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Young British Artists (YBA) Paintings

YOUNG BRITISH ARTISTS

YBAs = provocative. The collective of artists who came up in London in the late 1980s and early ’90s — commonly referred to as the Young British Artists (YBAs) — have made their indelible mark on the art world and continue to produce work that both challenges the viewer and seduces collectors the world over.

Damien Hirst played the role of pioneer in 1988 by organizing “Freeze,” the first of several artist-curated group shows held in abandoned warehouses across London. Most of the artists participating in these early exhibitions — among them Sarah Lucas, Gary Hume, Liam Gillick, Mat Collishaw, Sam Taylor-Wood (now generating more buzz for her directorial work on the film 50 Shades of Grey), and Hirst himself — were graduates of Goldsmiths, University of London. The group’s sophisticated maturity and confidence in presenting Conceptual art with shock appeal, such as Collishaw’s Bullet Hole, a photograph that offers a disturbingly gruesome close-up of a man’s fatal wound, left a lasting impression with Charles Saatchi and other art world stalwarts.

From the beginning, Hirst was fascinated by such epic themes as death and immortality and sought to express them through unconventional, powerful gestures; his early works include A Thousand Years, 1990, in which flies feed on a bloody cow head, breed and die by electrocution within a large glass vitrine, and The Physical Impossibility of Death in the Mind of Someone Living, 1991, his Jaws-inspired suspension of a great white shark in formaldehyde. Following in the footsteps of artists ranging from Marcel Duchamp, Andy Warhol and Jeff Koons, Hirst was inspired by mundane objects from daily life, incorporating them into his works, most famously his "Medicine Cabinets" filled with brightly packaged pills.

Notoriously dubbed an “enfant terrible” of the art world, Tracey Emin once printed a photo of Damien Hirst, stuck it on the bottom of an ashtray, and sold it as a piece of art. Represented by 1stDibs’ Lehmann Maupin Gallery since the late 1990s, Emin was a Turner Prize finalist in 1998 for My Bed, an installation showcasing her disheveled bed covered in underwear, used condoms and other debris. Overt sexuality and the emotional dynamics of love and sex have persisted as themes throughout her career, seen across the neon artworks for which she is most famous.

YBAs have never shied from using non-traditional materials or tackling controversial subject matter. Chris Ofili, a racially charged painter who re-appropriates biblical and mythological iconography, found the spotlight in 1999 when then-New York City mayor Rudolph Giuliani publicly criticized the artist’s monumental depiction of an eroticized black Madonna, entitled The Holy Virgin Mary, baring a breast composed of elephant dung and surrounded by images of female genitalia. Marc Quinn reimagined the self-portrait in 1991 by casting a frozen sculpture of his head with his own blood and maintaining it in a refrigerated vitrine as if on life-support. More recently, Quinn has elicited strong reactions from a series of studies and sculptures of supermodel Kate Moss in a contorted, god-like pose.

Below, we invite you to browse our collection of original works by Hirst, Emin, Quinn, Collishaw and other YBAs — a group that knew not only how to provoke and self-promote but to create works that continue to resonate today.

Find original Young British Artists sculptures, photography, prints and other art on 1stDibs.

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Style: Young British Artists (YBA)
Love Butterfly (Unique)
Located in Boston, MA
Artist: Hirst, Damien Title: Love Butterfly (Unique) Date: 2013 Medium: Unique Acrylic on Paper Unframed Dimensions: 28.375" x 20.125" Framed Dimensions: 35" x 26.625" Signatur...
Category

2010s Young British Artists (YBA) Paintings

Materials

Acrylic

'Him' and 'Her', A Pair of Large Glasgow School Portrait Paintings on Canvas.
Located in Cotignac, FR
A pair of large Glasgow School oil on canvas portraits by Scottish artist Stuart Mackenzie. The works are presented in plain baton wood frames. Thoug...
Category

