LONDON.- Edward Booth-Clibborn knew the time was right to celebrate the vision of Charles Saatchi. The History of the Saatchi Gallery is the first book to chronicle the collection since it opened a gallery in 1985. It is important as a document, because many of the works included are no longer owned by The Saatchi Gallery, and a vital source of information for collectors, scholars and all those interested in contemporary art.

Several of the artists whom the Saatchi Gallery first introduced have become household names, Jeff Koons, Cindy Sherman and Damien Hirst to name just a few. Many of the exhibitions it has held are recognized as milestones, marking the incredible rise in popularity and awareness of contemporary art. The Saatchi Gallery continues to stimulate the debate, polarising opinions and putting on record breaking and pivotal shows.

Each of the 28 sections of the book illustrate different aspects of the exhibitions which have been held at The Saatchi Gallery from 1985 to 2010. Illustrated with over 900 images in full colour, a gatefold of Jeff Koons’ Rabbit and archive shots of the shows in their different gallery locations, the book is a unique record. The commissioned essays by leading art critics Richard Cork and Brian Sewell, Sir Norman Rosenthal, former Secretary of Exhibitions at The Royal Academy of Art, and actor Steve Martin are cloth bound and tipped in, reflecting Booth-Clibborn Editions’ vision for creative design.

This stunning and collectible publication pays tribute to what ‘The Man Who Made Us Look At Contemporary Art’ has done to stimulate the art world through pioneering exhibitions and chronicles the many influential eras and developments of the last twenty-five years of contemporary art.

The History of The Saatchi Gallery will be available to buy from 1 July 2011, priced at £85

Looking at this book I realise that it is a celebration of the development of contemporary art over the last twenty- five years. That is a tribute to what Charles Saatchi has done in the past to stimulate the art world…the person Sir Norman Rosenthal calls ‘the country’s greatest curator’” - Edward Booth-Clibborn