Year 3 is one of the most ambitious records of citizenship ever undertaken. Using the medium of the traditional school class photograph, this epic work captures tens of thousands of London schoolchildren from a single academic year. Mapping a picture of the present, the artwork captures a milestone year in a child's personal development: the moment when they become more conscious of the world beyond their immediate family. It is a critical time for them to develop confidence in all areas of life, to understand more about their place in the changing world and to think about the future. Depicting rows of children sitting or standing alongside their teachers and teaching assistants, Year 3 reflects this moment of excitement, anxiety and hope.

Year 3 is more than a portrait of a generation however: it documents and explores, in a way never before attempted, a range of urgent ideas connected to the UK, and to our world, today. This book takes the photographs as a starting point and looks ahead, commenting on and contextualising the artwork and its message, but also providing a platform for new voices, and a new set of ideas. Year 3 is less a commemoration and more an active extension of the artwork itself: 'a glimpse of the capital's future, a hopeful portrait of a generation to come.'

About the Author
Sir Steve McQueen CBE was born in 1969 in London; he lives and works in London and Amsterdam. Large-scale surveys of McQueen's work have been held at Tate Modern, London in 2020, the Schaulager, Basel in 2013 and the Art Institute of Chicago in 2012. Forthcoming institutional shows include Pirelli HangarBicocca, Milan (2022). Recent solo presentations include Steve M Queen: Year 3, Tate Britain, London, (2019-2021), and exhibitions at the Institute of Contemporary Art Boston, Massachusetts (2017); The Whitworth, Manchester (2017); the Perez Art Museum, Miami (2017); The Museum of Modern Art, New York (2017); the Art Institute of Chicago, Illinois (2017); and The Whitney Museum of American Art, New York (2016). McQueen has previously participated in Documenta XII (2007), XI (2002) and X (1997), and the Venice Biennale (2015, 2013, 2007 and 2003), representing Great Britain in Venice in 2009. He has been the recipient of numerous awards including KBE (Knight Commander of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire) (2020), Johannes Vermeer Prize (2016), Harvard University, W.E.B. Du Bois Medal (2014), CBE (Commander of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (2011), OBE (Officer of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire) (2002) and the Turner Prize, Tate Gallery, London, England (1999). McQueen has directed four feature films: Hunger (2008), Shame (2011), 12 Years a Slave (2014), and Widows (2018), as well as the series Small Axe, an anthology of five films shown on BBC and Amazon (2020). He won the Camera d'Or award at the Cannes Film Festival for Hunger in 2008 and the Oscar for the Best Motion Picture for 12 Years a Slave in 2014.


Book Information
ISBN 9781849767767
Author Steve McQueen
Format Hardback
Page Count 400
Imprint Tate Publishing
Publisher Tate Publishing