Sensationalists: The Bad Girls and Boys of British Art — Season 1
About this season
Rebellious, provocative and unapologetic. The Young British Artists crashed the 90s art scene, making Tracey Emin, Damien Hirst and others household names. This is their story.
Episodes (3)
1. Upstarts
Aired 27 September 2022 • 59 min
A look at the origins of the Young British Artists in the art schools of the mid-80s, a shocking and provocative movement which would culminate in the notorious 1997 exhibition Sensation.
2. Is It Art?
Aired 4 October 2022 • 59 min
In the 90s, young creatives, grouped together by advertising guru Charles Saatchi, respond provocatively to the decade's wave of optimism. The results are explosive - but is it art?
3. Fame and Fortune
Aired 11 October 2022 • 59 min
The Royal Academy’s iconoclastic Sensation is itself a sensation. 300,000 attend the show, causing protests and resignations. Meanwhile, Damien Hirst and Tracey Emin reach mega-star status.