British figurative painter Jenny Saville has returned to the spotlight with a new auction record and a major retrospective. Her charcoal drawing *Mirror* (2011-12) sold for £2.11 million (US$2.7 million) at Sotheby’s London, setting a record for a work on paper by the artist. The sale coincides with *Jenny Saville: The Anatomy of Painting*, a retrospective at London’s National Portrait Gallery running through 7 September, which features 45 works tracing her evolution from early oil paintings to recent charcoals.
This moment matters because it reaffirms Saville’s enduring influence in contemporary art, particularly her radical reimagining of the human body. Once the most expensive female artist at auction, she has shifted from thick oil layers to charcoal, a medium that allows spontaneity, especially since becoming a mother. The retrospective and record sale highlight how her work continues to challenge traditional ideals of beauty and female representation in Western art, while also underscoring the growing market demand for her pieces.