11/10/2001

The Saatchi Gallery could move to the old headquarters of the Greater London Council, which sits opposite the Houses of Parliament, on the River Thames. If the move takes place, the Saatchi Gallery would occupy the first floor suite. At present the space is empty because of the difficulty of converting the Grade II listed, purpose-built council chamber for any other use. A spokeswoman for English Heritage stated, "We are aware of this proposal, and there have been some initial discussions, but we have not yet seen any detailed plans." The building was built in 1922 and is currently owned by the Japanese Shirayama property group. The present Saatchi Gallery in Boundary Road, north London was founded in 1985 by Charles Saatchi to show work from his collection of contemporary art that comprises of over 2000 paintings, sculptures and installations. It is housed in a former paint factory converted by architect Max Gordon to create almost 30,000 square feet of exhibition space. (James Goulder)