From where will the UK’s next art superstar be discovered? Traditionally, market darlings are carefully crafted from a fine-tuned machine of dealers, critics and collectors, all reliant on the word of certain mouths. But as today’s art world increasingly professes to address issues of accessibility and anti-elitism, a new open-sourced reality TV competition on the London Live channel aims to provide a uniquely democratic platform to discover the next big thing in art.
“Auction houses and established artists are doing okay,” says James Nicholls, “but how can an emerging artist expect to get recognised now?”
The show was envisaged during lockdown by the TV presenter and Maddox Gallery chairman James Nicholls, who will serve as its host. “During the pandemic, the gallery has continued to make tremendous sales of investment art for ultra high net worth individuals,” he says. “But what about the young people? Auction houses and established artists are doing okay, but how can an emerging artist expect to get recognised now?”