Saatchi's weighty tome of modern art
It's the book that will grace the living room of anybody strong enough to carry it in.
Weighing in at 40 kilos, measuring a metre square and costing £1,995, The Saatchi Opus will give your coffee table its toughest test yet.
The 850-page tome chronicles nearly a quarter century of Charles Saatchi's galleries and shows. Only 950 copies are going on sale, with the first being auctioned at a launch party at his latest venue in Duke of York's HQ, Chelsea.
It comes in a crate and is so heavy it needs to be wheeled around on a trolley. In fact two young, physically fit Evening Standard employees were needed to lift it. One, Daisy Dumas, said: "I just couldn't do it on my own. It's nearly as heavy as I am."
The book being auctioned has been signed by dozens of artists, including Damien Hirst, the Chapman brothers, Tracey Emin and actor and collector Steve Martin.
The sale estimate is £20,000 to £40,000, with proceeds going to Great Ormond Street Hospital - the charity chosen by Mr Saatchi and wife Nigella Lawson. Simon Cowell, Bernie Ecclestone, Sir Philip Green and dozens of artists are expected to attend.
Karl Fowler, chief executive officer of the publisher, Opus Media Group, said: "Charles Saatchi has had an enormous influence on contemporary art."
The book, edited by art publisher Edward Booth-Clibborn, includes illustrations of the work of more than 150 artists shown at Saatchi galleries in Boundary Road, County Hall, and Duke of York's HQ. They range from Lucian Freud, Paula Rego and Andy Warhol to Chinese stars Sun Yuan and Peng Yu.
It also contains essays by Sir Norman Rosenthal, former Royal Academy head of exhibitions, and Standard critic Brian Sewell. All the copies going on sale are signed by Mr Saatchi and are available at the Opus Store in Covent Garden.
