0:00:02 > 0:00:04Britain's top artists make big money.
0:00:04 > 0:00:05Their works can go for millions.
0:00:05 > 0:00:08Nine million five. Ten million. Ten million five. 11 million.
0:00:08 > 0:00:12Up and down the country, thousands of ordinary people are also
0:00:12 > 0:00:14trying to get a piece of the action.
0:00:14 > 0:00:17They're putting their necks on the block for the chance
0:00:17 > 0:00:19to sell at the hottest exhibition in town.
0:00:19 > 0:00:23To see my painting up on the wall of the gallery.
0:00:23 > 0:00:25It would be unbelievable.
0:00:25 > 0:00:26Bring it on, come on, let's have it.
0:00:26 > 0:00:29These artists could stand to make some serious cash.
0:00:29 > 0:00:32I've valued it at £1,500.
0:00:32 > 0:00:34£2,500.
0:00:34 > 0:00:36But first they need the seal of approval
0:00:36 > 0:00:39from three of the art world's toughest critics.
0:00:39 > 0:00:40Do you think this is clever?
0:00:40 > 0:00:43Their hopes are in the hands of the Hanging Committee.
0:00:45 > 0:00:48Get yourself to art school and have some grounding in how to paint.
0:00:48 > 0:00:51I absolutely love it.
0:00:51 > 0:00:53It's time to Show Me The Monet.
0:00:57 > 0:00:59Hello, and welcome to Show Me The Monet.
0:00:59 > 0:01:03Over the past few months, creative people across the UK,
0:01:03 > 0:01:04both amateur and professional,
0:01:04 > 0:01:07have been vying for the chance to show and sell their work
0:01:07 > 0:01:09at our prestigious exhibition.
0:01:09 > 0:01:13But, to earn their place, they had to face the Hanging Committee.
0:01:13 > 0:01:18Charlotte Mullins has written ten books on art and contemporary culture.
0:01:18 > 0:01:21She knows what it takes to cut it in the modern art world.
0:01:21 > 0:01:23I'm looking for originality.
0:01:23 > 0:01:26Artworks that make me see the world in a completely new way.
0:01:26 > 0:01:29Roy Bolton is an art dealer who's sold thousands of paintings
0:01:29 > 0:01:31over the years.
0:01:31 > 0:01:33Technical ability is the skill to express yourself
0:01:33 > 0:01:35in whatever artistic language you choose.
0:01:35 > 0:01:38And David Lee has over two decades in the game
0:01:38 > 0:01:42and doesn't mince his words when it comes to critiquing art.
0:01:42 > 0:01:45Only the greatest works of art can stop you
0:01:45 > 0:01:48in their tracks with their overpowering beauty.
0:01:48 > 0:01:50But there's no harm in trying.
0:01:50 > 0:01:53These experts were the gatekeepers to our exhibition.
0:01:53 > 0:01:55And only the very best would be selected
0:01:55 > 0:01:59to show their work at the Mall Galleries.
0:01:59 > 0:02:00I'm going to say yes.
0:02:02 > 0:02:06Coming up on today's programme, a passionate young British artist
0:02:06 > 0:02:09tells the judges what he really thinks.
0:02:09 > 0:02:11- I think that's a load of- BLEEP.
0:02:11 > 0:02:14I think art should be about war, sex, death and religion.
0:02:14 > 0:02:17Roy gets a fit of the giggles.
0:02:17 > 0:02:20And Charlotte grapples with an unusual style.
0:02:20 > 0:02:24It's just quite difficult to look at. They're quite grotesque.
0:02:24 > 0:02:25Absolutely.
0:02:29 > 0:02:30Eltham Palace, South London,
0:02:30 > 0:02:34one of the few surviving medieval royal palaces in England.
0:02:34 > 0:02:37It was an awe-inspiring backdrop for our aspiring artists,
0:02:37 > 0:02:43as, one by one, they faced the Hanging Committee in the magnificent Great Hall.
0:02:44 > 0:02:48First over the bridge was 25-year-old graphic designer
0:02:48 > 0:02:50Joseph Steele, from Burton-on-Trent.
0:02:50 > 0:02:53He's already been tipped as one of a new generation
0:02:53 > 0:02:56of Young British Artists, and he's no stranger to controversy.
0:02:56 > 0:03:00That's not surprising, given his favourite subjects -
0:03:00 > 0:03:04sex, death, religion and war.
0:03:04 > 0:03:06I've had exhibitions across the country,
0:03:06 > 0:03:09running my own pop-up shows, and I've had some gallery shows.
0:03:09 > 0:03:12But I haven't quite had any...
0:03:12 > 0:03:15I haven't got to the next stage yet, I guess.
0:03:15 > 0:03:17Now, for a layman, what's a pop-up show?
0:03:17 > 0:03:20Anywhere there's an empty space and you can put some art in it, and
0:03:20 > 0:03:25it's a great way to get your art out to the public from an early stage.
0:03:25 > 0:03:27If you do get to the exhibition and you sell,
0:03:27 > 0:03:29what would you spend the money on?
0:03:30 > 0:03:35Well, I'm trying to make a film, a short film,
0:03:35 > 0:03:38about a hermit that lives in a wood.
0:03:38 > 0:03:40So many questions about that film, and I haven't got time, sadly.
0:03:40 > 0:03:42I've got to send you in.
0:03:42 > 0:03:45To see the judges, they are through that door.
0:03:45 > 0:03:47- Good luck!- Thanks very much.
0:03:51 > 0:03:54Joseph's already making waves in the art world,
0:03:54 > 0:03:57but a place at the exhibition would give him some serious credibility.
0:03:57 > 0:04:01And it's this print that he's hoping will get him there.
0:04:08 > 0:04:09Hello.
0:04:10 > 0:04:12- Joseph, hello?- Hi.
0:04:12 > 0:04:15Welcome to the Hanging Committee. Would you like to tell us about this?
0:04:15 > 0:04:16This is Nissunami,
0:04:16 > 0:04:21and it's a digital print I made in August last year.
0:04:21 > 0:04:27And it is a re-rendering of one of Hokusai's 36 Views of Mount Fuji,
0:04:27 > 0:04:32rendered entirely using hundreds and hundreds of Japanese cars.
0:04:32 > 0:04:37I created the work after the tsunami disaster,
0:04:37 > 0:04:41but I didn't think I could do it by representing the human loss,
0:04:41 > 0:04:44I wanted instead to try and connect to it through the material loss,
0:04:44 > 0:04:46which I found equally as shocking.
0:04:47 > 0:04:50OK. And how much would you charge for this?
0:04:50 > 0:04:53Between £2,800 and £3,200.
0:04:54 > 0:04:57If Joseph is to make it to the exhibition,
0:04:57 > 0:05:01he'll need two of our panel to give his work a yes vote.
0:05:02 > 0:05:05So, up close you can really see the detail, the gauges of design,
0:05:05 > 0:05:09the mountain change, the waves change, the trees change, the sky change.
