Little Black Book of Art

Starting next week on 24 November 2009, is a new four-part BBC reality show masterminded by patron and art collector Charles Saatchi – the programme’s sponsor and main judge. 

‘School of Saatchi’ is an X Factor type show – a contemporary art contest filmed in a documentary type style, where Saatchi plays the Simon Cowell figure and where over 50 unrepresented young artists (some graduates and some pure amateurs) compete to win patronage from the famous art-obsessed, advertising guru and recluse. 

The first episode shows round one, where the aspiring hopefuls present their work to a hand-picked panel of leading figures in the art world. The on-screen panel chosen by Saatchi includes Tracey Emin, critic Matthew Collinge, curator at the Barbican Kate Bush and collector Frank Cohen (known as the ‘Saatchi of the North’)  -  all heavyweights in their own right and who’s opinions Saatchi particularly respects. These four judges initially decide whose work deserves to be seen by Charles Saatchi, and they eventually pick 12 finalists. 

It is then up to Saatchi to select whom he wishes to enter the art studio he’s established in east London. The chosen six, who’s work shows promise, raw talent and creative edge, then develop their skills over the course of ten weeks, helped by prominent artists such as Martin Creed and Mat Collishaw. 

During this time, Saatchi sets the six contestants ambitious commissions and new artistic challenges. The resulting work is then judged by him with his opinions being transmitted through one of his gallery representatives. (The fact that Saatchi will not be seen or heard on camera is not unusual for the publicity-shy millionaire, who doesn’t even attend his own gallery openings). 

After completing the 10-week stint, the winner will be given exposure on the international art scene by featuring in one of Saatchi’s exhibitions which he’s organising in the State Hermitage Museum in St.Petersburg, Moscow.  He or she will also receive a studio space and sponsorship for three years. 

Cohen says of the show: 

“Saatchi wants the programme to come over as a serious take on the processes of contemporary art rather than a competition.  It doesn’t cheapen art at all; if anything, it’ll educate people in how contemporary art is made and what it means”. 

I agree with Cohen in that I think the programme helps the public to a certain extent get more of an understanding on contemporary art, but I’m not sure quite sure what’s in it for Saatchi…he claims to want to lead a private life but his actions tell a different story and not appearing in the programme actually creates more intrigue around him. Maybe he’s trying to regain the influence he’s lost in the last ten years? He was definitely a key figure in the 90′s helping commercialise contemporary British art and making everyone aspire to owning it, but his influence has since wained. Will ‘School of Saatchi’ raise his profile once again? Who knows?…  

What we do know to be true is that the art scene has changed. The people that matter in the art world now and that have the greatest influence are not always patrons and collectors. This is clearly evident judging by this years prestigious ArtReview Power 100 list, where Saatchi slipped from 14th place to 72nd.  The art world is changing more than ever at the moment, it’s an exciting time and it’ll be interesting to see how the current economic climate affects the market and the type of work that is produced.

School of Saatchi is aired on Monday evenings on BBC2 at 21:30.

On the day that the nation observes a two minute silence to remember those who have given their life in service to their country, The Art Fund, the UK’s leading art charity, announces that Queen and Country, the work of Official War Artist for Iraq, Steve McQueen, will go on display at the National Portrait Gallery in the Spring. This will mark the culmination of a UK wide tour of the artwork which is part of a campaign for images of those who died as a result of the Iraq conflict to be issued as official postage stamps by Royal Mail.

McQueen’s artwork is a collaboration with 155 families who lost a loved one in Iraq. It takes the form of facsimile postage stamps which are housed in a large oak cabinet. The work will be on display at the National Portrait Gallery between 20 March and 20 July 2010 during which time it is hoped that visitors to the gallery will show their support for the campaign for stamps which Royal Mail has so far refused to issue.