Late 20th Century Young British Artists (YBA) Paintings

Materials

Oil, Canvas

Chrysler Building Taxi Fifth Avenue New York City by Contemporary British Artist
Located in Preston, GB
Chrysler Building Taxi Fifth Avenue New York City by Contemporary British Artist Angela Wakefield. This is a major work from her New York Series. No.26. Art measures 18 x 24 inches ...
Category

2010s Young British Artists (YBA) Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Cotton, Paint, Cotton Canvas, Mixed Media, Acrylic

'Him', A Large Glasgow School Oil Painting Portrait on Canvas.
Located in Cotignac, FR
A large Glasgow School oil on canvas portrait by Scottish artist Stuart Mackenzie. The painting is presented in a plain baton wood frame. Though not ...
Category

Late 20th Century Young British Artists (YBA) Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

'Her', A Large Glasgow School Oil Painting Portrait On Canvas.
Located in Cotignac, FR
A large Glasgow School oil on canvas portrait by Scottish artist Stuart Mackenzie. The painting is presented in a plain baton wood frame. Though not ...
Category

Late 20th Century Young British Artists (YBA) Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Chrysler Building Traffic in New York City by Contemporary British Artist
Located in Preston, GB
Chrysler Building Traffic New York City by Contemporary British Artist Angela Wakefield. This is a major work from her New York Series. Art measures 18 x 24 inches Frame measures 23...
Category

2010s Young British Artists (YBA) Paintings

Materials

Cotton, Canvas, Paint, Cotton Canvas, Acrylic, Mixed Media

Empire State Building Eighth Avenue New York City by Contemporary British Artist
Located in Preston, GB
Empire State Building Eighth Avenue New York City by Contemporary British Artist Angela Wakefield. This is a major work from her New York Series. Art me...
Category

2010s Young British Artists (YBA) Paintings

Materials

Cotton, Canvas, Paint, Cotton Canvas, Mixed Media, Acrylic

Paxos Madonna. Contemporary Oil Painting
Located in Brecon, Powys
Created in his studio on the Greek island of Paxos in 2004, this Madonna, painted in the ancient technique of egg tempera, is inspired by the Madonnas found throughout the islands. T...
Category

Early 2000s Young British Artists (YBA) Paintings

Materials

Egg Tempera

Blue Sky in New York City Sun by British Contemporary Urban Landscape Artist
Located in Preston, GB
Blue Sky, Sunshine on Manhattan Street - Figurative New York City Painting by Leading British Urban Landscape Artist, Angela Wakefield, with dramatic light and colours. Art measures...
Category

2010s Young British Artists (YBA) Paintings

Materials

Paint, Acrylic, Board, Gesso, Acrylic Polymer, Varnish, Mixed Media, Oil

Street Study of Manhattan Henge Sunshine New York City by English Urban Artist
Located in Preston, GB
This unique original painting is a study of 42nd Street at Manhattan Henge in New York City, by English Urban Artist, Angela Wakefield. Art ...
Category

2010s Young British Artists (YBA) Paintings

Materials

Paint, Mixed Media, Oil, Acrylic, Board

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Blue Sky in New York City Sun by British Contemporary Urban Landscape Artist
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2010s Young British Artists (YBA) Paintings

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Mantle of Darkness - Contemporary Expressionist Sky Scape Painted Wall Hanging
Located in London, GB
Mantle of Darkness This is a unique painting in acrylic on textured silk shantung, made into a wall hanging by British contemporary artist Rose Fulbright. The artwork is signed an...
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Silk, Cotton Canvas, Cotton, Oil Pastel, Acrylic

Resplendent Orb - Contemporary Expressionist Sky Scape Painted Silk Wall Hanging
Located in London, GB
Resplendent Orb This is a unique textile hanging of a clouded sky with expressionistic sun and colours on pink silk satin by British contemporary artist Rose Fulbright...
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Silk, Cotton Canvas, Cotton, Oil Pastel, Acrylic