0:05:09 > 0:05:12You're looking at thousands and thousands of mouse clicks,
0:05:12 > 0:05:14it's quite an obsessive, detailed work.
0:05:16 > 0:05:18And it took a month.
0:05:18 > 0:05:21They'll be judging his piece on three criteria.
0:05:21 > 0:05:23Originality, technical ability, and on emotional impact.
0:05:26 > 0:05:30Joseph, this is a direct copy,
0:05:30 > 0:05:35a reworking of a Japanese print by Hokusai,
0:05:35 > 0:05:38one of the most famous Japanese printmakers of the 19th century.
0:05:38 > 0:05:41Why did you choose this work,
0:05:41 > 0:05:45and why did you choose to work with it so literally?
0:05:46 > 0:05:48I have to think this over in my head a little bit.
0:05:48 > 0:05:53It's a bit like when I pretended to be Andy Warhol at university.
0:05:53 > 0:05:56Oh my God - no, that's dangerous, I'm not saying that!
0:05:56 > 0:05:59I was... I wanted to learn more about him, and I wanted to
0:05:59 > 0:06:03understand the composite, like, his work, what he stood for.
0:06:05 > 0:06:07Well, that has to be one of the most unusual answers
0:06:07 > 0:06:09we've had in the Hanging Committee.
0:06:09 > 0:06:15This work is really bringing up-to-date the 19th century print
0:06:15 > 0:06:19of what was a tsunami, into the 21st century.
0:06:19 > 0:06:25But I feel that making it out of cars cheapens what was
0:06:25 > 0:06:31an horrific disaster, that's very, very fresh in all our minds.
0:06:31 > 0:06:34I think that, it's sort of, I quite like to be unsettled by things,
0:06:34 > 0:06:38but I don't feel unsettled, more that I feel like I've been made to
0:06:38 > 0:06:41listen to a bad joke that will make someone else feel uncomfortable.
0:06:41 > 0:06:45He's not relating one event specifically to another,
0:06:45 > 0:06:53he's drawing, I think, a general view of natural tragedies,
0:06:53 > 0:06:58and suggesting that maybe there is a human element in them.
0:06:58 > 0:07:00And in that I can see perfectly well.
0:07:00 > 0:07:03I mean, distasteful, if you're, if you find this distasteful,
0:07:03 > 0:07:04I feel sorry for you.
0:07:04 > 0:07:06I'm finding it a confused message.
0:07:06 > 0:07:08Same here.
0:07:08 > 0:07:11Mmm, David seems to be the only judge who understands
0:07:11 > 0:07:14what Joseph's getting at here.
0:07:14 > 0:07:16Am I moved by that in any way?
0:07:16 > 0:07:19Um... Not really.
0:07:19 > 0:07:22I've seen the image, I know what you've made it of,
0:07:22 > 0:07:25I've got your message, but I don't want to come back to it,
0:07:25 > 0:07:27because I know what the message is.
0:07:27 > 0:07:31And art, really, is something you come back to many, many times
0:07:31 > 0:07:37without being able to solve, and each time you go back to it, you
0:07:37 > 0:07:39discover something new, so in, in that sense it doesn't work at all.
0:07:44 > 0:07:45Joseph.
0:07:45 > 0:07:50In terms of originality, it is, in my eyes, a direct copy of a print,
0:07:50 > 0:07:53and although I see that you've pulled it into the 21st century
0:07:53 > 0:07:56by using cars to make it,
0:07:56 > 0:07:57that just is quite a light trick,
0:07:57 > 0:08:02and there's no depth to it, so I don't connect with it emotionally.
0:08:02 > 0:08:06Can I just, I, OK, so it's a no, I guess.
0:08:06 > 0:08:09We all have our different opinions.
0:08:09 > 0:08:10I actually have more things to say.
0:08:10 > 0:08:14OK, sorry, please. Carry on.
0:08:14 > 0:08:16Joseph's clearly rattled by the critique.
0:08:16 > 0:08:18Let's see if Roy can give him any more hope.
0:08:19 > 0:08:22I think you're a very interesting character,
0:08:22 > 0:08:25I think you're a very interesting artist.
0:08:25 > 0:08:29But I have the same problem as my other two judges in different ways,
0:08:29 > 0:08:31that it's got one sole message,
0:08:31 > 0:08:36and once I know that message, I don't necessarily need to come back,
0:08:36 > 0:08:39I won't be refreshed in any way by seeing it again.
0:08:39 > 0:08:41So I'm stuck on that one.
0:08:41 > 0:08:43So, we're going to move to the vote now.
0:08:43 > 0:08:45- Can I make one last statement? - Please do.
0:08:45 > 0:08:47I've seen a lot of art in London,
0:08:47 > 0:08:52and I see a lot of art that is like, I don't know,
0:08:52 > 0:08:55community stuff, or, like, some arrangements of cardboard.
0:08:55 > 0:08:58- And I think that's a load of- BLEEP.
0:08:58 > 0:09:01I think art should be about war, sex, death and religion.
0:09:01 > 0:09:06And this is what I'm aspiring to make with this piece of work.
0:09:06 > 0:09:10I may not be there yet, but one day I will be able to get there.
0:09:11 > 0:09:13A passionate plea from the young artist.
0:09:13 > 0:09:16The Monet bleep machine going into overdrive on that one.
0:09:16 > 0:09:18But will he have swayed the judges?
0:09:18 > 0:09:20A place at the exhibition
0:09:20 > 0:09:24and the chance to make around £3,000 for his movie depend on it.
0:09:25 > 0:09:29Joseph. That one point, I can't come back to it again and again,
0:09:29 > 0:09:30and that's what stops it for me.
0:09:30 > 0:09:33So it is a no from me. Charlotte?
0:09:35 > 0:09:36Joseph, it's a no.
0:09:38 > 0:09:42Make sure you keep blasting at capitalism and consumerism.
0:09:42 > 0:09:44I'm afraid it's a no from me, as well.
0:09:44 > 0:09:49Oh my gosh! Right, OK. Well, thanks very much for your feedback.
0:09:49 > 0:09:51I'm extremely disappointed,
0:09:51 > 0:09:55I am genuinely extremely disappointed, but that's fine.
0:09:55 > 0:09:57I'm disappointed we don't have YOU.
0:09:57 > 0:10:00- I don't think it'll be the last we see of you.- Yeah. Thanks. Bye.
0:10:02 > 0:10:04FOOTSTEPS ECHO
0:10:10 > 0:10:12BLEEP!
0:10:13 > 0:10:16Why's he allowed to use bad language like that when I'm not?
0:10:20 > 0:10:22- Hi.- Oh!- Hi, how are you doing?
0:10:22 > 0:10:24- Commiserations.- All right.
0:10:24 > 0:10:28Deep breath. Did you find it constructive? I can see that you're angry.
0:10:28 > 0:10:33I found it constructive in so far as to get, like, to get some feedback.
0:10:33 > 0:10:36I found it less constructive in so far as I'm still here
0:10:36 > 0:10:37and I should be at work.
