Best of British : Maddox Gallery, Westbourne Grove

This April, Maddox Gallery presented Best of British, a group exhibition celebrating the lasting influence of the YBA movement on contemporary art and culture throughout the United Kingdom.
Emerging in the late 1980s as a distinctive new direction for British art, the loosely defined group of artists, headed by Damien Hirst, began exhibiting together. Pushing the boundaries of contemporary art, the YBAs each had their own distinct practice but were united by their appropriation of found materials and oppositional attitude towards artistic convention. Their work was both familiar yet radical, marking the British cultural landscape as a pioneer of contemporary art. The lasting effects of the YBAs are still felt today in the United Kingdom and beyond, with artists taking inspiration from the group’s stark exploration of the fragility of life. This exhibition celebrates the work of the prestigious collective and the British artists who are inspired by their legacy.