In this series Romina Provenzi, a specialist of the London art scene, discusses a number of non-profit spaces in London.

Twenty years ago the name Saatchi was considered a badge of top-notch Anglo-Saxon quality advertising in London and around the world. Nowadays the name is a synonymous of British contemporary art. This reputation builds on the unabated efforts of Charles Saatchi to establish an extensive collection of contemporary artworks focused on specific themes. His commitment to art induced him to open his own non-profit art space, the Saatchi Gallery in London in 1985. From then onwards his reputation has steadily grown and the gallery is now considered a hallmark of contemporary art.

In 1985 the Saatchi Gallery opened its doors in Boundary Road, St John's Wood, North London, in a disused paint factory of 30,000 sq ft. At the time Charles Saatchi was mainly interested in American artists. To celebrate the opening of the gallery its founder organized the first show of American contemporary art in Great Britain. Renowned names of Andy Warhol, Bruce Naumann, Richard Serra, Jeff Koons and Sol Lewitt were among the artists showcased.
In the late ‘90s Charles Saatchi shifted interest to what today is known as Young British Artists (YBA), but at the time was considered unorthodox art. Renowned artists of this movement are Damien Hirst, Tracy Emin, Sarah Lucas, Marc Quinn and Chris Ofili among others. The unconditional support of Charles Saatchi to those, at the time, unknown artists spread the names of the YBA around the world and a skilful marketing strategy boosted their market value. After Saatchi's endorsement, artworks of YBA movement outpriced pieces of American artists for the first time in history. In light of this, many regard Charles Saatchi's interest in the YBA as driven predominately by financial considerations rather than pure desire to promote innovative art. And such a stigma hasn't faded with time.

TOURIST AREA

In April 2003, the gallery moved to the County Hall in the SouthBank, South London, a few miles away from British hallmarks such as the Big Ben, the Parliament and the Tate Modern. The move was aimed at increasing the number of visitors, given the high concentration of tourists in the area and to make YBA artworks accessible to a wider, international audience. Despite the central location, the premises had two fatal drawbacks: the building interiors were rather unsuitable to host contemporary artworks due to outdated design, and a pricey admission entrance discouraged an abundant afflux of visitor, since museums are generally free in London.
These pitfalls induced Charles Saatchi to revisit his plans and relocate the gallery to the 70,000 sq.ft Duke of York's HQ building on King's Road in Chelsea, West London, a few yards away from Sloane Square in October 2008. The gallery almost doubled the number of its visitors, reaching an astonishing 1,2 million guests per annum. Such a boost in visits is the product of the gallery first-rate shows and the new free entry policy. Importantly for the mission of the gallery, this approach made contemporary art accessible to the great public, which was almost unthinkable at the time when Charles Saatchi opened its first space in 1985. Back then art spaces were visited almost exclusively by a restricted group of insiders of the contemporary art community.
The opening exhibition ‘the revolution continues: new Chinese art' followed by ‘Art from the Middle East' proposed an unprecedented show of artists from emerging markets, whose vitality and fresh approach offer an interesting enrichment to mainstream contemporary art. After this experimentation, the forthcoming show in June (June 2 to October 17) ‘NEWSPEAK: BRITISH ART NOW' reconnects Saatchi's interests to the British contemporary art: "The exhibition will feature some of the most exciting artists to have emerged in the UK in the last few years who are still largely unknown in the wider art world. Over a decade since Sensation, the first public exhibition of YBA movement, in 1997 and the advent of the YBA, this new generation of artists is making work that collectively offers an arresting insight into the future of contemporary art in Britain," as stated in the gallery's press release.
The recent revisit of the new British contemporary art celebrates Charles Saatchi's lifelong commitment to young British artists. Whether the incoming shows will repeat the past successes of the YBAs movement and revamp the whole contemporary art market is still an outstanding question.

Romina PROVENZI
is a writer and lives in London. She writes on contemporary art and is a specialist of the Cuban art market and of the London art scene.

Saatchi Gallery, Duke of York's HQ, King's Road, London SW3 4SQ.
www.saatchigallery.com