The famous British collector talks about his life and career

Briton of Iraqi origin, Charles Saatchi (Charles Saatchi) is one of the most famous collectors of works of art in the world. He was born in Baghdad in 1943. Family Saatchi moved to London, where the future megakollektsioneru was four years old. He attended high school Christ's College.

In 1970, Charles and his brother Maurice (Maurice Saatchi) founded the advertising agency Saatchi & Saatchi, which became one of the largest in the world. The most known project of the agency - the campaign of the British Conservative Party, for which the brothers came up with a slogan Labour isn't working ( «Work is not working» - an allusion to the eternal enemies of conservatives - the Labor Party, or «Trudoviks»). Through the campaign the party won elections in 1979, and its leader, Margaret Thatcher (Margaret Thatcher) became Prime Minister.

Charles Saatchi began collecting art in the early 1970's. In 1985 he opened a Baunderi Road gallery. In 2003, she moved to the building of the District Council, situated on the south bank of the Thames. However, two years later it had to shut down: blame the tension with the owner of the premises. last fall at Kings Road has opened a new gallery .

Saatchi became famous, had discovered the world «New British Artists» - Damien Hirst (Damien Hirst), Tracey Emin (Tracey Emin), Chapman brothers, and others. In 1997, a protege of Saatchi creations were exhibited at the scandalous exhibition Sensation at the Royal Academy of Arts. «Shark in formaldehyde» Hirst, painting with elephant dung by Chris Ofili (Chris Ofili), a portrait of filicide Myra Hindley (Myra Hindley), made by Marcus Harvey (Marcus Harvey), - all this was provided it was there.

In 2006, the collector has opened an online gallery of Saatchi Online, which exhibit their work can anyone. Earlier this year, he announced the launch of its own reality show - Best of British, «Factory of stars» for artists . Show starts in November this year.

on September 8, published by Phaidon published autobiography Saatchi called «My name is Charles Saatchi, and I artogolik». In honor of the book in the Guardian newspaper published a long interview with the collector. ARTinvestment.RU presents its translation.

Question : You are famous for their ability to discover new talents. However, it was felt that the greatest artists are always misunderstood by his contemporaries ...

Charles Saatchi : In general, these talents are few and misunderstood geniuses are much less frequently than mediocrity, which is extolled to the skies.

B. : You are called «superkollektsionerom» and «the most successful art dealer of our time». How would you characterize your work in the past 20 years?

CS : Yes I am over this much minds. Generally, by and large, collectors of works of art are not so important. What really matters, what remains for centuries - is an art. I buy art that I like. I buy the product in order to display them at exhibitions. And then, if you want, I sell them and buy new ones. I had these 30 years, and I think most of those associated with art, know about it. If I sell a product, it does not mean that they lose one's attraction to me. Just not like I keep for years.

B. : You entered a fashionable investment in the creation of promising artists, and this practice has largely determined the current state of the art market: Following your example, many people, both beginners investors and wise elder collectors hunt for the works of young, yet very well known authors. Do you agree with the fact that it was thanks to your work of modern art market is a speculative nature?

CS : I hope that everything is as you say. Artists need collectors, many different collectors willing to buy their art.

B. : You do not think that can ruin someone's life, deciding to get rid of all his creations?

CS : I will not buy the product only in order to please the artist, as well as to sell his creation in order to ruin his life. Do not do this melodrama.

B. : What do you want to do before they went into advertising?

CS : I do not want to - this armistice. When I was 17, I could boast only that passed the two final exams, and that is not the first attempt, so that the career prospects did not have any. Consultant guidance of our Christ's Sollege could not help me, he did even in the face did not know - I was the worst truants. With the announcement in the newspaper Evening Standard, I was able to get a job as a clerk with a salary 10 pounds a week. My employer was a tiny ad agency in Covent Garden, and I was required to bypass all the newspapers on the street Fleet Street - then there were hundreds of these revisions - and collect the old rooms, where they were placed advertisements of our clients. I had to take the newspaper, find the page with ads and paste there the tab so that the client knew that his announcement appeared there, and paid to our agency. As you can see, my post was great. One of the advantages of working in the tiny agency was that when their creative department, consisting of one young man who suddenly fell ill, they did not know what to do and turned to me and asked to make a commercial for one of their clients, [poultry] Thornber Chicks . Advertisement intended for a magazine [for farmers and cattle breeders] Farmer and Stock-Breeder and had to convince farmers that the laying hens Thornber able to provide them with cheap and of good quality eggs, so invest in them very profitable. I do not know how to write advertising slogans, and generally not able to write almost anything, except the phrase «I'm not late to the meeting», which I had to use quite often. I flipped through magazines Farmer and Stock-Breeder and Poultry World, chose few encouraging «positive» words and phrases that brought them together, prisobachil title - I think I stole it from an old American newspaper - and get the advertising campaign «Ask that from whom they already have », with joyful farmers Thornber. The customer was satisfied.

