ARTFEED — Contemporary Art Intelligence

Jenny Saville on Her Rembrandt-Inspired Self-Portrait at Gagosian

exhibition · 2026-05-04

Jenny Saville just revealed a new self-portrait at the Gagosian Gallery in London for the exhibition 'Visions of the Self: Rembrandt and Now.' In a video, she shares insights about her artistic path, mentioning how Rembrandt’s 'Self-Portrait with Two Circles' (1665-69) greatly inspired her. She believes this piece captures the essence of painting, teaching her about nose rendering, light manipulation, impasto techniques, and how to embrace artistic contradictions. This exhibition, a partnership with English Heritage, also features works from famous artists like Francis Bacon, Jean-Michel Basquiat, Lucian Freud, Pablo Picasso, and several others.

Key facts

  • Jenny Saville created a new self-portrait for 'Visions of the Self: Rembrandt and Now'.
  • The exhibition is at Gagosian Gallery, Grosvenor Hill, London.
  • Saville's work is inspired by Rembrandt's 'Self-Portrait with Two Circles' (1665-69).
  • Saville discusses learning from Rembrandt about painting noses, light, impasto, and contradiction.
  • The exhibition is organized in collaboration with English Heritage.
  • Other artists include Francis Bacon, Jean-Michel Basquiat, Lucian Freud, Pablo Picasso, Georg Baselitz, Glenn Brown, Urs Fischer, Damien Hirst, Howard Hodgkin, Giuseppe Penone, Richard Prince, Cindy Sherman, and Rudolf Stingel.

Entities

Artists

  • Jenny Saville
  • Rembrandt van Rijn
  • Francis Bacon
  • Jean-Michel Basquiat
  • Lucian Freud
  • Pablo Picasso
  • Georg Baselitz
  • Glenn Brown
  • Urs Fischer
  • Damien Hirst
  • Howard Hodgkin
  • Giuseppe Penone
  • Richard Prince
  • Cindy Sherman
  • Rudolf Stingel

Institutions

  • Gagosian Gallery
  • English Heritage
  • Artribune

Locations

  • London
  • United Kingdom
  • Grosvenor Hill

Sources