Boeckhorst, Rubens, Saint Ursula, Decorative Old Master, Woman, Baroque, Flemish
By Jan Boeckhorst
Located in Greven, DE
Johann Boeckhorst (Münster 1604 - Antwerp 1668) Saint Ursula Oil on canvas, 112 x 86 cm Provenance: New York, Christe's, 20.3.1981, lot 88 (as Van Diepenbeeck's circle) The presen...
Category

17th Century Young British Artists (YBA) Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

GRASSES V Triptych - Atmospheric Landscape, Modern Seascape Painting
Located in Salzburg, AT
To emphasize the grasses even more, the artist uses modeling paste, It gives the beautiful painting even more depth. A few words of the artist about his art: When i painting lands...
Category

2010s Young British Artists (YBA) Paintings

Materials

Paste, Cotton Canvas, Acrylic

Twilight Moon - Contemporary Expressionist Sky Scape Painting on Silk 2024
Located in London, GB
Twilight Moon is a unique painting in acrylic on silk satin by British contemporary artist Rose Fulbright. The artwork is signed, sold framed and comes...
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Silk, Cotton Canvas, Cotton, Oil Pastel, Acrylic

Lanscape VIII - Contemporary Atmospheric and Contemplative Nature Painting
Located in Salzburg, AT
A few words of the artist about his art: When i painting landscapes, I usually choose simple geometric arrangements, contrasts of verticals and levels. I juxtapose the smooth surfac...
Category

2010s Young British Artists (YBA) Paintings

Materials

Cotton Canvas, Acrylic, Oil

Portrait of a Boy, John Closterman, Large English Portrait Art, Old Master
By John Closterman
Located in Greven, DE
John Clostermann (Osnabrück 1660 - 1711 London) Portrait of a boy, maybe Charles Hinde Oil on canvas, 61 x 74,6 cm John Closterman (also Klosterman) was a portrait painter of the late 17th and early 18th centuries. He primarily portrayed English noblemen and European aristocratic families. His father was already an artist and he trained his son. In 1679 he went to Paris and studied with Francois de Troy. In 1681 he was in London and worked for the artist John Riley, whose studio he took over after his death. In 1696 he was invited to the Spanish court...
Category

17th Century Young British Artists (YBA) Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

The Sun - Large Format Contemporary Nature, Flower Painting - Framed
Located in Salzburg, AT
Aleksandra Batura (b. 1982 in Augustów) a Warsaw based artist. She earned a Doctor of Fine Arts degree from the Academy of Fine Arts in Cracow. She studied at the Faculty of Painting...
Category

2010s Young British Artists (YBA) Paintings

Materials

Cotton Canvas, Oil, Acrylic

Empire State Building Eighth Avenue New York City by Contemporary British Artist
Located in Preston, GB
Empire State Building Eighth Avenue New York City by Contemporary British Artist Angela Wakefield. This is a major work from her New York Series. Art me...
Category

2010s Young British Artists (YBA) Paintings

Materials

Cotton, Canvas, Paint, Cotton Canvas, Mixed Media, Acrylic

The Sun, The Sky II - Contemporary Expressionist Sky Scape Painting on Silk 2024
Located in London, GB
The Sun, The Sky II is a unique contemporary expressionist painting of the sun shining through clouds in pastel coloured acrylic on mint green silk satin by British contemporary arti...
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2010s Young British Artists (YBA) Paintings

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Cotton, Acrylic, Cotton Canvas, Oil Pastel, Silk

The Sun, The Sky I - Contemporary Expressionist Sky Scape Painting on Silk, 2024
Located in London, GB
The Sun, The Sky I is a unique contemporary expressionist painting of the sun shining through clouds in pastel coloured acrylic on mint green silk satin by British contemporary artis...
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2010s Young British Artists (YBA) Paintings

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Silk, Cotton, Oil Pastel, Cotton Canvas, Acrylic

