Jake and Dinos Chapman (b. 1966 and 1962) graduated from the Royal College of Art, London, in 1990 and began working together shortly afterwards. Now elevated to the front rank of contemporary artists, the Chapmans produce some of the most exciting and talked about art in the world.
The Chapmans have frequently challenged the boundaries of taste, forcing the viewer into an uncomfortable state somewhere between fascination and revulsion. The subversive wit and black humour that pervades their work is undercut by the painstaking labour evident in their execution; they are expert craftsmen. 'Hell' (2000) was arguably their most ambitious work; an enormous tableau in the shape of a swastika, covered with over five thousand tiny Nazi figures acting out the roles of victim and executioner in an apocalyptic nightmare. Destroyed by fire in May 2004, it is currently under reconstruction.
In 'Insult to Injury' (2003), the Chapmans famously doctored a set of Goya etchings with hand-painted cartoon heads, breaking the ultimate artistic taboo through the desecration of a celebrated work.
This is the first book to examine the Chapman's career in its entirety. As part of the acclaimed Modern Artists series it includes 100 full-colour illustrations and a bran new interview with the artists.
