screengrab from www.saatchi-gallery.co.uk, where there is a virtual tour of the new Saatchi Gallery at Duke of York’s HQThanks to a partnership with the Phillips De Pury and Co auction firm, this spring Charles Saatchi will opena new free museum on King’s Road in the Duke of York’s HQ, London. 6500 m2 will be dedicated to contemporary art.
As the admission to the new gallery is free, Saatchi’s venture looks set to vie with the Tate Modern, with the collector expecting up to 1,000,000 visitors a year. In addition, two classrooms will be integrated into this new space, specifically built for pupils and teachers, to allow debate with experts about contemporary art. It is hoped to encourage young people to appreciate and become interested in contemporary art.
The museum is proposing long opening hours – from 10am to 10pm every day, except on Sunday when it will be closed at 8pm. With these opening hours, the museum will apparently have the longest opening hours of any British gallery or museum.
For the opening of the gallery, Saatchi has planned a show of contemporary Chinese art. This will be followed by an exhibition by ‘new’ American artists and a show of contemporary Indian art.
