Saturday, April 4, 2009

The Saatchi Gallery

The Saatchi Gallery - Contemporary Art Gallery in London

Charles Saatchi has been described as both a “super collector” and as “the most successful art dealer of our times.”1 In 1970 Charles started the advertising agency Saatchi & Saatchi with his brother Maurice, whom is now Lord Saatchi.2 Eventually, the agency became the largest in the world.3 However, the brothers left to found M & C Saatchi,4 one of the world's youngest and fastest growing global advertising agency networks with 18 offices in 13 countries around the world.5

In 1985 Charles established The Saatchi Gallery in St John’s Wood. The Gallery became famous for sponsoring the Young British Artists. Artworks from Charles’ Gallery collection were shown at the Royal Academy exhibition “Sensation” in 1997. After a few years in County Hall, the Gallery moved to Chelsea.6

Since The Saatchi Gallery’s opening over twenty years ago, the Gallery has dedicated its interests to contemporary art and the seeking out of works by new artists. The Gallery’s audience has built steadily over the years. Currently, visitor numbers have reached 600,000 people per year, with over 1,000 schools organizing student visits.7

The Saatchi Gallery aims to provide an innovative forum for contemporary art and presents by in large, works by young or international artists that have rarely or never been exhibited in the UK. When first showing at the Gallery, many artists are unknown to the general public and the commercial art world. However, after exhibiting their work at the Gallery, many of these artists are offered shows by galleries and museums internationally. Hence, The Saatchi Gallery also operates as a springboard for young artists to launch their careers.8

Additionally, The Saatchi Gallery has worked with media sponsors on a number of shows including The Observer, The Sunday Times, Evening Standard, The Independent on Sunday and Time Out.9

The Saatchi Gallery left its second home at County Hall and moved to the Duke of York HQ building on King's Road in Chelsea. The Gallery opened at its new location in October 2008.“The Duke of York's HQ, Sloane Square, offers an ideal environment to view contemporary art, with very large well-proportioned rooms and high ceilings. The Gallery occupies the entire 70,000 sq ft building giving the gallery scope for a book shop, educational facilities and a café/bar. It is ideally located in a central London location on Kings Road, Chelsea.”10

Admission to all Gallery shows are free “including temporary, curated exhibitions, as part of the Saatchi Gallery’s aim to bring contemporary art to the widest audience possible. [This aim] has been enabled through the Gallery’s corporate partnership with the leading contemporary art auction house Phillips de Pury & Company.”11

The newly located Saatchi Gallery’s “inaugural exhibition Revolution Continues: New Chinese Art brought together the work of 24 of China’s leading artists in a cutting edge survey of recent painting, sculpture and installation.12

The current show Unveiled: New Art From the Middle East, presents work by some of the region's most exciting artists. In recent years the contemporary art scene in Cairo, Tehran, Beirut, Jordan and Dubai has become more vibrant and active than ever before and an extraordinarily diverse range of artistic expression is now emerging from the Middle East and its Diaspora.”13

The new Saatchi Gallery has also dedicated a “space for Saatchi Online artists to exhibit and sell their work commission free. The space features a rotating selection of winning Showdown artists chosen from Saatchi Online Magazine’s weekly critics’ picks and Showdown competition.”14

Sources:
article5817312.ece
3. Ibid.
4. Ibid.
article5817312.ece
8. Ibid.
9. Ibid.
11. Ibid.
13. Ibid.
14. Ibid.

The Saatchi Gallery Links:
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