6 Young British Artists to Collect

Artsy Specialist
Jul 30, 2018 9:23PM

In 1988, Damien Hirst curated an exhibition “Freeze,” which featured many of his fellow students at Goldsmiths, University of London. From then on, these provocative talents have been known as the Young British Artists, or YBAs.

Though not as young today, Hirst and his fellow Brits remain some of the most influential and collectible living artists. To buy any of the works below, you can click on the image and contact the gallery directly.


Damien Hirst

Arguably one of the most influential players in contemporary art, Hirst explores the concept of mortality through butterflies, pills, skulls, taxidermy, and more.

$2,500–13,000

Damien Hirst
Framed The Cure - Coral/Lemon Yellow/Turquoise, 2014
Lawrence Alkin Gallery
Damien Hirst
For the Love of God, 2011
IFAC Arts


Rachel Whiteread

Whiteread’s drawings and laser cuts showcase the negative spaces of everyday objects, such as the inside panels of wooden doors and the intricate patterns of discarded lace.

$1,100–20,000

Rachel Whiteread
Untitled (Nets), 2002
Heather James Fine Art
Rachel Whiteread
Untitled, 2005
Schellmann Art


Marc Quinn

Close-ups of flowers and portraits of Kate Moss are some of Quinn’s favorite subjects, as he explores the power of idealized, fleeting beauty.

$1,000–4,400

Marc Quinn
Untitled 03: At the Far Edges of the Universe, 2010
McClain Gallery


Chris Ofili

Starting in 1995, the Turner Prize winner began a daily practice of painting men, women, birds, and plants from memory—and these experimental pieces later became known as his Afro Muses series.

€2,500–3,900

Chris Ofili
Untitled (Red), 2000
MLTPL
Chris Ofili
Afro Harlem Muses
Lawrence Alkin Gallery


Tracey Emin

Emin’s confessional texts and drawings reveal intimate details about her experiences with sex, love, and the body.

$950–2,500

Tracey Emin
But Yea (signed), 2015
MSP Modern
Tracey Emin
My Heart Is With You Always, 2015
MSP Modern


Ian Davenport

Davenport employs a strange array of tools to produce these abstractions, including industrial wind machines that blow paint onto the canvas and syringes that carefully create stripes of color.

$1,300–30,000

Ian Davenport
Colour Splat Edge (white), 2017
Alan Cristea Gallery
Ian Davenport
Poured Triptych Etching: Primavesi (After Klimt), 2017
Galerie de Bellefeuille
Artsy Specialist