From Mods to Young British Artists

The United Kingdom's exit from the European Union in 2021 will no doubt continue to generate many discussions surrounding the factors that caused it. The outcome of the 2016 referendum was influenced by nostalgia for a mythologised past as a strong nation, hope for the return of political sovereignty, as well as a powerful rhetoric of border control. Has the British art world, which has firmly established its position on the international scene over the past sixty years, remained impervious to these concerns? Outside the UK, contemporary British art is usually associated with the London scene, characterised by sophisticated exuberance and a hint of provocation, and such names as Tracey Emin, Gilbert & George, Damien Hirst and David Hockney. Several recently published books, written in the stormy context of Brexit negotiations, help sharpen our understanding of the history of British art from the late 1950s onwards, particularly focusing on the scene's cosmopolitanism and anti-conformism. The authors highlight the artists' individual careers and analyse them in close relation to their respective cultural, social and political contexts. Does this indicate nostalgia for an alternative version of British culture, that is at once open on the world, modern, and bold

Art · Art history · Visual arts · Cultural Industries and Urban Development · History

• Subcultural Conflict and Working-class Community

  Open Access•Phil Cohen•Rethinking the Youth Question•1997

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