BBC Announces Art Reality Show

Here’s an idea whose time may have already come and gone. Copying the success of shows that seek the next hot designer or chef, the Times of London reports that Charles Saatchi would be the host of a new show looking for the next young art star:

Saatchi, who famously spotted and promoted young British artists such as Damien Hirst and Tracey Emin in the 1990s, is to preside over the talent contest, which will be screened on BBC2 later this year. The winner will have his or her work shown at the Hermitage museum in St Petersburg in October.

The exhibition will also be seen early next year at the new Saatchi Gallery in Chelsea, west London. But the collector will be barred from buying the winner’s work.

Mark Thompson, the BBC director-general, is to announce details of the programme this week in a speech on the corporation’s commitment to the arts.

The show’s producer, Peter Dale, told the Associated Press that the six finalists who will attend an “art boot camp” will help outsiders understand some of the more incomprehensible aspects of Contemporary art:

“The contemporary art world has famously been a controversial arena with some claiming the work is incomprehensible to the untrained eye, or created purely to shock and get headlines for the artist.

“For viewers who are passionate about this art form, the programme offers a fascinating insight behind the scenes and into the minds that create the work, what inspires it and what it means.

“For others, it will be a journey of discovery as the series demystifies the subject and makes the art more accessible. The debate will be reflected, not only in the programmes, but also on the series website where viewers will be invited to share their opinions.”

In a final twist that leaves the question of the show’s viability in question, famously press-shy Saatchi will be seen on the show but not heard. So anyone hoping to see Saatchi fill the Gordon Ramsay role on the show will be disappointed.

Charles Saatchi to Host Art X Factor (Times of London)

BBC Searches for Modern Art Talent (Associated Press)