Marc Quinn darts from art fairs to openings, beaches to biennales in director Gerry Fox’s fascinating insight into the art business, Making Waves. The new documentary unravels a year in the life of British sculptor: “I wanted to make a portrait of the contemporary art world through his eyes as well as about him,” says Fox of embarking on the art pilgrimage, previewed here for the first time. 

London-based Quinn, who rose to prominence as one of the YBAs in the mid-90s creating provocative works such as “Self,” a bust of himself made from his own blood, and “Alison Lapper Pregnant”, a huge sculpture of the disabled artist that was exhibited on the Fourth Plinth in Trafalgar Square. The documentary sees long-time friend and collaborator Fox follow several of Quinn’s outré ideas from conception to completion. 

“It’s very rare that anybody will allow you access at that level—to be able to film him, Elton John, Jay Jopling and all the people who populate the art world,” says the director. “It’s the way the artist has to work the dealers, the collectors, working it all the time, with everybody. It’s a sort of game.” 

Rebecca Guinness is Editor-at-Large at NOWNESS.