Origins & Early Life

Jennifer Anne Saville (born 7 May 1970) is an English figurative painter and an original member of the Young British Artists (YBAs). Saville lives and works in Oxford, England, and is noted for her large-scale nudes of unconventional female subjects. Some credit her with originating a new method of painting the female nude for contemporary art. Recurring figures depicted in her work range from mothers, children, transgender people, burn victims, and cosmetic surgery patients.

Pivotal Works & Achievements

Although her work subverts many beauty standards and is informed by contemporary feminist theory, she also often references art history in her paintings. As of 2018, she is regarded as the "Most Expensive Living Female Artist" after her work Propped (1992) sold at Sotheby’s for £9.5 million (~US$11.7 million). Saville was born in Cambridge, England. For secondary school, she went to the Lilley and Stone School (now The Newark Academy) in Newark, Nottinghamshire. From 1988 to 1992, Saville earned her Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA) degree at the Glasgow School of Art.

Enduring Legacy & Impact

While studying there, she was awarded a six-month scholarship to the University of Cincinnati in 1991, where she enrolled...

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