For details of the tour, and to sign The Art Fund petition, please visit http://www.artfund.org/queenandcountry

The Art Fund bought Queen and Country outright for the Imperial War Museum in 2007 and is spearheading the campaign and managing the tour of the artwork. To date over 21,000 have signed The Art Fund’s online petition in favour of the stamps which can be found at www.artfund.org/queenandcountry.

Andrew Macdonald, Acting Director of The Art Fund said: “Queen and Country is a powerfully moving work presented by an artist of international renown which challenges us to think again about the relationship we have with those who die serving in our name. The public support for these stamps demonstrates the enthusiasm for the whole country to join in reflection and tribute. Bringing the work to the National Portrait Gallery is an important next platform for the campaign to see Steve McQueen’s vision realised”.

Steve McQueen was born in London in 1969. He won the Turner Prize in 1999 and was awarded an OBE in 2002. His first feature film Hunger won the Camera d’Or at the Cannes Film Festival in 2008 and the Carl Foreman Award at the 2009 BAFTAs. In 2009 he represented Britain at the 53rd Venice Biennale with his new film Giardini.

Text credit: Asthetica magazine

CJ Posters was established in 1998 by Charlie Jeffreys, who has been collecting posters ever since he can remember.

Charlie is an avid enthusiast of poster art. From the bold almost old master type posters of the late 19th Century to the funky designs of American Poster Art of the Sixties. Charlie provides post-war modern original posters to collectors, hotels and restaurants as well as vintage posters from the 1900’s…

The selection at Bluebird shop in London is on constant rotation and includes the works of Andy Warhol, Hapshash and The Coloured Coat, Richard Avedon, Milton Glazer, Toulouse-Lautrec, Cheret and many more.

Drop by to see the selection in store at 350 Kings Road, London, SW3 5UU or visit Charlie’s website at: www.cjposters.com

Text credit : CJ posters

The great Medieval and Renaissance collections at the V&A Museum, presenting a range of European art and craftsmanship from the years 300 to 1600 will once again be accessible to the public, when it re-opens its new galleries on 2 December 2009. This project has taken nearly a decade to complete affecting 70 per cent of the museum’s collections.

Mark Jones, the V&A’s director, summarised the aims in a public statement: “This exercise will enable the V&A to claim to be a world-class 21st-century museum with beautiful contemporary displays and a revitalised historic building. Anyone who last visited the V&A before 2001 would find it almost unrecognisable today.”

An A4 sized study entitled ‘Head of a Muse’ drawn by the Renaissance master Raphael (1483 – 1520) dating from between 1508 and 1511, is to go on sale at Christie’s auction house next month.

The work was created by the artist as a study for a figure in Parnassus, one of the series of four frescoes in the Stanza della Segnatura in the Vatican, commissioned by Pope Julius II.

Christie’s experts believe this piece could sell for double the record price attained for an old master drawing – currently £8.1 million for a piece by Michelangelo in 2000.

The auction house has put an estimate of £12 million to £16 million on ‘Head of a Muse’ which has not been seen in public for more than 25 years, or at auction for 150 years.

The sale also includes an important portrait by Rembrandt (1606-1669), expected to fetch £18 million to £25 million.

According to Louise Jury, Chief Arts Correspondent for the Evening Standard visitor numbers at art galleries have hit reford levels this summer as the recession led more people to holiday at home.

Half of all museums and galleries in the UK saw an increase in visitors. More than half the national museums and galleries have benefited from higher trading income.  The most popular have been this year’s BP Portrait Award on show at the National Portrait Gallery with a 69% year on year rise in visitors.

Andrew Macdonald, acting director of the Art Fund, said: “Its clear that when times are tough, our cultural institutions provide both a great value for money experience and a distraction from financial worries.”

Britain’s most unusual radio station – The Sunday Times

For the 6th year running, London’s first Art radio station Resonance 104.4fm is broadcasting live from Frieze Art Fair in London. It will be airing the ‘Frieze Talks’ programme for those unable to catch the specially commissioned radio art projects and interviews with artists and professionals in and around the fair. Listeners can hear the programmes by logging on worldwide to: www.resonancefm.com or by tuning in to 104.4fm in central London.

