascination with "big bodies" and unconventional beauty has been a hallmark of her career, inspired partly by the work of Pablo Picasso, who depicted his subjects as solid and permanent.
After completing her undergraduate studies, prominent British art collector Charles Saatchi discovered Jenny Saville's work at Clare Henry's Critics Choice exhibition at the Cooling Gallery in Cork Street, purchasing one of her paintings. Her initial series of large-scale portraits, featuring herself and other models, led Saatchi to offer her an 18-month contract, providing support while she produced new works for the Saatchi Gallery in London. These pieces were showcased in the 1994 Young British Artists III exhibition, with Saville's self-portrait “Plan” (1993) as the standout. Her rapid rise to critical and public recognition established her as a key figure in the Young British Artists (YBA) movement, known for blending classical figure painting with a modern perspective.
As part of the Young British Artists, the group of painters and sculptors who gained recognition in the late 1980s and early 1990s, Jenny Saville revitalized contemporary figurative painting by pushing the boundaries of the genre and questioning societal views on the body and its possibilities. While her art is innovative, it also reflects a profound understanding—both intellectually and sensorially—of the ways the human body has been portrayed throughout history and across different cultures.
Since launching her career in 1992, Jenny Saville has consistently focused on exploring the female form. In 1994, she dedicated extensive time to observing plastic surgery procedures in New York City, documenting her experiences through sketches and photographs. These included images of liposuction, trauma patients, corrective surgeries for deformities, and transgender individuals. Many of her paintings feature exaggerated, distorted flesh, bold brushwork, and vivid patches of oil color, with some works highlighting surgical marks or white "target" rings. Typically larger than life, often six feet square or more, her paintings offer a tactile, sensual depiction of skin and body mass.
Saville's unique approach has cemented her as a leading figure in contemporary art, with representation by the prestigious Gagosian Gallery in New York and exhibitions at prominent institutions such as Tate Britain and the Museum of Modern Art in New York. In 2018, her painting “Propped” (1992) was auctioned at Sotheby’s in London, fetching £9.5 million—far surpassing its estimated value of £3-£4 million—making it the highest-priced artwork by a living female artist ever sold at auction.
The female body and Saville’s artistic vision
Saville's art focuses on the female body, often depicted in large-scale, fleshy, and distorted forms that challenge traditional beauty standards and objectification in art. Instead of idealizing the female form, she emphasizes imperfections—such as bumps, dimples, and scars—drawing inspiration from medical textbooks on injuries and deformities. Her work confronts both classical nude representations and the filtered, flawless body images promoted by social media, evoking strong emotional reactions by presenting raw, unaltered depictions of women's bodies. Through this approach, Saville highlights the natural curves and textures often omitted from conventional portrayals of the female nude, bringing attention to the insecurities and imperfections typically hidden.
Saville's signature style is defined by rich brushstrokes, vibrant skin tones, and detailed layering of oil paints that give her work a sculptural quality. Her paintings, often compared to those of Lucian Freud and Rubens, are more intense and visceral, exploring themes such as gender ambiguity, trauma, and transformation. Drawing inspiration from her observations of plastic surgeries, Saville incorporates liposuction, deformity correction, and transgender patients into her work, pushing the boundaries of body representation and challenging conventional depictions of beauty.
Using small brushstrokes to soften the image and muted color combinations to create a soft atmosphere, Saville contrasts the intensity of her subjects with her technique. Her massive canvases allow viewers to fully appreciate the details and movement in her layered oil paints, crafting an aesthetic of abstract realism. By depicting distorted, fleshy female bodies, Saville comments on gender politics, sexuality, and self-realization, while breaking down societal beauty standards. Her art reclaims beauty and subjectivity in bodies often labeled as grotesque, offering a powerful critique of how society shapes and controls perceptions of the female form.
Notable works
"Branded" (1992) – In this painting, Saville merges her own face with the body of an obese woman. The exaggerated size of the figure's breasts and midsection emphasizes the theme of body image. The subject is depicted holding and seemingly showcasing folds of her skin.
"Closed Contact" (1995–1996) – A collaboration with Glen Luchford, this series of C-prints features a larger female nude lying on plexiglass. Photographed from below, the images create a distorted view of the figure, challenging perceptions of the body.
"Hybrid" (1997) – This painting resembles a patchwork, blending parts from four different female bodies into one. The result is a unique composite that highlights the complexity and variety of the human form.
"Fulcrum" (1999) – Three obese women are stacked on a medical trolley in this piece. Thin vertical strips of tape, applied and then removed, create a geometric contrast with the organic, fleshy forms.
"Hem" (1999) – Depicting a large nude female figure, this painting is rich in subtle textures. Hints of orange add warmth to the stomach, while the thick white paint on the left side mimics a plaster cast. The pink and brown-toned pubic area is painted to resemble carved wood.
"Ruben's Flap" (1998–1999) – This self-portrait features a fragmented view of Saville's body, divided into square planes. The segmented image suggests a struggle to reconcile with her own body, as she attempts to conceal her nudity within the divided spaces.
"Matrix" (1999) – A reclining nude figure with female breasts and genitalia, but a masculine, bearded face is the focus of this painting. The genitalia are prominently displayed, while the arms and legs extend beyond the frame, leaving only part of the body visible. The work is rendered in realistic flesh tones, exploring themes of gender and identity.
Major exhibitions
By 1994, Jenny Saville had gained significant recognition, leading to her participation in several prominent group exhibitions. Notable among these was "Young British Artists III" at the Saatchi Gallery in London, followed by "Contemporary British Art '96" at the Museum of Kalmar in Stockholm. The breakthrough came with the "Sensation: Young British Artists from the Saatchi Collection" at the Royal Academy of Arts in London in 1997, which helped cement her reputation as a leading painter of her generation. Her large-scale works, such as “Plan” (1993), where a naked woman is depicted from below with extreme foreshortening and detailed topographic-like flesh, introduced many to her distinctive approach.
In 1999, Saville held her first major solo exhibition titled “Territories” at Gagosian Gallery in New York, marking a significant milestone in her career. This was followed by her second solo show, “Migrants”, at the same gallery in 2003. Her exploration of themes and scale continued with notable exhibitions including a comprehensive survey at the Museo d’Arte Contemporanea in Rome in 2005 and the commissioning of three artworks for the inaugural exhibition of the Museo Carlo Bilotti in Rome in 2006.
Throughout her career, Saville has been featured in various significant exhibitions. Her early solo debut at Cooling Gallery in London in 1992, where Charles Saatchi acquired one of her works, set the stage for her future prominence. Key exhibitions include "Continuum" at Gagosian Gallery in New York City in 2011, "Egon Schiele - Jenny Saville" at Kunsthaus Zürich in 2014, and "Ancestors" at Gagosian Gallery in New York in 2018. Additionally, her work has been showcased at the Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art in Edinburgh and The George Economou Collection in Athens.
Selena Mattei
