20 March 2012Last updated at 09:05

In pictures: Britain's artists and their studios

A book of photographs by Robin Friend, Sanctuary: Britain’s Artists and their Studios, takes the reader behind the scenes in to the private space of 120 working artists.

Sarah Lucas came to prominence during the 1990s with her often shocking artworks in which she substituted parts of the body with pieces of furniture. She is now based in Suffolk, and despite using a shed as a studio admits that some of her work is made on the kitchen table.

Turner Prize-winner Tony Cragg came to prominence during the punk era. Today, Cragg produces a number of variations on each piece, employing 20 full time staff at his studio in Wuppertal, Germany.

The scale of Chantal Joffe's paintings means she can often be found perched on scaffolding in her studio in Angel, London. To Joffe, the space is an oasis: "It’s somewhere that I always find incredibly peaceful to come to. I sometimes come in for half an hour and look at books or just think."

Photographic artist Hannah Starkey's pictures are often shot on location, but her studio offers room to store boxes of alternative versions of her prints. "I articulate myself and my experience through the photographs I make," she says. "They’re often specific to women's everyday lives."

Artist Howard Hodgkin is pictured holding the first painting he created in 1949, the only one he will keep for himself.

Tracey Emin's first studio was a shared classroom that cost £22 per week. She now works in a purpose-built studio constructed inside a Victorian outer shell. "The studio is where I work. I would never work at home," she says.

A nominee for the 2011 Turner Prize, George Shaw lives above his studio in Ilfracombe in Devon. Shaw works with high-gloss Humbrol enamels used by model makers and admits that he could never share his studio space.

Phoebe Unwin's small studio is in Hoxton, London. "The only things I have here are the tools to make my paintings," she says. "Whether they are brushes or palettes or paint or whatever. It is a very focused place."

Gilbert and George have worked together since 1967 when they met at St Martin's art college in London. Today they are based in Spitalfields, producing often controversial work that is sold globally. Sanctuary: Britain's Artists and their Studios includes interviews by Hossein Amirsadeghi alongside Robin Friend's photographs and is published by Thames and Hudson.

In Pictures

In pictures: Britain's artists and their studios

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