EFTA01092119.pdf

SAATCHI GALLERY and RS&A in association with BOSS HUGO BOSS present THE ART OF CHESS 8th September - 3rd October Private View: 7th September 6.30 - 9.OOpm Strictly by invitation • admits two Please RSVP to SAATCHI GALLERY DUKE OF YORK'S HQ KING'S ROAD LONDON SW3 4RY EFTA01092119 EFTA01092120 The Art of Chess "From my close contact with artists and chess players l have come to the literature. Chess remains an intriguing and complex subject for these personal conclusion that while all artists are not chess players. all chess contemporary artists, who have chosen to create outstanding works of players are artists.' Marcel Duchamp, 1952. art, each infused with their individual style. The Art of Chess brings together 16 chess sets designed by some of the For example. Rachel Whiteread pursued her love of dollhouses when world's leading contemporary artists in celebration of the 'game of kings' creating her game from miniature furniture. Tom Friedman's chess set is and its continued relevance to the creative arts. equally intricate and playful, presenting a mini-retrospective of the artist's best-known works. Barbara Kruger has created the first ever talking These specially commissioned chess sets have been created by; chess set with each piece specially programmed to either ask a question Maurizio Cattelan, Jake and Dinos Chapman, Oliver Clegg, Tracey or make a statement when moved. The set by Damien Hirst has glass Emin, Tom Friedman, Paul Fryer, Damien Hirst, Barbara Kruger, Yayoi and silver casts of medicine bottles that act as chess pieces, while the Kusama, Paul McCarthy, Alastair Mackie, Tim Noble and Sue American artist Paul McCarthy. a keen chess player, has made his set Webster, Matthew Ronay, Tunga, Gavin Turk and Rachel Whiteread. from random objects found in his own kitchen such as a coffee grinder Each set is individually crafted in a wide variety of different materials and a ketchup bottle serving as Rooks. including wood. porcelain. glass, amber and silver. The Art of Chess began life with five sets commissioned by RSBA and This exhibition at the Saatchi Gallery will be the first time that all 16 chess exhibited at Somerset House in 2003. Since then the exhibition has sets are displayed together and it will also be the first public showing of a grown in size and toured the world showing in leading museums and new commission by British artists Tim Noble and Sue Webster. Famous galleries in the USA, Russian Federation. Ireland, Iceland, Italy. Czech for their shadow sculptures, the artists have taken the opportunity to Republic. Australia and Switzerland. return to their on-going fascination with dead animals and have created a woodland chess set complete with hand carved tree stump with bronze This unique exhibition demonstrates that the game has lost none of its chess pieces inspired by the artists' collection of mummified animals - inspirational power in the 21st century and continues to provide an found on their farm in Gloucestershire - squirrels take the roles of King intriguing starting point for artistic expression centuries after the game and Queen and frogs act as Pawns. was invented. The game of Chess is believed to have originated in the 7th century in The Saatchi Gallery and RS8A. in association with HUGO BOSS, will be India and no other game in history has been so widely reflected in art and presenting The Art of Chess from 8th September - 3rd October 2012. RS&A BOSS HUGO GOSS SAATCHI GALLERY Prapv4/Th tq Wet.% Sagarr ge CcioUvi RSItit EFTA01092121