Jenny Saville

The Anatomy of Painting

Format:Hardback

Publisher:National Portrait Gallery Publications

Published:12th Jun '25

Currently unavailable, our supplier has indicated it should be available around 19th August 2025

Jenny Saville cover

‘Saville can be appreciated as one of the greatest of any era’ ***** Review of Jenny Saville: The Anatomy of Painting, National Portrait Gallery - Evening Standard

Jenny Saville’s large-scale depictions of the human form are a celebration of flesh and paint, figure and abstraction. Jenny Saville: The Anatomy of Painting brings together works from across the artist’s career, ranging from pencil drawings to monumental paintings in oil.


The British artist Jenny Saville is one of today’s leading painters, for whom painting the human body gives the artist ‘the possibility to work in both an abstract and figurative way’. Jenny Saville: The Anatomy of Painting accompanies Saville’s first major museum exhibition, showcasing over 50 works from throughout her career in a broadly chronological framework. Essays consider the development of Saville’s practice, marking key moments and the strong connection she makes to art history, while a conversation with the artist gives us a glimpse into her life in the studio, her working methods and influences.

'Portraits so powerful they override reality.' - The Guardian
'A must-see… filled with inspired works.' - The Times
'If you see just one art show this summer, make it this… includes one of the great paintings of our age. Jenny Saville is a genius.' - The Telegraph
'They make most other contemporary figurative paintings look pretty amateurish and painfully lacking in ambition… Britain’s greatest artist in waiting.' - The Independent
'The greatest new art show in town… Saville can be appreciated as one of the greatest of any era.' - Evening Standard

ISBN: 9781855145948

Dimensions: unknown

Weight: 1600g

208 pages