Unknown artists are being given a helping hand in the guise of a new website which enables them to upload their work free of charge and deliver it to a global audience of potential buyers. The initiative is the work of art mogul Charles Saatchi who has launched a Your Gallery section on his Saatchi Gallery website. More than 1,000 artists have already posted their work for free. The site lets collectors and galleries around the world view talent and buy paintings direct from artists. Saatchi, who championed the likes of Damien Hirst and Tracey Emin in the 1990s, is expected to keep a close eye on the site but says the main aim is to help the wider art community. breaking the veneer He hopes to offer collectors and artists a way to save money by cutting out art dealers - although dealers can also use the site. | "The internet has helped the art world to break its veneer..." | | Artist Stella Vine |
"The viability and relevance of the project might also impact on the way that much business is conducted within the art world in the future," a statement said. Artist Stella Vine said: "I wish this had been available to me when I first started. "The internet has helped the art world to break its veneer and initiatives like this make it a little less precious and exclusive." South London artist Ross Holden also spelled out the advantages of appearing on the site: "You've got art buyers and art directors looking at it. "If they see your work on there, then you'll get the contacts coming straight to your door." "all sorts of art and artists" But Georgina Adam of The Art Newspaper foresees a problem: "I think they're going to be swamped with all sorts of art and artists.
 | | Saatchi bought Tracey Emin's My Bed |
"I had a look at the site earlier today and there was a 15-year-old who had painted three paintings." Saatchi is one of the biggest art patrons in the UK, reportedly valuing his modern art collection at £200m in 2003. His taste for "Young British Artists" like Hirst and Emin helped propel the movement to prominence. He opened a major gallery on the south bank of the River Thames in London in 2003 - but it closed last year when the building's owners won a High Court battle to evict it. A new gallery in the former Duke of York's headquarters near Sloane Square in Chelsea will open early next year. RELATED LINKS:
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