0:10:37 > 0:10:40- All right. I'll let you go then. - Sweet, thanks very much.
0:10:40 > 0:10:43- Take care.- Nice to meet you. - Sorry to make you late. - That's all right. Bye!
0:10:44 > 0:10:48To win a place at the exhibition, we asked artists from all over
0:10:48 > 0:10:50the country to send us their work.
0:10:50 > 0:10:53We had entries from both amateurs and professionals,
0:10:53 > 0:10:55and the standard was incredibly high.
0:10:58 > 0:11:01One of our professional entrants was Matthew Small from London.
0:11:01 > 0:11:04Matthew has developed a sizeable reputation as an artist
0:11:04 > 0:11:07over the last ten years, but he's also a man with a mission.
0:11:07 > 0:11:10If he gets through to the exhibition and sells his painting,
0:11:10 > 0:11:14he'll use the money to set up art workshops for disadvantaged people.
0:11:15 > 0:11:17Matthew. Nice to meet you.
0:11:17 > 0:11:18Lovely to meet you too.
0:11:18 > 0:11:21Now, Matthew, I'm looking down at your CV.
0:11:21 > 0:11:25It's very impressive. You're award-winning, you've sold art.
0:11:25 > 0:11:28The thing that strikes me is that you've got everything to lose.
0:11:28 > 0:11:29Are you not frightened?
0:11:29 > 0:11:32I think as an artist you know that you put your work up,
0:11:32 > 0:11:36you make it visible, people can have opinions, and you can't shy away from that.
0:11:36 > 0:11:37What are your ambitions, then?
0:11:37 > 0:11:40I think it's to allow my work to sort of be seen by more and more people.
0:11:40 > 0:11:44I think because I'm so passionate about the subject matter that I deal with,
0:11:44 > 0:11:48that's my main aim for my work.
0:11:48 > 0:11:52- I wish you the very best of luck. - Thank you very much.- Stay brave. - I shall.- Through those doors there.
0:11:52 > 0:11:53All right. Cheers, sir.
0:11:56 > 0:11:58Matthew has shown his work in galleries in London and abroad
0:11:58 > 0:12:02and he already sells pieces for up to £10,000.
0:12:02 > 0:12:05So he's taken a huge risk coming here today.
0:12:05 > 0:12:07And this is a first.
0:12:07 > 0:12:11His colourful portrait is painted not on canvas, but on a fridge door.
0:12:11 > 0:12:15If these three powerhouses of the art world don't like what they see
0:12:15 > 0:12:19Matthew's reputation could be in tatters.
0:12:22 > 0:12:26Hello, Matthew. Welcome to the Hanging Committee. Please tell us about your work.
0:12:26 > 0:12:27OK. This is a young guy.
0:12:27 > 0:12:33He's the sort of person that you might see on the housing estates,
0:12:33 > 0:12:35see him on the streets,
0:12:35 > 0:12:38the sort of person I feel is being ignored by society.
0:12:38 > 0:12:43My aim is to try and represent, give him a little bit of light.
0:12:43 > 0:12:46I want to, I want to show these guys as individuals, as opposed
0:12:46 > 0:12:49to how the media portray them, and how we all start to believe that
0:12:49 > 0:12:54they're less than, than anyone else, and I think that's my main agenda.
0:12:54 > 0:12:58And could you tell me how much you value this work for?
0:12:58 > 0:13:00Well, I have a going rate, because I'm an artist in my own right,
0:13:00 > 0:13:04so he's about three-and-a-half grand.
0:13:04 > 0:13:06We'll come and take a closer look.
0:13:07 > 0:13:09If Matthew gets through to our exhibition
0:13:09 > 0:13:11he has the chance to sell his painting.
0:13:11 > 0:13:14He plans to use the money to pay for venues
0:13:14 > 0:13:16and materials for his art workshops.
0:13:16 > 0:13:19But first he has to get past the panel.
0:13:22 > 0:13:26Do you find these fridge doors,
0:13:26 > 0:13:28is this the way you work normally, on found objects?
0:13:28 > 0:13:31I am primarily known for working on found materials.
0:13:31 > 0:13:35My mission is to sort of reclaim these things,
0:13:35 > 0:13:37and try and sort of, make use of them again.
0:13:37 > 0:13:40In the way that you're trying to reclaim your subject.
0:13:40 > 0:13:42Subject matter is exactly the same kind of process.
0:13:42 > 0:13:47If you can reclaim something that's no longer required by society,
0:13:47 > 0:13:49which a lot of young people can feel like,
0:13:49 > 0:13:52then when you marry these two, the material and the subject matter,
0:13:52 > 0:13:55I feel like it gives it a lot more of a, of a power.
0:13:55 > 0:13:58Funnily enough, I thought the fridge door would be incredibly
0:13:58 > 0:14:01distracting and unnecessary, but it does make a lot more sense,
0:14:01 > 0:14:03it does give it more power.
0:14:03 > 0:14:07So Mathew's decision to paint on a found object has earned him
0:14:07 > 0:14:08some Brownie points.
0:14:08 > 0:14:11But it's the skill of the painting on that fridge door
0:14:11 > 0:14:13that he's really being judged on.
0:14:14 > 0:14:18Can I just ask you both what you think about the paintwork?
0:14:18 > 0:14:20I mean, it's very pretty and decorative,
0:14:20 > 0:14:23but does it actually add anything to the eyes, the nose and the mouth?
0:14:23 > 0:14:26David, I don't think it's decorative at all, I think that paint
0:14:26 > 0:14:29makes this person, it gives them so much expression and energy.
0:14:29 > 0:14:33- But how?- Energy, I just feel like you've gone, wham!
0:14:33 > 0:14:36And thrown paint at that, and that is that person's character to me.
0:14:36 > 0:14:39How can decorative, swirling paint equate to character?
0:14:39 > 0:14:42I'm saying this is not decorative, swirling paint.
0:14:42 > 0:14:45The way it splashes out across the forehead,
0:14:45 > 0:14:48the way it drips down from the eye, it gives it strength.
0:14:48 > 0:14:53- You're making it up as you go along, Charlotte.- You're just not opening your eyes, David.
0:14:54 > 0:14:57Matthew's painting has sparked a heated debate.
0:14:57 > 0:15:00But does it fulfil all the judges' criteria?
0:15:00 > 0:15:03Technical ability, I think it has it in bucket loads.
0:15:03 > 0:15:09You've drawn a face out of what seems to the casual viewer
0:15:09 > 0:15:12to be a haphazard arrangement of Technicolor,
0:15:12 > 0:15:14but it obviously isn't that.
0:15:14 > 0:15:17Matthew, originality?
0:15:18 > 0:15:22It's not every day you see anything on fridge doors, is it?
0:15:22 > 0:15:26I like your theme, I think your theme is marvellous.
0:15:26 > 0:15:27Thank you.
0:15:27 > 0:15:30Emotional content? I think it's decorative.
0:15:30 > 0:15:34Matthew, I'm going to disagree with David. I think...
