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Independent

3 April 2006

Unknown artist's exhibition illustrates the enduring influence of Charles Saatchi
by Terry Kirby

Annie Kevans is a relatively unknown and struggling artist who lives in a council flat, works part time as a secretary and puts in long hours at her studio in London's East End. But her fortunes could be about to change with the opening this week of the first solo show of her paintings at a small gallery in Shoreditch.

Kevans, like Tracey Emin before her, is one of the young artists whose careers have benefited from the patronage of Charles Saatchi, arguably Britain's most important art collector.

Although his gallery at County Hall closed amid acrimony last December and his new exhibition space in London will not open for another year, the progress of Saatchi-endorsed artists such as Kevans, Conrad Shawcross and Toby Ziegler (see box) suggests that his influence on the contemporary art world remains as strong as ever.

Despite the lack of anywhere to display his unrivalled private collection of modern art and suggestions that he has lost his touch for spotting the next generation of art superstars, Mr Saatchi is still exhibiting work online and, more importantly, is still personally trawling small galleries and exhibitions, as well as the degree shows of the art colleges, and buying obsessively.

Karen Wright, the editor of Modern Painters magazine said: "He's looking for new material for his gallery. Mr Saatchi wants to demonstrate that he is still around. He leads with his eyes and collecting is a personal passion."

Kevans, she said, was only one of many artists bought recently by Mr Saatchi. "Philip Ziegler is very talented and Shawcross is an almost certain nominee for the Turner Prize in the future.'

Although Mr Saatchi often picks up such works relatively cheaply, his patronage alone can lead to an artist's prices rising, often allowing him to make a substantial profit later on.

Whether or not Kevans eventually achieves a status comparable to Emin or Damien Hirst, now said to be worth pounds 100m, artistic immortality is likely to remain out of reach. Mr Saatchi has said that most contemporary artists will be viewed as footnotes by history and that most installation art "ends up rotting in a dumpster".

He has also proved ruthless about selling works that no longer take his fancy. And the sheer volume of his collection means that the competition for places at his new gallery, a former barracks in Chelsea, is strong.

Mr Saatchi bought Kevan's work Boys, consisting of 30 black and white paintings of dictators and war criminals, such as Hitler, Pol Pot and Radovan Karadzic, portrayed as children, when it was shown at the BA degree show at Central St Martins College of Art and Design in London, in the summer of 2004. She said: "I was pleased because it was a BA show and he normally only goes to MA shows. I'm hoping that it will be shown at the new gallery. I know he has had it framed, because I was asked to go and chose a frame with him, but I was too scared."

At 33, Kevans is a relatively late starter as a professional artist. Although she had wanted to paint since she was a child, she did not attend art college until she was 24 and then only part time. Her first solo exhibition opens at Studio 1.1, an artists collective gallery in east London, on Friday, and features a series of paintings of actresses and singers such as Charlotte Church and Jodie Foster, who first found success as child stars,

"Charles Saatchi's interest has been brilliant for my career, because its very difficult to get yourself established after leaving college," she said. "Lots of other collectors have expressed interest as a result. It can't help but get you noticed."

The opening of the new Saatchi Gallery in Chelsea is likely to reinforce Mr Saatchi's preeminence on the London art scene. Previews on his website show a series of large, open spaces, very different from the small rooms at County Hall, the former offices of the Greater London Council.

Ms Wright said: "People have suggested [Mr Saatchi] has lost his touch, but I think he is back in favour and people are happy to be bought by him. He has shown his ability to reinvent style and space and now believes he can do it anywhere."