Saatchi Online: Freeing Art from Its Gallerist

Charles Saatchi, the former advertising mogul turned art collector, launched Saatchi Online in 2007 as a platform for emerging artists to sell directly to collectors, bypassing traditional gallery commissions. The site, funded by Phillips auction house, claims to democratize art sales by allowing artists to keep more profits. In April 2009, Saatchi initiated a campaign titled "Free the Artists," sponsored by Clear Channel, aimed at supporting artists during the recession. The platform features a user-voted Top 200 contemporary artists list, with over a million participants. Critics note that Saatchi Online merely adds another intermediary to the art market, despite its anti-gallery rhetoric. The initiative parallels Damien Hirst's 2008 Sotheby's auction, where Hirst sold works directly without gallery representation. Saatchi's background in advertising is evident in the platform's promotional strategies, which some describe as demagogic. The site includes a mix of high-quality works and amateurish paintings, and its success stories often still involve gallery exhibitions.