0:15:34 > 0:15:35That's nice of you!
0:15:35 > 0:15:38This is an incredibly powerful portrait.
0:15:38 > 0:15:41I love the way you've flung the paint around, but also controlled it.
0:15:41 > 0:15:45Matthew seems to be enjoying the debate his work has provoked.
0:15:45 > 0:15:48But will he still be smiling after the vote?
0:15:48 > 0:15:49As a professional artist,
0:15:49 > 0:15:53failure to make the exhibition would not be good for business.
0:15:54 > 0:15:57For me, it's an absolute and resounding yes. Congratulations.
0:15:57 > 0:15:58Brilliant.
0:16:07 > 0:16:09I'm going to surprise you.
0:16:09 > 0:16:10Yes.
0:16:13 > 0:16:15It's not perfect. But I want it in the show.
0:16:15 > 0:16:18- Brilliant.- I'm going to say yes too. Well done.
0:16:18 > 0:16:21We're going to have great fun seeing that in the exhibition.
0:16:21 > 0:16:23- A truly worthy entrant.- Thank you.
0:16:23 > 0:16:25Can I shake your hand?
0:16:25 > 0:16:26- Please do.- Yay!
0:16:26 > 0:16:27It's a hat trick for Matthew.
0:16:27 > 0:16:31His portrait will hang at the Mall Galleries.
0:16:31 > 0:16:34He now has the chance to spread his message to a larger audience.
0:16:34 > 0:16:37And if he can make a sale, he'll have some valuable funding
0:16:37 > 0:16:38for those art workshops.
0:16:41 > 0:16:44The Mall Galleries, London, and I'm guessing it was
0:16:44 > 0:16:48the first time a fridge door had hung on these prestigious walls.
0:16:50 > 0:16:52I like the fridge door painting of the young boy.
0:16:52 > 0:16:54I've never seen a painting like that before.
0:16:54 > 0:16:57The exhibition was open to the public.
0:16:57 > 0:17:00And Matthew's eye-catching piece was instantly causing a stir.
0:17:00 > 0:17:04We saw a lovely piece of work by Matthew, very interesting.
0:17:04 > 0:17:09Matthew is another artist that I really enjoy and loved.
0:17:09 > 0:17:13He sort of encompassed a way of looking at portraiture,
0:17:13 > 0:17:15which wasn't necessarily about appearance.
0:17:15 > 0:17:18And as the evening got into full swing, so did Matthew.
0:17:18 > 0:17:20'The more people that come in and feel'
0:17:20 > 0:17:24a connection to it, the better, because that means I'm doing something right.
0:17:24 > 0:17:27There seemed to be no end of admirers for Matthew's work.
0:17:27 > 0:17:30But was anyone going to make a bid?
0:17:30 > 0:17:32Any offers on his work were made in secret
0:17:32 > 0:17:34and subject to a 10% sales commission.
0:17:34 > 0:17:37The results of the bidding were handled to me
0:17:37 > 0:17:39in a sealed envelope, and only revealed
0:17:39 > 0:17:42when I opened it in front of the artist for the first time.
0:17:44 > 0:17:45Matt, nice to see you.
0:17:45 > 0:17:46Good to see you too.
0:17:46 > 0:17:49How was it with your fridge door in the Mall Galleries?
0:17:49 > 0:17:52It was great, I had a good old time with it,
0:17:52 > 0:17:55people were discussing the work, which is exactly what I wanted.
0:17:55 > 0:17:57But, other than that, there was a few people that was,
0:17:57 > 0:18:01was sort of showing genuine interest, so whether or not
0:18:01 > 0:18:05they've bit the bullet and gone for it, I don't know, but we shall see.
0:18:05 > 0:18:09OK, we will, we shall see, we'll open that envelope in a minute, but I just want to -
0:18:09 > 0:18:11look, I've got some beaming people behind you.
0:18:11 > 0:18:13What do you reckon, family? Will he do it?
0:18:13 > 0:18:14Yes!
0:18:14 > 0:18:17- See?- Everybody get their fingers crossed now, come on.
0:18:17 > 0:18:19OK. This is the envelope.
0:18:19 > 0:18:22I don't know what's inside, Matt, I honestly don't, I don't know.
0:18:22 > 0:18:24Here we go.
0:18:26 > 0:18:30You wanted £3,550.
0:18:30 > 0:18:33- Something like that. - Something like that.
0:18:33 > 0:18:35- We've had one offer.- One?
0:18:35 > 0:18:36One offer.
0:18:38 > 0:18:41It is £1,818.
0:18:41 > 0:18:45- What do you reckon?- Ooh!
0:18:45 > 0:18:49- Family and friends? Is it enough? - No.- Your partner's saying no.
0:18:49 > 0:18:52The little one at the back is shaking his head as well.
0:18:52 > 0:18:57Honouring my career as such I'd have to sort of decline that one.
0:18:57 > 0:18:58Unfortunately.
0:18:58 > 0:19:01All right, well, I'll say commiserations. Bad luck.
0:19:01 > 0:19:05- That's all right. - But congratulations on getting all the way through to our exhibition.
0:19:05 > 0:19:08- Hopefully you've made some great contacts.- I think there's a few there, definitely.
0:19:08 > 0:19:11Brilliant. And build on that career. And it's lovely to meet all of you.
0:19:11 > 0:19:14Give him, give him a round of applause.
0:19:16 > 0:19:19Matt may not have sold his painting this time,
0:19:19 > 0:19:23but his work successfully caught the eye of a curator who's asked him
0:19:23 > 0:19:27to display it in a group exhibition at another top London gallery.
0:19:31 > 0:19:35One by one, nervous artists arrived at the Hanging Committee.
0:19:35 > 0:19:37But only the select few were good enough.
0:19:37 > 0:19:42James Sparshatt's photograph of a tango dancing couple
0:19:42 > 0:19:45initially had the judges dancing to the beat.
0:19:45 > 0:19:48I see an intense moment between these people.
0:19:48 > 0:19:53And you have really captured that moment.
0:19:53 > 0:19:56I think it's a very good documentary photograph.
0:19:56 > 0:19:59So I can't commend you more highly than that.
0:19:59 > 0:20:03But in the end, it was that documentary style that put paid
0:20:03 > 0:20:04to his chances.
0:20:04 > 0:20:08I just don't feel it has that art edge that I'm looking for.
0:20:08 > 0:20:10It's a no.
0:20:10 > 0:20:13Georgian artist Lyanna Rosa highlighted her Soviet roots
0:20:13 > 0:20:18in her portrait of a childhood friend entitled Born In The USSR.
0:20:18 > 0:20:21It reminded me a lot of one of the Soviet Union's officials,
0:20:21 > 0:20:24which I was so afraid of when I was small girl.
0:20:24 > 0:20:27Roy, for one, was impressed with her style.
0:20:27 > 0:20:30I do like the way you've taken Soviet Realism,
0:20:30 > 0:20:34which was a very realistic, communist-sanctioned way of painting,
0:20:34 > 0:20:37and painting the workers heroically.
