Wednesday, October 04, 2006

Charles Saatchi Interviewed by The Guardian

Charles Saatchi, a world famous art collector, was recently interviewed by The Guardian newspaper. Saatchi has made many young artists famous simply by collecting their works. He is one of the biggest names in the 'art world'. The interview offers a great deal of insight into his views about life and art. This was a very rare event since Sattchi is rarely interviewed.The full interview can be seen here.

What do you think about his views on art? What do you think about the power he has in the art world? I want your opinions.

Take care, Stay true,

Brian Sherwin

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

I think power and importance are always relative. Both depend firstly on a few people thinking your quite important, then time spreading that reputation around into the cracks and crevices. Which has little to do with your questions, but I had to state it anyway.

As for Saatchi, he is a collector. I find that so many collectors are like the post industrial revolution's answer to the Patron. In the fact that many are at least semi-important (read moneyed) people who decide to dedicate their money to art. '

Patrons can never be viewed as fully benevolent. They have a variety of reasons for dabbling in the art world. A chance to touch something magical and foreign to them, or an opportunity to be a rock star messiah. My tone might make it seem as though I find this a negative thing, but honestly I have no problem with it one way or the other. It is a human urge to want to touch greatness, or Profit off of it anyway.

I also think that Saatchi is getting the heat for a natural yearning amongst many contemporary artists to go back to the Romanticized simplicity of the Renaissance Artist. Beauty and pure dedication to art, without any awareness of the cynical influences of marketing, dealing, and saying the right thing.

I can't say I blame them, nor can I say I have the energy to be out there yelling about how art has been made into another commodity. The fact is that everything is a commodity in one way or the other, and that the world changes underfoot every day. That and, sometimes oversaturation increases competition. Perhaps that is in a weird way the balance that art needed. Such a huge influx of new blood, good and bad, that it will remake itself into something quite interesting in the future.