Elegantly designed, with many unique features, the Saatchi Opus is a compendium of the history of the Saatchi Gallery. Although it won't be published until next February, I'm telling you about it now so you can start saving up for the $3,650.00 price tag.
The gigantic tome which comes packed in an inlaid art wood crate includes a tipped in poster (1.5m x 1.5m) of a specially commissioned photograph of the head of Damien Hirst's shark from The Physical Impossibility of Death in the Mind of Someone Living (1991) which is shown below:
Other gatefolds include Rabbit (1986) by Jeff Koons, 1m x 50cm, shown below:
The Saatchi Opus is an exclusive limited edition of 950 copies, each signed by Charles Saatchi.
above: the exterior of the new Saatchi Gallery
The purchasers of the first 100 copies will have the opportunity to take an exclusive tour of the new Saatchi Gallery at the Duke of York's Headquarters.
The book includes essays from Richard Cork, Brian Sewell, Steve Martin and Sir Norman Rosenthal that accompany the artwork of 150 international contemporary artists such as Frank Auerbach, George Baselitz, Jake and Dinos Chapman, Eric Fischl, Lucian Freud, Andreas Gursky, Damien Hirst, Donald Judd, R. B. Kitaj, Sarah Lucas, Brice Marden, Robert Morris, Ron Mueck, Bruce Nauman, Paula Rego, Jenny Saville, Frank Stella, Andy Warhol, Rachel Whiteread, Zhang Xiaoghang and many more.
A limited edition of 950, each signed by Charles Saatchi
Publication Date: February 2009
Editor: Edward Booth-Clibborn
Size: 850 pages, each measuring half a metre square
Case: Inlaid wooden art crate (Weight 40kg)
Price Pre-publication price: £1,950 / US$3,650 / €2,500, normal price: £2,250 / US$4,200 / €2,900. Prices include worldwide delivery. If you are interested in reserving one, please call +44 (0)20 7213 9587.
About the The Saatchi Gallery
Charles Saatchi opened his gallery at Boundary Road, north London, in a disused paint factory in 1985. Since then the gallery has moved twice,first to London's County Hall on the South Bank in 2003, and then to the Duke of York's Headquarters in the Kings Road Chelsea in October 2008.
"Since 1985 The Saatchi Gallery has presented an ever-changing view of contemporary art from all over the world. It has had a profound influence on how contemporary art is perceived and has raised its profile " Edward Booth-Clibborn, Editor
Over the years, The Saatchi Gallery has launched the careers of many young artists who have since become household names. For the first time one book, the Saatchi Opus, chronicles the breadth of work exhibited at The Saatchi Gallery over the past two decades from Lucian Freud to Damien Hirst and Andy Warhol to Zhang Xiaoghang. The Opus is divided into seven sections, each reflecting different aspects of the work which has been exhibited over the last twenty years, including the infamous Sensation and controversial Young British Artists, as well as The Triumph of Painting and New Chinese Art. The text includes essays by leading art critics Richard Cork and Brian Sewell, Sir Norman Rosenthal, former Secretary of Exhibitions at The Royal Academy of Art, and actor Steve Martin.
The Saatchi Gallery
Kraken Opus