0:20:37 > 0:20:40But Charlotte felt Lyanna had further to travel.
0:20:40 > 0:20:44As someone who's just been painting three years, completely self-taught,
0:20:44 > 0:20:48you've come a long way, but you need to feel something, some connection with her.
0:20:48 > 0:20:50I don't feel that's there at the moment.
0:20:50 > 0:20:53And, unfortunately, Lyanna's journey ended here.
0:20:55 > 0:20:57You're almost there. But you're not.
0:20:57 > 0:20:59Not yet. So, it's a no.
0:21:01 > 0:21:05Next up was charity worker Clive Wakeford, with his photograph
0:21:05 > 0:21:09of a painted dead oak tree, called A120 Ghost Tree.
0:21:09 > 0:21:13Charlotte had issues with the presentation of his work.
0:21:13 > 0:21:15Technically, I don't think
0:21:15 > 0:21:17the quality of the print does it justice.
0:21:17 > 0:21:21I didn't want it to be an absolutely perfect, pristine print.
0:21:21 > 0:21:25I wanted it to have the air of mystique, of a spirit coming back.
0:21:25 > 0:21:28But Roy certainly got the message behind the piece.
0:21:28 > 0:21:31The idea behind it, very, very simple,
0:21:31 > 0:21:32and very good.
0:21:32 > 0:21:34It's a yes.
0:21:34 > 0:21:38But with only one vote, Clive failed to secure a spot at the exhibition.
0:21:38 > 0:21:42- It's a no from me.- Thank you.
0:21:42 > 0:21:4548-year-old art teacher Chris Jove was hoping his painting,
0:21:45 > 0:21:47entitled Patience, would put him top of the class.
0:21:47 > 0:21:50She's waiting for somebody.
0:21:50 > 0:21:53That's why I positioned her over to the left, to the left-hand side,
0:21:53 > 0:21:55to kind of suggest that.
0:21:55 > 0:21:57Charlotte warmed to elements of the painting.
0:21:57 > 0:21:59You have some lovely moments in this.
0:21:59 > 0:22:02The handbag is great, the fact that her legs drop down, you know,
0:22:02 > 0:22:04I believe those elements.
0:22:04 > 0:22:07But David had issues with the composition.
0:22:07 > 0:22:10I don't believe that arm is actually sitting on that leg.
0:22:10 > 0:22:12It doesn't sit on it properly.
0:22:12 > 0:22:16I think it's a question of what we think something should look like and what it actually looks like.
0:22:16 > 0:22:20It was a spirited fight back, but in the end it wasn't enough.
0:22:20 > 0:22:22Not just yet. No.
0:22:24 > 0:22:28Also hoping to impress the judges was 53-year-old Jackie Jones,
0:22:28 > 0:22:29a professional artist from Norwich.
0:22:29 > 0:22:33Jackie is passionate about the environment,
0:22:33 > 0:22:36and has come to the Hanging Committee hoping to raise money
0:22:36 > 0:22:38to put towards a research trip to the Arctic.
0:22:38 > 0:22:43She submitted this sculpture, which is entitled A Bag For Life.
0:22:52 > 0:22:54- Hello, Jackie.- Hi. - Welcome to the Hanging Committee.
0:22:54 > 0:22:57Would you introduce us to your sculpture, please?
0:22:57 > 0:23:00I'm an artist that's interested in environmental issues.
0:23:00 > 0:23:04I think in society today we very much use packaging,
0:23:04 > 0:23:07use plastic packaging, we just take the food out of the plastic tray
0:23:07 > 0:23:11and throw it into landfill, because a lot of plastics can't be recycled.
0:23:11 > 0:23:14And this is part of a series,
0:23:14 > 0:23:20but all the bags are sculpted in the form of embryonic figures.
0:23:20 > 0:23:23Thank you very much. And what price do you put on this?
0:23:23 > 0:23:26On this piece it would be around £300.
0:23:26 > 0:23:28That's great, thank you, we'll have a closer look now.
0:23:30 > 0:23:33Jackie's hoping her foetus-shaped sculpture
0:23:33 > 0:23:35will provoke debate about environmental issues.
0:23:35 > 0:23:38If she gets to our exhibition and sells her work,
0:23:38 > 0:23:41she plans to put the money towards a trip to the Arctic to help
0:23:41 > 0:23:43inspire new environmental art.
0:23:43 > 0:23:45A lot is riding on the next few minutes.
0:23:45 > 0:23:50No wonder she's looking a little nervous.
0:23:52 > 0:23:57Jackie, if I were to re-title this work A Bag For Death,
0:23:57 > 0:24:01would I be going off the rails as far as you're concerned?
0:24:01 > 0:24:03I think that's really interesting.
0:24:03 > 0:24:07It can be interpreted different ways. I'm happy for that to happen.
0:24:07 > 0:24:13Maybe I would say, well, maybe, it's a little bit of death of the planet,
0:24:13 > 0:24:17really, because we're using, plundering resources wastefully.
0:24:17 > 0:24:20Jackie, you obviously want this to be emotionally unsettling,
0:24:20 > 0:24:23you've used an incredibly evocative form.
0:24:23 > 0:24:28What led you to connect the material to that sculptural form?
0:24:29 > 0:24:34This foetal position is a way of maybe thinking about
0:24:34 > 0:24:35the next generation,
0:24:35 > 0:24:41and that we should nurture our planet for the next generation.
0:24:41 > 0:24:45Jackie, the plastic is a water-soluble plastic, isn't it?
0:24:45 > 0:24:46So, biodegradable.
0:24:46 > 0:24:48It isn't biodegradable.
0:24:48 > 0:24:50It's an oil-based plastic, I've got to say,
0:24:50 > 0:24:55it isn't biodegradable unless it had hot water put onto it.
0:24:55 > 0:24:59Speaking of hot water and the medium, I noticed it's full of rice,
0:24:59 > 0:25:02sort of boil-in-the-bag rice.
0:25:02 > 0:25:03Is that significant to the piece?
0:25:03 > 0:25:06I chose rice as a medium
0:25:06 > 0:25:09because globally rice is a staple food product.
0:25:09 > 0:25:13Jackie seems to have thought of every little detail.
0:25:13 > 0:25:15Even the rice has a meaning behind it.
0:25:15 > 0:25:18But, will the environmental message hit home with the judges?
0:25:18 > 0:25:22I think, by itself, without Jackie's explanation, I...
0:25:22 > 0:25:26you obviously get a foetal position and a small, you know,
0:25:26 > 0:25:29a child of mid-term, sort of four months or so,
0:25:29 > 0:25:31that sort of size, I imagine.
0:25:31 > 0:25:35But I'm not sure I get anything too much about the Earth,
0:25:35 > 0:25:36or the planet.
0:25:36 > 0:25:40I don't, I don't think it matters, does it, does it, Roy?
0:25:40 > 0:25:42Does any of that matter?
