Frieze London ended today – one of the biggest moments in London’s art calendar, when galleries, collectors and artists gather around what’s happening in living contemporary art.
I saw a statistic on Instagram. 7% of artists at Frieze come from working-class families.
Bret Easton Ellis once said his advice to young artists was simple: marry someone rich. The line lands because, well, it’s true. Making art depends less on talent than on time, and having time often relies on having money. The structure for artists who don’t already have support is thin.
When research refers to “working-class backgrounds”, it usually means families where the main earner had a manual or routine job. Those from stable, middle-income households – teachers, nurses, civil servants – also face the same block. They usually leave college with debt, need to make a living, and can’t afford the years it often takes to build a career as an artist.
When only a small group can afford to keep going, only a few get to tell the story of the world. Imagine what talent we’ve lost.
We do what we can at New Blood Art: introducing you to talented artists at the very beginning of their careers. The chance to buy early work from those still emerging is rare, and it matters.
Emerging new art asks you to sit in the unfamiliar until it becomes something you recognise. We need brave collectors like you to buy work by emerging artists, and to create the structures that hold artists long enough for their work to be seen, and for the world to catch up.
We bring you exceptional talent and an opportunity to make a difference in someone’s life – it’s a nice combination. Some great new work has just landed…