Londoner's Diary | Evening Standard<
24 August 2010 3:22 PM
Mr Saatchi in the frame
CHARLES Saatchi likes his artists to make the headlines while he keeps a low profile but he is currently finding himself at the centre of controversy in Maddox Street.
An image of the art dealer by Paul Harvey was being used to promote the Stuckist group’s show Clowns Doing Their Dirty Work at the Artspace Gallery. But the gallery manager has taken the work down on the grounds it is "too controversial for the area".
"I do not think this painting can be seen as offensive, nor was that the intention of the artist, who wanted to make Saatchi look friendly and human with symbols such as lemons because he likes lemonade," says Stuckist founder Charles Thomson whose picture of Sir Nicholas Serota debating over whether to buy a pair of Tracey Emin’s pants also features in the show.
A spokesman for the gallery declined to comment.
A private view was due to take place on Thursday but the lemonade appears to have been put on ice.