0:25:42 > 0:25:46I mean, it's obviously had very significant
0:25:46 > 0:25:50layers of meaning for all of us in different ways.
0:25:50 > 0:25:56And if somebody can use a few scraps of plastic, manipulate it,
0:25:56 > 0:26:01quite simply, actually, and produce that kind of effect,
0:26:01 > 0:26:04that is surely what the definition of art is.
0:26:04 > 0:26:07I am getting a mixed message from this.
0:26:07 > 0:26:09I do find it a powerful piece.
0:26:10 > 0:26:14But when I looked at it I wasn't totally convinced by it.
0:26:15 > 0:26:17So, now we are going to move to our vote,
0:26:17 > 0:26:21to see whether this is going to come with us to the Mall Galleries.
0:26:22 > 0:26:25This one hangs in the balance.
0:26:25 > 0:26:27All three judges have had a strong response to the work.
0:26:27 > 0:26:30But they're reading it in different ways.
0:26:30 > 0:26:32But all that matters now is, how will they vote?
0:26:32 > 0:26:35- David, would you like to go first? - Yes, definitely.
0:26:35 > 0:26:36Thank you.
0:26:38 > 0:26:39Charlotte?
0:26:43 > 0:26:46Sorry, I'm really on the fence with this one,
0:26:46 > 0:26:49and that really surprises me.
0:26:50 > 0:26:53So, for that reason, I think I have to say no.
0:26:58 > 0:26:59The casting vote.
0:27:01 > 0:27:04I can't see any reason why I would say no.
0:27:04 > 0:27:06So it's a yes from me.
0:27:06 > 0:27:08Oh, I'm so pleased.
0:27:08 > 0:27:11I'm so pleased you just totally got it, as well.
0:27:11 > 0:27:14Thank you so much. That means a lot to me.
0:27:14 > 0:27:16Look forward to seeing it again, and you.
0:27:16 > 0:27:18Two yeses for Jackie.
0:27:18 > 0:27:21Her sculpture will be part of our grand exhibition.
0:27:21 > 0:27:24But will she find a buyer who wants to own her Bag For Life?
0:27:26 > 0:27:28The Mall Galleries, London.
0:27:28 > 0:27:31Jackie's sculpture may have been one of the smallest in the room,
0:27:31 > 0:27:33but it was certainly drawing in a big crowd.
0:27:33 > 0:27:35Jackie was in her element.
0:27:35 > 0:27:36But would anyone want to stump up the cash
0:27:36 > 0:27:38when it came to the sealed bid?
0:27:38 > 0:27:42Any offers on her work were subject to a 10% sales commission,
0:27:42 > 0:27:45and the results of the bidding were only revealed after the exhibition,
0:27:45 > 0:27:49when I opened the sealed envelope for the first time.
0:27:50 > 0:27:52How was it for you last night?
0:27:52 > 0:27:54Fantastic evening. It was a really fantastic evening.
0:27:54 > 0:27:57There was quite a lot of interest in my piece, and, yeah,
0:27:57 > 0:27:59I really enjoyed it.
0:27:59 > 0:28:02- So, down to the nitty gritty.- Yes.
0:28:02 > 0:28:03How much were we looking for?
0:28:03 > 0:28:04£300.
0:28:04 > 0:28:06And what were you going to do with that money?
0:28:06 > 0:28:08I'd like to put it towards
0:28:08 > 0:28:10a trip to the Arctic.
0:28:10 > 0:28:12Fingers crossed, everybody.
0:28:12 > 0:28:14Let's see if Jackie will be off on that trip.
0:28:18 > 0:28:19OK.
0:28:19 > 0:28:23So you wanted £300.
0:28:23 > 0:28:24Yes. That would be lovely.
0:28:24 > 0:28:29You've had an offer. For £311.11!
0:28:32 > 0:28:33'She's done it.
0:28:33 > 0:28:35'Jackie's successfully sold her piece,
0:28:35 > 0:28:38'and for more than her asking price.
0:28:38 > 0:28:40'She's one step closer to that Arctic adventure.'
0:28:40 > 0:28:44It's lovely that somebody appreciates it. Yeah.
0:28:44 > 0:28:45Fantastic.
0:28:52 > 0:28:56Back at Eltham Palace, 47-year-old Alyson Jackson was next up.
0:28:56 > 0:29:00She's always wanted to be a photographer, but with two sons
0:29:00 > 0:29:04to bring up, she opted for a secure job and became a careers advisor.
0:29:04 > 0:29:07But after 18 years advising others,
0:29:07 > 0:29:10she decided it was time to change her own career,
0:29:10 > 0:29:13and gave up her job to try to become a professional artist.
0:29:13 > 0:29:16Today she's brought along her photograph, Pembroke Water,
0:29:16 > 0:29:19to see if she's made the right decision.
0:29:30 > 0:29:32Alyson. Welcome to the Hanging Committee.
0:29:32 > 0:29:34Would you like to discuss your photograph?
0:29:34 > 0:29:38Yes, um... Oh! Right.
0:29:38 > 0:29:40It's a photograph that I took in Pembrokeshire,
0:29:40 > 0:29:43where I went just to escape, really.
0:29:43 > 0:29:47I think it was because - I just, I like the way that
0:29:47 > 0:29:49there's something solid in it,
0:29:49 > 0:29:51and then everything around it is moving and dynamic,
0:29:51 > 0:29:54a bit cliched, but it's a bit of a sort of metaphor for life for me,
0:29:54 > 0:29:56it's this, the sea has already been a passion.
0:29:56 > 0:30:00So, what I've tried to capture is some kind of essence of that,
0:30:00 > 0:30:02some kind of sense of that place for me.
0:30:02 > 0:30:04And what value do you put on this?
0:30:04 > 0:30:06I think £450.
0:30:06 > 0:30:09- We should have a closer look, I think.- Sure.
0:30:10 > 0:30:12If Alyson manages to sell her work,
0:30:12 > 0:30:17that £450 will go towards treating her family to a fun day out.
0:30:17 > 0:30:19She must be feeling very nervous,
0:30:19 > 0:30:22as three of the art world's most respected critics
0:30:22 > 0:30:25decide if her piece is good enough for their exhibition.
0:30:37 > 0:30:40A black-and-white photograph of the sea,
0:30:40 > 0:30:43it's hard to be original with that and you've done it with the format.
0:30:43 > 0:30:47- Do you think you have the photographer's eye?- Yes. Yes, I do.
0:30:47 > 0:30:49I almost walk through my whole life
0:30:49 > 0:30:53with a frame of what might... and I'm aware of light, all that,
0:30:53 > 0:30:55it's something that's been there for a long time.
0:30:55 > 0:30:57Why, therefore, did you take
0:30:57 > 0:31:00what IS an old-fashioned photographic cliche?
0:31:00 > 0:31:03Because we've all got three versions of this picture
0:31:03 > 0:31:07- in our portfolio, haven't we? - This was different for me, though.
0:31:07 > 0:31:10I think, to be honest, one of the issues for me is that...
