Saatchi Art announced yesterday that Rebecca Wilson has taken on the role of Chief Curator:

Saatchi Art, the world’s leading online art gallery, announced the appointment of Rebecca Wilson as the company’s chief curator and director of artist development.  Ms. Wilson will set the curatorial direction and oversee the art advisory program for the company as Saatchi Art seeks to accelerate its growth as a marketplace connecting art buyers and artists from around the world.

Ms. Wilson brings a keen eye for talent and a wealth of experience to her new post in Los Angeles.  Most recently, she has served as a director at the Saatchi Gallery in London, where, during her seven-year tenure, she established New Sensations, an annual prize for UK art students that Wallpaper has called “a career-propelling accolade,” and was instrumental in the launch of the gallery’s online presence.

Previously, Ms. Wilson spent fourteen years in book and art magazine publishing, working as editor of ArtReview, and before that as deputy editor of Modern Painters.

We spoke with Ms. Wilson on the phone. Here are some her comments:

Q: You’ve moved to Los Angeles and left your position as a director at Saatchi Gallery to take up the role of leading the curating at Saatchi Art, why?

Q: How do you build an audience for an artists work online?

Q: With emerging artists the traditional gallery world feels it is very important to control who owns the work. Do you try exert the same sort of control over an artists market?

Q: We see in a number of different fields that artists are taking more direct control over managing their own careers.