In September 1997, the Royal Academy puts on an iconoclastic exhibition at the heart of the art establishment – Sensation. It causes a sensation itself, with 300,000 people flocking to see Charles Saatchi's taboo-breaking private collection of artworks by a new generation of young British contemporary artists. Inspiring protests, resignations and tabloid column inches, it rocks the art world to its core while cementing contemporary art at the heart of public consciousness.
Contemporary art and young artists are propelled into the limelight, with some, like Damien Hirst and Tracey Emin, reaching mega-star status. Art is now attracting huge audiences, controversy grows around artworks such as Tracey Emin's My Bed and Antony Gormley's The Angel of the North, and contemporary art finds its dedicated national home with the construction of the Tate Modern.
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