0:31:10 > 0:31:13it sounds so cliched, but it is such a passion for me
0:31:13 > 0:31:18that I don't necessarily want to get to that point where I've cracked it.
0:31:18 > 0:31:21The reason that I love to go and spend five days on my own,
0:31:21 > 0:31:24away from my kids and my husband and my dogs
0:31:24 > 0:31:27- is that I just want to do it more and more.- Alyson.
0:31:27 > 0:31:31The ambiguity in this photograph I find interesting.
0:31:31 > 0:31:34Unfortunately, where your work, I think, just falls down,
0:31:34 > 0:31:36is on originality.
0:31:36 > 0:31:40I feel that I could walk into any coastal gallery and see this image.
0:31:40 > 0:31:45That this is not sufficiently making me see the sea anew,
0:31:45 > 0:31:46through your eyes.
0:31:46 > 0:31:48Oh, dear.
0:31:48 > 0:31:50Alyson has taken a huge risk giving up her job
0:31:50 > 0:31:53to see if she can make a living from her photographs.
0:31:53 > 0:31:56Now she really wants to know that she's on the right path at last.
0:31:56 > 0:32:00But I'm not sure how the vote will go for her.
0:32:01 > 0:32:02Hmm.
0:32:09 > 0:32:10No.
0:32:12 > 0:32:13Charlotte?
0:32:17 > 0:32:19- I'm afraid it's no.- OK.
0:32:21 > 0:32:25I'm sorry, Alyson, it doesn't really matter what I say at this point
0:32:25 > 0:32:26but it would also be a no.
0:32:26 > 0:32:29Thank you. I really, really appreciate your comments. Thank you.
0:32:29 > 0:32:32Oh, no. That's a bitter disappointment for Alyson.
0:32:32 > 0:32:34Although the judges have recognised her talent,
0:32:34 > 0:32:37they say she's not quite ready yet.
0:32:39 > 0:32:43I know we hoped that if you got to the exhibition, it would mean
0:32:43 > 0:32:44you're on the right path, Alyson,
0:32:44 > 0:32:47and this is where you found your niche in life.
0:32:47 > 0:32:49Have we still found that? Have we still done it?
0:32:49 > 0:32:52Oh, yes, without a doubt, I will still continue to do this,
0:32:52 > 0:32:54without any shadow of a doubt.
0:32:54 > 0:32:57- I love it.- I'm going to shake your hand and say the best of luck.
0:32:57 > 0:32:58- Thank you very much.- Not this time
0:32:58 > 0:33:01- but maybe next time. See you soon. - Bye-bye.- Lovely to meet you.
0:33:06 > 0:33:11One after another, the artists waited to see the Hanging Committee
0:33:11 > 0:33:14but only a few would leave with a coveted spot at the exhibition.
0:33:15 > 0:33:18Next in line was 64-year-old Judith Barton,
0:33:18 > 0:33:22a professional painter from the Isle of Wight.
0:33:22 > 0:33:24Judith was a late starter in the art world,
0:33:24 > 0:33:27and in fact, it was a miracle she started at all.
0:33:29 > 0:33:34- Hi Judith, welcome to Show Me the Monet. Nice to meet you.- Hi.
0:33:34 > 0:33:37I was diagnosed with a genetic eye disorder called Best's Disease,
0:33:37 > 0:33:40which is a disease of the retina.
0:33:40 > 0:33:42Right, so what does that mean? You can see...
0:33:42 > 0:33:44You know, the central vision's gone.
0:33:44 > 0:33:47- So it's right in the centre.- The central vision, yeah, the retina.
0:33:47 > 0:33:50Does that affect how you work with...?
0:33:50 > 0:33:52Yeah, I work very big now.
0:33:52 > 0:33:55- SHE LAUGHS - Right, so it has to be massive. OK.
0:33:55 > 0:33:57What turned it around for you? What was the turning point?
0:33:57 > 0:33:59It was my youngest daughter.
0:33:59 > 0:34:02It was the Daily Mail, they launched the Not the Turner Prize.
0:34:02 > 0:34:06- Right.- And unbeknown to me, she entered me for that
0:34:06 > 0:34:10and yeah, I was selected to exhibit at the Mall Galleries.
0:34:10 > 0:34:14I've heard of that place! I think we're going back there, aren't we?
0:34:14 > 0:34:18- And it's been good, so there's always a positive, isn't there?- Yes.
0:34:18 > 0:34:20Out of something that appears negative at the time.
0:34:20 > 0:34:23Love it. OK, so if you do get to the exhibition,
0:34:23 > 0:34:26you convince those judges you are the best thing since sliced bread
0:34:26 > 0:34:29and you sell at the exhibition, what would you spend your money on?
0:34:29 > 0:34:33Well, I'd take the family out for a really fantastic dinner.
0:34:33 > 0:34:35- Well, good luck.- Thank you.
0:34:35 > 0:34:38- The judges await through that door. - Thank you.
0:34:38 > 0:34:39I'm sure you're going to wow them.
0:34:41 > 0:34:45Judith has already hung her work once in the Mall Galleries.
0:34:45 > 0:34:50What would it do to her confidence if she was rejected this time?
0:34:50 > 0:34:54Judith has submitted this huge oil painting entitled Birthday Girls.
0:34:54 > 0:34:59Let's hope our judges aren't about to spoil the party.
0:35:07 > 0:35:10- Judith. Hello. Welcome to the Hanging Committee.- Hello.
0:35:10 > 0:35:13- Would you like to introduce us to your painting, please?- Well,
0:35:13 > 0:35:15I got the idea for this painting
0:35:15 > 0:35:20when I saw two ladies celebrating a birthday.
0:35:20 > 0:35:24And as the wine flowed, they became more and more animated,
0:35:24 > 0:35:26and they got louder and louder
0:35:26 > 0:35:29and they just could not stop laughing
0:35:29 > 0:35:30and it was very contagious.
0:35:30 > 0:35:34And I thought to myself that
0:35:34 > 0:35:39here they were, these ladies with their big, gnarled, arthritic hands,
0:35:39 > 0:35:43and their warm faces, and yet they really inspired me.
0:35:43 > 0:35:46- I thought it was such positive energy. - Fantastic, it is quite inspirational.
0:35:46 > 0:35:51Can you tell us, then, what price you'd put on a painting like this?
0:35:51 > 0:35:53It's got 7,500 on it.
0:35:53 > 0:35:557,500. OK.
0:35:55 > 0:35:59And you strike me as a professional artist, am I right?
0:35:59 > 0:36:01- Yes. Yes.- Have you been painting all your life?
0:36:01 > 0:36:05Yes, there was a big gap in my painting career,
0:36:05 > 0:36:07of actually about 25 years.
0:36:07 > 0:36:09I was diagnosed with Best's disease
0:36:09 > 0:36:12and I am now registered partially sighted.
0:36:12 > 0:36:15But it was my youngest daughter
0:36:15 > 0:36:18who actually got me back to work again, actually.
