Saatchi buys student's whole show

Charles Saatchi was so impressed with a young artist's work that he bought his entire graduation show.

James Howard, a student at the Royal Academy Schools, was shocked to discover the wealthy art collector wanted to buy 46 of his digital prints.

Each of the prints is a collage of photographic images made up to look like an internet advertisement, a concept that immediately caught the former advertising guru's eye.

Mr Howard, 26, has just completed the RA Schools' postgraduate course and was asleep when Mr Saatchi visited the academy last week.
Mr Saatchi was so impressed with what he saw that he asked for the artist's phone number and called him to make him an offer for the entire collection. Mr Howard told The Times: "I was completely shocked. It's a great encouragement for a young artist starting out."

Mr Saatchi is well-respected in the art world and his opinions can make or break an artist. In the past he has helped shape the careers of Damien Hirst, Tracey Emin and Natasha Kissell. He paid £4,500 for the 46 pieces by Mr Howard, but their value will have risen considerably since then.

The collector is known for buying entire collections, allowing him to control the supply and demand for an artist and push up prices.