Jenny Saville: Biography, Famous Works, and Net Worth
Stand in front of a Jenny Saville painting and the flesh seems to breathe; the British artist has spent three decades turning oil paint into bodies that feel heavy, bruised, and undeniably alive. Saville emerged from the Young British Artists scene of the 1990s and has since become one of the most important figurative painters working today, with her 2025 exhibition Jenny Saville: The Anatomy of Painting drawing record crowds at the National Portrait Gallery in London.
Born: 7 May 1970, Cambridge, England ·
Known for: Large-scale figurative painting, Young British Artists ·
Most famous piece: Propped (1992) ·
Artworks cataloged: 39 (WikiArt) ·
2025 Exhibition: Jenny Saville: The Anatomy of Painting at National Portrait Gallery, London
Quick snapshot
- Born 7 May 1970 in Cambridge, England (Royal Academy of Arts)
- Graduated from Glasgow School of Art in 1992 (Yale Center for British Art)
- Elected Royal Academician on 31 May 2007 (Royal Academy of Arts)
- Lives and works in Oxford, England (Yale Center for British Art)
- Exact net worth is not publicly disclosed
- Details of her personal life beyond public records are limited
- First solo exhibition at the Saatchi Gallery in 1994 is not independently confirmed by our sources
- 1992: Painted Propped, her most famous work (National Portrait Gallery)
- 2025: Two major museum retrospectives in London and Fort Worth (National Portrait Gallery / Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth)
- Continued exhibition tour of The Anatomy of Painting in the US after Fort Worth
- Growing market interest in her early works
The snapshot above distills the key verifiable and uncertain points about Saville’s career.
Five key facts, one pattern: Saville’s career arcs from a Glasgow art-school graduate to a global figurative-painting icon with institutional recognition on both sides of the Atlantic.
| Attribute | Value | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Full name | Jennifer Anne Saville RA | Royal Academy of Arts |
| Born | 7 May 1970, Cambridge, England | Wikipedia |
| Art movement | Young British Artists, Contemporary Figurative | Yale Center for British Art |
| Number of artworks cataloged | 39 (WikiArt) | Public catalog |
| 2025 Exhibition (London) | Jenny Saville: The Anatomy of Painting, National Portrait Gallery (20 Jun – 7 Sep 2025) | National Portrait Gallery |
| 2025 Exhibition (US) | Same title, Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth (Oct 2025 – Jan 2026) | Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth |
What is Jenny Saville’s most famous piece?
Propped (1992) is widely regarded as Jenny Saville’s signature work. The large-scale self-portrait shows the artist’s head and upper body, painted in thick, visceral oil strokes. It was part of the work that first brought her to national attention after her acclaimed degree show
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