“YBA & BEYOND: British Art in the 90s from the Tate Collection” at the National Art Center, Tokyo

In the 1990s, post-Thatcher Britain was marked by a tense atmosphere, with rising unemployment and other social issues. Many artists emerged at the time, questioning the existing artistic frameworks and pursuing experimental approaches to making and presenting their work.

The group of artists known at the time as the Young British Artists (YBA), together with their contemporaries, drew on themes related to popular culture, personal narratives and shifting social structures. Working in a wide range of media—from painting and sculpture to photography, video and installation—they created highly original works.

This exhibition focuses on the innovative practices of British artists of the time through around 100 works by approximately 60 artists, all produced between the late 1980s and the early 2000s.

Who was YBA?

In August 1988, Damien Hirst, then a student at Goldsmiths College, University of London, organized the exhibition “Freeze” in a warehouse district in East London, showcasing works by fellow students and recent graduates. Hirst and his contemporaries chose materials through entirely new perspectives, developed their own ways of working, and actively created new exhibition opportunities.

In 1992, the art historian Michael Corris referred to this group in the magazine Art Forum as the “Young British Artists (YBA),” The use of the term spread widely via an exhibition of the same name at the Saatchi Gallery. Through the freewheeling activities of the YBAs, the British art scene of the 1990s began to attract worldwide attention.

About the Tate Museum

Tate is one of the United Kingdom’s leading national art museums. The publicly funded museum collects, preserves and presents British art dating from 1500 onward, as well as modern and contemporary art from around the world. It operates four museum complexes within the UK. The oldest of these, Tate Britain, is located in Millbank, London, and has served as the home of the national collection of British art since its opening in 1897.

The largest of the four, Tate Modern, opened in 2000 in a former power station on the banks of the River Thames in central London. As a museum dedicated to modern and contemporary art, it welcomes more visitors than any other institution of its kind in the world.

About the National Art Center, Tokyo

The National Art Center, Tokyo is one of the largest exhibition spaces in Japan, totaling 14,000 square meters. The museum houses 12 exhibition rooms, an art library, an auditorium and seminar rooms, as well as restaurants, cafés and museum shops.

Designed by leading Japanese architect Kurokawa Kisho under the concept of a “museum in the forest,” the building’s south side features a sweeping glass curtain wall that undulates like a wave. Together with the cone-shaped main entrance, it has become a distinctive and memorable part of Tokyo’s cityscape.

DATA
YBA & BEYOND: British Art in the 90s from the Tate Collection
Dates: February 11 (Wed, national holiday) – May 11 (Mon)
Venue: The National Art Center, Tokyo, Special Exhibition Gallery 2E (7-22-2 Roppongi, Minato-ku, Tokyo)
Opening Hours: 10:00–18:00 (last admission 30 minutes before closing)
      Fridays and Saturdays open until 20:00
Closed: Tuesdays (open on Tuesday, May 5, national holiday)
Admission: Adults ¥2,300; University students ¥1,500; High school students ¥900 (tax included)
※From June 3, 2026 to September 6, 2026, the exhibition will be on tour at the Kyocera Museum of Art in Kyoto.
Website: https://www.ybabeyond.jp/en/