London art scene - Definition

The defining moment for the contemporary London arts scene was Freeze, the 1988 warehouse exhibition organised by Damien Hirst. Up to that point, the traditional career path for an artist in London would involve several years in relative obscurity with limited sales, possibly subsidised by teaching work. The patronage of Charles Saatchi as a collector of Young British Artists (YBAs), meant that it became possible for artists in their early twenties to have viable careers. Following on from Freeze, there was an explosion of similar exhibitions in non-traditional gallery space - often temporarily vacant commercial space in the near East End.

Socially the London arts scene is organised around private views, exhibition openings and the 'after party', the latter usually held at a club or studio space. Under the patronage of Damien Hirst, the Groucho Club in Soho became an important hangout for those wanting to associate with the London arts scene. Blacks and Soho House are also favoured while the pub Charlie Wright's in Hoxton is a favourite for many artists.

Location

The traditional geographical focus of many of London's artists in the mid-1980s, had been the East End and Wapping - due to the availability of cheap studio space and proximity to the Whitechapel Art Gallery. With the development of Docklands as an extension of the finance sector, many artists began to seek alternative accommodation. Using proceeds from the sales of paintings in the early 1990s, artist Gary Hume purchased a number of properties in Hoxton Square. The area quickly became a focus for the YBAs and in a short period has been transformed with Jay Jopling opening a gallery there in 2000. As property prices around Hoxton and Shoreditch have risen artists have moved further north into the Borough of Hackney where the cost of living is relatively cheap. In 2004 the main concentrations of young artists to be found in London are in Stoke Newington near Kingsland Road and in Clapton.

See also

• British art
• Stuckism