Saatchi Collection

Large UK collection of contemporary art, including much British art. It was formed by the businessman Charles Saatchi (1943- ) and opened to the public in 1985 in a converted warehouse in north London. Saatchi's huge wealth enabled him to become a major British patron of contemporary art. He has been praised for supporting artists, but also criticized for helping to create an art market based on superficial trends and the investment value of works rather than on serious aesthetic merit.

The controversial Sensation exhibition of avant-garde British art at the Royal Academy, London, in 1997 was drawn from works in the Saatchi Collection.