The art market does not reliably sort by talent, according to the founder of New Blood Art, who argues that survival is the organising force. A statistic from the most recent Frieze London art fair shows that just 7% of exhibiting artists came from working-class families.
The founder argues that the conditions for becoming an artist are filtered by class before the market judges talent. Artists who survive long enough to build meaningful careers are usually those with some form of material protection, such as financial stability, housing security and the capacity to absorb years of low or unpaid work.
New Blood Art, founded in 2004, was created to bridge the gap between serious artists leaving art school and buyers wanting credible emerging artists. The gallery introduced artist Georgia Dymock in 2020, listing her painting Purple Pinch at £1,700. In April 2022, it sold on the secondary market at Phillips' "New Now" auction for £23,940.
The founder said the economics of early-stage work mean the identification, advocacy and development that forms careers carries sustained cost, while the rewards concentrate later elsewhere in the market. After an 18-month reflective period, the gallery has been split into a smaller, more commercially focused gallery and a foundation in formation, which will carry public-interest work including the Emerging Art Prize.