Tony Davis, Ravers at the Eclipse, Coventry, 1991 © Tony Davis. Courtesy of British Culture Archive.
Tate Britain has opened the first exhibition to explore the art, photography and fashion of the 1990s, a decade synonymous with possibility, optimism and an audacious spirit. The 90s: Art and Fashion explores this period’s surge of creative energy, shaped by its opportunities and challenges. Featuring nearly 70 artists, photographers and designers, from the Young British Artists (YBAs) to Alexander McQueen, the show spotlights the emergence of this generation of exciting and diverse artistic talent that reshaped Britain’s cultural identity. Drawing on curator Edward Enninful OBE’s experience of the decade, The 90s brings together over 100 photographs, paintings, sculptures and garments to re-evaluate one of the most transformative moments in British art.
Following the gritty economic uncertainty of the 1980s, the 1990s saw the emergence of a resourceful new generation of young talent in Britain. The exhibition opens by exploring their taste for imperfection and realness with a do-it-yourself attitude, presenting photography by Corinne Day, Nigel Shafran and Juergen Teller for influential publications including i-D and Dazed and Confused, who were at the forefront of defining a new ‘anti-fashion’ grunge style. The influence of print media is explored in work by Roshini Kempadoo and Eileen Perrier which expanded mainstream beauty notions at a time when Kate Moss wearing Liza Bruce’s sheer slip dress captured tabloid interest. Real people became artists’ muses, as reflected in the work of Barbara Walker, Jenny Saville and Gillian Wearing, while the likes of Tracey Emin, Sam Taylor‑Johnson and Sarah Lucas captivated the public with their anarchic spirit and frank work tackling agency, identity and class.
The decade’s youthful attitude is captured in film and photography engaged with nightlife and subculture; from Mark Leckey’s 1999 film Fiorucci Made Me Hardcore to images documenting young people at iconic club nights across the UK including the Haçienda in Manchester and Bagley’s in London. The birth of acid house is documented by Dave Swindells, Peter J Walsh and Tony Davis; Normski, Eddie Otchere and Ewen Spencer follow the rise of jungle, hip-hop and drum and bass scenes; and joyful queer club nights are captured by Poulomi Desai, Stuart Linden Rhodes and Jon Shard. Raves and free parties photographed by Seana Gavin and Vinca Peterson illustrate a hedonistic counterculture fuelled by flyers and payphones, whilst Boy Racers are documented in Elaine Constantine’s series, Burn up Northampton.
The exhibition explores the decade’s conceptual movements, from opulent and macabre body horror to sleek and uncanny minimalism. Artists such as Hamad Butt responded to the ongoing impact of the AIDS crisis, and Helen Chadwick, Jake and Dinos Chapman and Cathy de Monchaux played with a gothic interest in decay and revulsion. Cerith Wyn Evans, Rachel Whiteread and Gary Hume experimented with parred back forms whilst Damien Hirst took this conceptual approach further, removing the artist’s hand altogether with fabricated formaldehyde filled sculptures, the antithesis to low-fi grunge. The exhibition also explores the emergence of visionary designers who blurred the lines between art and fashion spectacularly, from Alexander McQueen’s provocative, dramatic and sometimes nightmarish presentations to Hussein Chalayan’s design-led clothing inspired by everyday objects. In photography, Nick Knight, David Sims and Craig McDean embraced starker, more conceptually driven imagery, whilst Wolfgang Tillmans reflected on the promise of past and future technology with Concorde Grid 1997, capturing the dual feelings of optimism and anxiety induced by the impending millennium.
As the influence of ‘Cool Britannia’, grew, many artists used their work to draw attention to those largely excluded from this narrative. In the exhibition, Steve McQueen’s first major film Bear 1993, a cinematic portrayal of an intimate faceoff between two men, is joined by Chris Ofili’s Turner Prize-winning painting No Woman, No Cry 1998, a poignant tribute to Doreen and Stephen Lawrence, and video by Keith Piper reflecting on sport and national identity. Tailoring by Ozwald Boateng, runway footage of Joe Casely-Hayford’s presentations, and fashion photography by Koto Bolofo celebrates the work of Black British designers, with street style spotlighted through a collaboration between Jason Evans and Simon Foxton.
The exhibition ends with artists and designers who, at the close of the 20th century, reckoned with Britain’s past and dealt with questions of its future. Yinka Shonibare and Maud Sulter drew from European art history and dandyism to ask questions of diversity and representation, whilst designers such as Vivienne Westwood and John Galliano borrowed across history and cultures, interrogating style, class and national mythology with anachronistic fashion collections. Together, this closing room reflects on the 90s as a moment poised between past and future, allowing audiences to rethink our picture of the art of the decade.