Sponsored by the Arts Council, Resonance 104.4fm began in May 2002 with a station who’s aim is to provide an alternative to the universal formula of mainstream broadcasting.

“Imagine a radio station like no other, imagine a radio station devoted to art.  A radio station that is both an audio gallery and a laboratory for wild experimentation. Resonance 104.4fm features programmes made by musicians, artists and critics who represent the diversity of London’s arts scenes, with regular weekly contributions from nearly two hundred musicians, artists, thinkers, critics, activists and instigators.”

General enquiries: Resonance104.4fm, 144 Borough High Street, London SE1 1LB, UK. Tel: 020 7407 1210. Email: info@resonancefm.com.

A new venture has been planned between the Royal Academy of Arts and Mourad ‘Momo’ Mazouz the owner of Sketch : über-trendy, destination bar and restaurant in central London. Since its opening in Mayfair in 2002, Sketch has received huge amounts of media attention combining the wonderfully inspired cuisine of Pierre Gagnaire with art and music.

Sketch is a well known  supporter of contemporary art and so it is by no means a surprise to discover that it will be opening up a pop-up patisserie and cafe at the Royal Academy of Arts to coincide with a new exhibition in December called ‘Earth: Art of a changing World’.

This exciting collaboration is being managed by Sinead Mallozzi, chief executive of the conduit street bar and restaurant and promises to be ‘the’ place to visit.

Internationally acclaimed British artist, Conrad Shawcross, well known for his light sculptures, will become Artist-in-Residence at the Science Museum from 23 September 2009 as part of its ongoing centenary programme.

As artist-in-residence Conrad Shawcross will be given access to the Science Museum’s peerless collections and expert curators, extending his own personal investigations into meaning and the construction of certainty and beliefs in science. The residency will culminate in an exhibition of new works installed within the Museum’s collections. Shawcross will also develop a curatorial project, for which he will act as artist-curator, selecting objects from the collection to be shown alongside his own and other contemporary artists work for Science Museum Arts Projects’ future programme.

‘Throughout my life I have always returned to the Science Museum. It has always been a great source of inspiration to me and indeed whenever I feel the reservoirs are low or just need to get away from the wood to see the trees again, the Science Museum is a place I invariably return and it always seems to re-align me. I am looking forward immensely to being the Centenary artist-in-residence this year; this is pretty much seventh heaven for me’

Conrad Shawcross’ residency at the Science Museum is supported by The Leverhulme Trust.

Text Source: Science Museum

Photo credit: Daniel Brooke

The well-reputed, forward-thinking Showroom gallery, established 25 years ago in London’s east end, has relocated across town just off the Edgware road.

The showroom gallery is one of the city’s smallest public galleries, but has always been a much-loved art institution. It’s known for having staged the first UK solo exhibitions for many aspiring artists, now major figures in the art world among them Sam Taylor-Wood, Mona Hatoum and Jim Lambie.

The new space in this fabulous new 3000 square foot building has been laid out and re-designed by Berlin-based architects ifau + Jesko Fezer in collaboration with London’s Working Architecture Group.

The bright yellow facade making an impact in the surrounding area, is located on the corner of Penfold Street and Boscobel Street, in NW8.

“The Showroom has a new programme that accommodates commissioned projects, as well as an expanded education facility that hosts workshops, conferences and events for artists, writers and curators. While continuing to support the production of new work by artists underrepresented in London, director Emily Pethick emphasises emerging practices and ideas, collaborative approaches, and projects situated in the public realm that build relationships with the gallery’s new neighbourhood, Church Street, which is one of the most deprived wards in the UK.”

The Showroom
63 Penfold Street
London NW8 8PQ
Tel: 0207 724 4300
www.theshowroom.org