B. : Is it true that the love of art, especially Renaissance painting on a biblical theme, brings man to God?

CS : I think God is very disappointed with his creation. Mankind has not evolved especially since the creation: we are just as stupid and primitive as they were centuries ago, and the poor, God is probably the whole day sitting and sad because of our vileness and stupidity everywhere. Or maybe he is laughing at us. But I hope that our art God like, and he will forgive the sins of humanity - mine in particular.

B. : I like your new gallery, but [Old] gallery in the building of the District Council, I just hated. What were you thinking!

CS : I was a fool, a fool and a fool again. My first gallery, on Baunderi Road, I knew so well that he could sit in a lounge chair in Margate, to within a centimeter to say, where there hangs a painting - and I was bored. Besides, I wanted a new skill learned about a lot of people, and building on the south bank of the Thames, from Ferris wheel London Eye, is suitable for this task much better. So my art has moved from the bright, spacious rooms at Baunderi Road in a small room with walls upholstered oak panels. And no one did not like it. I set myself a challenge, which ultimately proved to be unbearable for me.

B. : The works of artists which adorn your house? Perhaps you are constantly changing «exposure»? Do you have any favorite works, which always you hang?

CS : The houses in my mess. But soon we will finally hang some of the paintings, which so far «live» on the floor.

B. : Which of your «discoveries» You can name the most enjoyable?

CS : I was lucky - since [I started collecting] I sometimes managed to see the works of great artists who are at the beginning of creative way, and I always glad that he had met with the world. Nevertheless, I also «opened» huge number of artists, which no one except me, was not interested in their career and develop very slowly, if at all developed. So no «infallible intuition» of potentially successful artists I have not. To be fair, I bought the work of Cindy Sherman (Cindy Sherman), exhibited at the first group exhibition in which she participated - among them were black and white images from the films, which then amounted to a collage of 10 images. In the next few years I have acquired many of her works. I also bought most of the works, which were presented at the first exhibition of Jeff Koons (Jeff Koons), held in New York's East Village, belonged to some artist of the small gallery, which is now gone. There were basketballs floating in glass aquariums, as well as vacuum cleaners and other appliances in the shop windows filled with fluorescent lights. But to praise myself, I do not want - the truth is that good artists, which I did not pay attention, as much as those whom I «hello».

B. : Investing in art is probably more profitable than the shark in formaldehyde? Hirst's shark (Damien Hirst) looks worse and worse, and the painting by Peter Doig (Peter Doig) in 10 years will be as beautiful as it is now, and restore it will be much easier.

CS : There are no rules of investing do not exist. Can invest in sharks. And in the wastes can be an artist. And in oil painting. Now there is a whole army of conservatives who are ready to care for the safety of all that an artist would call art.

B. : Why in the Tate collection of Brit-art worse than in the museums located outside the country?

CS : Because in the early 1990's, when even the most bobtailed budget could provide you with an excellent collection of art, curators of the Tate looked unclear where. But I'm not better. I regularly «open» to themselves already well-known artists, which in its time has not noticed or ignored.

B. : How, in your view, would be in the British art of the beginning of the XXI century a hundred years? What contemporary artists will be the test of time and will be considered great?

CS : The authors of books about art, dating from 2105 year will be as ruthlessly edited the end of the twentieth century, like all other periods in art history. All artists, except for Jackson Pollock (Jackson Pollock), Andy Warhol (Andy Warhol), Donald Judd (Donald Judd), and Damien Hirst can expect a maximum of short mention.

B. : If you decide to order your own portrait, what would you have chosen - a painting, sculpture or some more?

CS : I would rather eat cardboard than ask someone to write it on me.

B. : How do you feel in the role of spouse «goddess of the hearth» (wife Saatchi, Naydzhella Lawson (Nigella Lawson), is the host of a popular culinary TV show. - Ed .)?

CS : She is too good for me, I know, but she knows it too, and reminds me of it every day.

B. : Do you ever cook?

CS : I know how to cook an omelet. And corn flakes.

B. : Are you striving to ensure that your children are interested in your art, went to museums and galleries?

CS : According to my children, everything connected to my gallery, can not be steep. But the shop in the gallery they can easily taste.

B. : What advice you and your spouse give to children?

CS : Mom Naydzhelly told her, the essence of the «good conduct». Says Naydzhella, her advice sounded something like this: «It is better to be enchanted than fascinate». She meant that the man most loves himself chiefly then, when he feels that in some situations, it was fascinating and interesting that he listened. In her view, the desire to attract attention and be the most amazing person in the room is vulgar and shows a completely inappropriate vanity. Trying to be charming - means to indulge their whims, allow others to charm yourself - is to be brought up.