The 90s: Art and Fashion is supported by McQueen. With additional support from The 90s Exhibition Supporters Circle, Tate International Council, Tate Patrons, Tate Members and Tate Americas Foundation. The media partner is Dazed. Curated by Edward Enninful, OBE; with Jessica Vaughan, Curator, Contemporary British Art; Helen Little, Curator, Contemporary British Art; Dominique Heyse-Moore, Senior Curator, Contemporary British Art; Alex Farquharson, Director, Tate Britain; and Celeste McEvoy, Assistant Curator, Contemporary British Art, Tate Britain.
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Listings information
The 90s: Art and Fashion
8 October 2026 – 14 February 2027
Tate Britain, Millbank, London SW1P 4RG
Open daily 10.00–18.00
Tickets available at tate.org.uk and +44(0)20 7887 8888
Free for Members. Join at tate.org.uk/members
Follow @Tate #THE90S
List of artists
Abigail Lane, Alexander McQueen, Barbara Walker, Cathy de Monchaux, Cerith Wyn Evans, Chris Ofili, Corinne Day, Craig McDean, Damien Hirst, David Sims, David Swindells, Des Willie, Donald Rodney, Eddie Otchere, Eileen Perrier, Elaine Constantine, Ellen von Unwerth, Ewen Spencer, Fergus Greer, Gary Hume, Gillian Wearing, Glen Luchford, Hamad Butt, Helen Chadwick, Hussein Chalayan, Jake and Dinos Chapman, Jason Evans (with stylist Simon Foxton), Jenny Saville, Jim Lambie, Joe Casely-Hayford, John Galliano, Jon Shard, Juergen Teller, Keith Piper, Koto Bolofo, Mark Leckey, Mark Mattock, Mark McNulty, Maud Sulter, Mischa Haller, Mona Hatoum, Nick Knight, Nigel Shafran, Normski (Norman Anderson), Ozwald Boateng, Peter J Walsh, Philip Treacy, Poulomi Desai, Rachel Whiteread, Roshini Kempadoo, Sam Taylor-Johnson, Sarah Lucas, Sean Ellis, Seana Gavin, Sonia Boyce, Sophy Rickett, Stella McCartney, Steve McQueen, Steven Meisel, Stuart Linden Rhodes, Tim Smith, Tony Davis, Tracey Emin, Vinca Petersen, Vivienne Westwood, Wolfgang Tillmans and Yinka Shonibare.
About Edward Enninful
Regarded as one of the leading voices in the creative industry working today, Edward Enninful OBE, has helped bring widespread distinction to global fashion. Edward has a long-standing track record for delivering impactful storytelling and championing diverse and emerging talent within the industry. Born to a Ghanaian army officer and a seamstress, Edward became the youngest ever fashion editor of an international publication, i-D magazine, at 18. Quickly making his mark within the industry, by 1998 he became a contributing fixture at Italian Vogue, catapulting him into world recognition as a leading stylist and cultural contributor. Here, Edward spearheaded “The Black Issue” which featured only black women, and which started the necessary dialogue amongst a wider public audience that continues today. Edward continued to use his voice to make a positive impact in the industry with roles at American Vogue, W Magazine and British Vogue where he was the first black person to serve as Editor-in-Chief in Vogue’s history. In 2025, Enninful launched EE72, his new global media and entertainment company, where he serves as co-founder and Chief Creative Officer. EE72 develops and produces transformational content, immersive experiences and innovative products that challenge audiences to see the world through new eyes. Edward’s dedication to diversity in fashion was honoured with the presentation of an OBE.
About McQueen
Alexander McQueen, founded by Lee Alexander McQueen in London in 1992, emerged during a defining decade in British fashion and culture: the 1990s. Having trained on London's Savile Row and at Central Saint Martins, Lee Alexander McQueen united the precision of British tailoring and craftsmanship with a subversive and uncompromising creative vision. His work challenged convention and resonated far beyond fashion, reflecting the rich dialogue between art, culture and creative expression that characterised the 1990s. Today, Alexander McQueen continues to uphold its foundational values through its celebration of British craft and creativity. The house is honoured to support The 90s: Art and Fashion.
Related Materials
Audio guide
£5
Visitors can explore The 90s: Art and Fashion through a specially produced audio guide available on visitors’ smartphones, featuring insights from Edward Enninful, Tate curators, and exhibiting artists including Sonia Boyce, Jamal Butt, Hussein Chalayan, Cathy de Monchaux, Nick Knight, Abigail Lane, Jim Lambie, Mark Leckey, Normski, Vinca Peterson, Yinka Shonibare and Barbara Walker.
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