【cat3movie】

It might have cat3moviebeen added to the Oxford English Dictionary only in 2013, but the "selfie" has always been an important form of expression in art history.

SEE ALSO: You can now take selfies... with your feet?

From Rembrandt to Frida Kahlo, the often-derided self-portrait has had endless creative potential, which has now found its perfect medium in the very mundane smartphone.

An exhibition at London's Saatchi Gallery, entitled "From Selfie to Self-Expression", explores our relationship with the selfie, looking at its history and the differences with the past art masters.

In what is probably a world first, Van Gogh and David Beckham, Picasso and Kim Kardashian coexist in the same gallery space.

Mashable Trend Report Decode what’s viral, what’s next, and what it all means. Sign up for Mashable’s weekly Trend Report newsletter. By clicking Sign Me Up, you confirm you are 16+ and agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. Thanks for signing up!

While smartphones epitomise the selfie as a form of communication for everyone, Stanley Kubrick and George Harrison were already experimenting with taking pictures of themselves.

Saatchi Gallery Chief Executive Nigel Hurst told Reutersthat modern-day selfies are different because they show "how we would like the world to see us, rather than how we are and who we are."

"It's no coincidence... that most selfies are shot in pretty exotic locations, on holiday when people are experiencing things that are away from their humdrum, mundane lives," he said. "It's not about sharing our humanity, it's about really sharing a version of our identity that we would like people to believe."

Here's a quick roundup of the exhibition's best selfies:

1. Van Gogh self portrait from 1889

Original image has been replaced. Credit: Mashable

2. George Harrison taking a selfie in front of the Taj Mahal in 1966

Original image has been replaced. Credit: Mashable

3. Chuck Close Big Self-Portrait, 1967-1968

Original image has been replaced. Credit: Mashable

4. Frida Khalo's Self-Portrait with Thorn Necklace and Hummingbird, 1940

Original image has been replaced. Credit: Mashable

5. Denmark's Prime Minister Helle Thorning-Schmidt's selfie with Obama and David Cameron

Credit: AFP/Getty Images

6. Las Meninas by Diego Velazquez

Original image has been replaced. Credit: Mashable

7. Barbara Kinney's photo of a mass selfie at Hillary Clinton campaign

Original image has been replaced. Credit: Mashable

8. Cinzia Osele Bismarck with the moon jellyfish a.k.a. the world's most dangerous selfie

Original image has been replaced. Credit: Mashable

9. Juno Calypso's The Honeymoon Suite

Original image has been replaced. Credit: Mashable

10. Benedict Cumberbatch photobombing U2

Original image has been replaced. Credit: Mashable

---

Featured Video For You

---

The new 'Gear 360' camera is smaller and works with iPhones

---

(Editor: {typename type="name"/})