Previously Available Items
More To Come
Located in Boston, MA
Artist: Hirst, Damien Title: More To Come Series: The Currency Date: 2016 Medium: One shot enamel paint on handmade paper Unframed Dimensions: 8.4" x 11.8" Signature: Singed, ...
Category

2010s Young British Artists (YBA) Paintings

Materials

Enamel

Large Expressionist Portrait, Follower of Max Beckmann, Glasgow School. Oil.
Located in Cotignac, FR
A large Glasgow School Max Beckmann influenced oil on canvas portrait by Scottish artist Stuart Mackenzie. The painting is signed and dated to the rea...
Category

Late 20th Century Young British Artists (YBA) Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

New York City Cafe Borgia with Female Figures by Contemporary British Artist
Located in Preston, GB
New York City Cafe Borgia with Female Figures by Contemporary British Artist Angela Wakefield. This is a major work from her New York Series. Art measures 1...
Category

2010s Young British Artists (YBA) Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Cotton, Paint, Cotton Canvas, Mixed Media, Acrylic

Female Figure in New York City in Fall by British Contemporary Landscape Artist
Located in Preston, GB
Female Figure in New York City in Fall by British Contemporary Landscape Artist. Art measures 24 x 18 inches Frame measure 29 x 23 inches Wakefield's work is a unique blend of a...
Category

2010s Young British Artists (YBA) Paintings

Materials

Gesso, Paint, Acrylic Polymer, Varnish, Mixed Media, Oil, Acrylic, Board

Lady MacNeck
Located in East Hampton, NY
Giraffe dressed up like royalty Hand Painted #1 of edition of 20 NY Street Artist Y.M. Lo oil painting. contemporary Street in NYC, Hong Kong Comes rolle...
Category

2010s Young British Artists (YBA) Paintings

Materials

Oil

Lady MacNeck
Lady MacNeck
H 36 in W 26 in
Painting of Summer Sunset in New York City by Leading British Urban Artist UK
Located in Preston, GB
Painting of Summer Sunset in New York City by Leading British Urban Artist UK. This unique original illustrates the magnitude of the architecture of...
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2010s Young British Artists (YBA) Paintings

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Paint, Acrylic, Canvas, Cotton, Mixed Media, Cotton Canvas, Oil

Untitled, Red Dots, 1997
Located in London, GB
Watercolour and pencil on paper 24.1 x 15.9 cm (9 7/6 x 6/14 inches) Signed ‘CHRIS OFILI’ twice and dated ’98 on the reverse. Provenance Crane Kalman Gallery Victoria Miro...
Category

1990s Young British Artists (YBA) Paintings

Materials

Paper, Watercolor, Pencil

Talk the Talk
By Dom Pattinson
Located in East Hampton, NY
stencil art
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Young British Artists (YBA) Paintings

Materials

Mixed Media

Talk the Talk
H 55 in W 35 in D 1 in
Love Junkie
By Dom Pattinson
Located in East Hampton, NY
Part of a series...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Young British Artists (YBA) Paintings

Materials

Mixed Media

Love Junkie
H 51 in W 51 in D 1 in

Young British Artists (yba) paintings for sale on 1stDibs.

Find a wide variety of authentic Young British Artists (YBA) paintings available for sale on 1stDibs. Works in this style were very popular during the 21st Century and Contemporary, but contemporary artists have continued to produce works inspired by this movement. If you’re looking to add paintings created in this style to introduce contrast in an otherwise neutral space in your home, the works available on 1stDibs include elements of blue, orange and other colors. Many Pop art paintings were created by popular artists on 1stDibs, including Angela Wakefield, and Sax Berlin. Frequently made by artists working with Paint, and Acrylic Paint and other materials, all of these pieces for sale are unique and have attracted attention over the years. Not every interior allows for large Young British Artists (YBA) paintings, so small editions measuring 20 inches across are also available. Prices for paintings made by famous or emerging artists can differ depending on medium, time period and other attributes. On 1stDibs, the price for these items starts at $4,000 and tops out at $18,745, while the average work sells for $12,249.

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