B. : How do you feel about the fact that the state spends more money on something to save the masterpieces of old masters for the nation? Is it more important than the purchase of works by artists of new generation?

CS : At the risk of again incurring the wrath of an art community, I say that there is no need to «save» the picture for the nation by supporting the young art . What is the difference, which hangs Titian - National Gallery, the Louvre or the Uffizi Gallery? Now is not the XVIII century, people go around the world, and it is not necessary to awaken in them a sense of nationalism with the treasures of world art. Support living artists is more important.

B. : What is your favorite museum?

CS : The Prado Museum in Madrid. I have a weakness for creative work of Goya, and the museum itself so unpretentious, and all of his masterpieces are on display without any fanfare. With every visit there, I reinforce the opinion that art will always be important.

B. : I know very little about contemporary art, but I have a thousand pounds, which I want somewhere to invest. Something advise?

CS : The bonus bonds. Good to earn on the art you can, but if you are very lucky and get «around» the professionals in their territory. Buy only what you really enjoy and will for years to give you a thousand pounds of happiness. And not in a hurry, looking for something truly special. Select [works of art for the collection] - is a separate fun.

B. : Which of your accomplishments are you most proud?

CS : I'm not proud. This does not mean that I do not have egos the size of an airplane hangar, but I'm not proud of it even.

B. : How much money you lost in a recession?

CS : Even thinking about it I'm afraid.

B. : Do not you think that the pictures with circles (Damien Hirst. - Ed .) look like wallpaper?

CS : You can also say that the paintings Rothko (Mark Rothko) look as beautiful rugs. There is nothing wrong with that some works of decorative art.

B. : People say that Mark Rothko's paintings evoke the idea of infinity. What do you think?

CS : «Infinity» I understand this: every one hundred years sparrow flies to the top of big mountains and cleans its beak on the highest rock. When a rock, podtochennaya [sparrow-beak], has become a small handful of dust, can be said to have passed the first second of infinity. I thought about this last time, when standing in front of Rothko's work, but the sense of infinity, I was not absorbed and no mystical insights I had not. Maybe I've seen too many paintings by Rothko and no longer feel the pulse of their unearthly splendor. Or maybe I never realized what wonderful Rothko.

B. : Do you think the exhibition Sensation culmination of your career, after which all slowed down a little?

CS : Well, no one is pleased to hear that their best days behind. But perhaps you're right. Of course, once I was more active, more engaged in their advertising business and collecting art with wild energy. Now I'm tired, but I still like to organize an exhibition of my favorite art and introduce visitors to our gallery with the works of new artists, and I hope that these goals are worthy to continue on this path to go.

B. : Do you think someone from the early deaths of artists - Jean-Michel Basquiat (Jean-Michel Basquiat), Eva Hesse (Eva Hesse), Felix Gonzalez-Torres (Felix Gonzalez-Torres) - could be truly great?

CS : Although it sounds a bit cynical, I can not see that many artists acquire a cult status because they die before their work becomes a endless repetition of already traversed. Pollock was honored for his masterpieces, but we do not know what would have happened to him, if he painted another 30 years. The works of Basquiat I never particularly liked, despite the efforts of its dealer Annino Nosey (Annina Nosei). She led me into his cellar, where the boy he painted and talked to anyone who was not too lazy to listen to what the young Basquiat - a genius, but his paintings are just $ 500. I am a fool, thought that his painting unoriginal and decorative - is one example of why my tastes can not be trusted. Eva Hesse has been tremendous. Felix Gonzalez-Torres - not quite. My beloved, pardon the expression, the deceased artist who could compete with all of them - is Scott Burton (Scott Burton). About him little say in the late 1970's, he made such bizarre furniture that can be perceived as a sculpture, and sculpture, similar to furniture - for example, «stone chairs», which he created by making two cuts on the cobblestones. He is now almost forgotten, there are only a handful of his fans who revered him even then, and very rare to find his work on large exhibitions of American art. That he was so.

B. : Alfred Hitchcock (Alfred Hitchcock) or John Ford (John Ford)? Martin Scorsese (Martin Scorcese), or Spielberg (Steven Spielberg)?

CS : I'm always glad when I can see the best films of these directors. We Naydzhelloy arrange for a small film festivals - for example, the season of William Wyler (William Wyler), Ridley Scott (Ridley Scott) and Fred Zinnemann (Fred Zinnemann). In films of the great directors I admire each frame.

B. : Do you know how to draw or paint?

CS : Just do not know how.

B. : Who will be the new star of modern art?

CS : Hopefully, this will show our television project.

Material prepared Yulia Maximova, AI

Source: guardian.co.uk , artinvestment.ru