Lucky Kunst: The Rise and Fall of Young British Art

New
Paperback
2010
$9.44

These days artists like Damien Hirst, Tracey Emin and the Chapman brothers are not only big business but also , quite simply, celebrities. But they rose from obscurity back in the eighties and nineties in a then-semi-derelict part of east London by visiting upon the art world a set of artworks as outlandish and attention-seeking (not to mention scatological) as their general behaviour. This is the first account of how YBA (Young British Artists) came about, by the group's only 'embedded journalist': an outrageously comic tale of White Cube openings, fights in pubs, vomiting into fountains and, eventually, the breakthrough exhibition Sensation. Throughout, Gregor Muir was there...

Synopsis

These days artists like Damien Hirst, Tracey Emin and the Chapman brothers are not only big business but also , quite simply, celebrities. But they rose from obscurity back in the eighties and nineties in a then-semi-derelict part of east London by visiting upon the art world a set of artworks as outlandish and attention-seeking (not to mention scatological) as their general behaviour. This is the first account of how YBA (Young British Artists) came about, by the group's only 'embedded journalist': an outrageously comic tale of White Cube openings, fights in pubs, vomiting into fountains and, eventually, the breakthrough exhibition Sensation. Throughout, Gregor Muir was there...

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More Information

Format: Paperback
Pages: 320
Publisher: Aurum Press Ltd
Published: 25 Jan 2010
ISBN 10: 1845135288
ISBN 13: 9781845135287

Media Reviews

'This lucid, lurid, indiscreet memoir is an unrivalled record of 1990s Cool Britannia, when British Art ruled the world' Financial Times 'An absorbing and intelligent account of the times, this is a must-read for anyone interested in contemporary art or the 1990s Brit Scene' The Bookseller 'I think Gregor's anecdotal journey of 10 years in the British art world is a fantastic historical document...his book describes those defining moments so well.' -Tracey Emin The Independent 'Sharply atmospheric...a picaresque journey, a fly-in-the-vitrine's-eye view of the period' -- Hermione Eyre New Statesman 20090212 'All the stars of the YBA movement appear in this former journalists memoir, swearing and yelling as they go' -- Matthew Collings Observer Review 20100221

Author Bio

Gregor Muir is the Executive Director of the Institute of Contemporary Arts in London. Previously, he has been director of Hauser & Wirth (London), the contemporary art gallery, and Kramlich Curator of Contemporary Art at the Tate where he curated several exhibitions and museum displays, and was responsible for numerous acquisitions of contemporary art for Tate Collections. Muir curated YBA group shows such as 'Lucky Kunst' and 'Liar'. He has been a critic and writer for various cutting-edge publications such as Dazed & Confused, Parkett and Frieze magazine.