0:36:18 > 0:36:20Right, well, that is quite a story,
0:36:20 > 0:36:23- and something to thank your daughter for.- Yeah, absolutely.
0:36:23 > 0:36:26Judith, I think we'll take a look at this.
0:36:28 > 0:36:30Seven-and-a-half grand!
0:36:30 > 0:36:33Now, that would be some dinner for the family.
0:36:33 > 0:36:37Judith wasn't kidding about the size of her work. It's a whopper!
0:36:37 > 0:36:40And now every inch of it is being examined.
0:36:53 > 0:36:56Judith, we're each going to ask you a few questions now, individually.
0:36:56 > 0:37:00What I want to talk about most is the scale.
0:37:00 > 0:37:03Normally, with a lot of pictures, I might suggest to an artist
0:37:03 > 0:37:06that they need to upscale. This is already vast, and I actually think
0:37:06 > 0:37:08it would work a lot better if it was smaller.
0:37:08 > 0:37:11You were talking about your eye illness.
0:37:11 > 0:37:13- That's why I paint this size. - That's why.
0:37:13 > 0:37:18Judith, I know you can take some license with caricature,
0:37:18 > 0:37:22but those hands are taking over the world, aren't they?
0:37:22 > 0:37:25- They are. They are indeed.- Why?
0:37:25 > 0:37:29Because...when I was painting this, I was thinking back,
0:37:29 > 0:37:32and these ladies were larger than life,
0:37:32 > 0:37:36with huge gesticulations.
0:37:36 > 0:37:39And they were huge, gnarled, arthritic hands.
0:37:39 > 0:37:44- It's just quite difficult to look at. They're quite grotesque.- Absolutely.
0:37:44 > 0:37:50For my part, I love the hands, I think they're...they're grotesque
0:37:50 > 0:37:53- but they do, for me, they do exactly what you intended.- Thank you.
0:37:53 > 0:37:57They're greedily scoffing up the fun, and the sweets, and the wine.
0:37:57 > 0:37:59- They are.- And it is infectious.
0:37:59 > 0:38:02The ring marks all over the table from the numerous glasses of wine
0:38:02 > 0:38:05being spilled in the middle of laughing.
0:38:05 > 0:38:10- It would make a tremendous greetings card. A birthday card.- Yeah.
0:38:10 > 0:38:14Hmm, and as a card, it could be a real money-spinner.
0:38:14 > 0:38:20Do I think there's anything more than great illustration?
0:38:20 > 0:38:22Of that, I'm not sure.
0:38:25 > 0:38:28My issue comes down to originality,
0:38:28 > 0:38:33to whether something so illustrative can transcend into art.
0:38:35 > 0:38:37It brings a massive smile to my face when I see it.
0:38:37 > 0:38:40But when I'm walking past it at 6.30 in the morning
0:38:40 > 0:38:42with a cup of coffee, feeling grumpy,
0:38:42 > 0:38:46- they'll just annoy me. And that's different.- They might cheer you up.
0:38:46 > 0:38:49They might do, but on the 50th time, I'm not sure they would.
0:38:49 > 0:38:51This one is a nail-biter.
0:38:51 > 0:38:55The birthday girls have got the judges' attention
0:38:55 > 0:38:56but have they done enough
0:38:56 > 0:39:00to get Judith an invitation to our party at the Mall Galleries?
0:39:01 > 0:39:08I don't think we should discriminate against illustration or caricature.
0:39:08 > 0:39:10Yes.
0:39:12 > 0:39:13Charlotte.
0:39:14 > 0:39:17We're selecting for an art exhibition.
0:39:17 > 0:39:18I'm going to have to say no.
0:39:20 > 0:39:22Thank you.
0:39:22 > 0:39:25Judith, I'm right on the edge. But I'm going to say yes.
0:39:25 > 0:39:28- Thank you.- Congratulations. - Thank you very much.
0:39:28 > 0:39:32- You're very welcome.- Thank you, God bless.- A yes from Roy and David.
0:39:32 > 0:39:35Judith has earned her place at the exhibition.
0:39:35 > 0:39:38But will anyone want to buy her gigantic painting?
0:39:40 > 0:39:42The Mall Galleries, London.
0:39:42 > 0:39:45The exhibition was the talk of the town
0:39:45 > 0:39:49and Judith's painting took its place amongst the select few.
0:39:49 > 0:39:52As the room filled up, the party girls were in great spirits.
0:39:52 > 0:39:55And their mood seemed to be infectious.
0:39:55 > 0:39:59She made me laugh. Judith Barton's work, I just love it.
0:39:59 > 0:40:02I think there's so much humour, and life,
0:40:02 > 0:40:05and things that I can relate to in that. I would love that on my wall,
0:40:05 > 0:40:07I would love it, cos it would make me smile.
0:40:07 > 0:40:11There was no doubt the work was a talking point.
0:40:11 > 0:40:15But would anyone have £7,500 or the space for such a large painting?
0:40:15 > 0:40:18I would love to bid for the Judy Barton piece,
0:40:18 > 0:40:21but, you know, it's an order of magnitude
0:40:21 > 0:40:24over and above what I've got in my pocket tonight!
0:40:24 > 0:40:26The public could bid on any piece
0:40:26 > 0:40:28but they couldn't negotiate directly with the artist.
0:40:28 > 0:40:32They could only make secret sealed bids to an independent agent
0:40:32 > 0:40:35who would take a 10% commission on the final sale.
0:40:35 > 0:40:38The results of the bidding were handed to me in a sealed envelope
0:40:38 > 0:40:41and only revealed to the artist at the end of the exhibition.
0:40:43 > 0:40:44Judith. Welcome.
0:40:44 > 0:40:46- Thank you.- How was it last night?
0:40:46 > 0:40:49- Fantastic.- Yeah? - Really, really, great, great time.
0:40:49 > 0:40:51Met loads of fantastic people.
0:40:51 > 0:40:55Lots of positive comments, and, yeah, really enjoyed it.
0:40:55 > 0:40:57To coin a sort of phrase from showbiz,
0:40:57 > 0:41:01you owned that room last night. When I was walking around, you were,
0:41:01 > 0:41:04everybody was around this wonderful piece
0:41:04 > 0:41:06and you were telling everybody what it was about.
0:41:06 > 0:41:10Yeah, everybody was having fun with the girls.
0:41:10 > 0:41:12- And they were really enjoying themselves.- Yeah?
0:41:12 > 0:41:14They loved it, they loved the attention.
0:41:14 > 0:41:18- Now, I'm looking around. You've got a big entourage with you.- I have.
0:41:18 > 0:41:21Hello, everybody. Are you all proud of her?
0:41:21 > 0:41:23- Very.- Yeah.- Very, very proud indeed.
0:41:23 > 0:41:26- How much money did you want for this?- 7,500.
0:41:26 > 0:41:297,500. And what were you going to do with the money?
0:41:29 > 0:41:32Well, celebrate with my family, and my extended family,
0:41:32 > 0:41:34and then everything back into the art.
0:41:34 > 0:41:38So that's why they're here? For the big slap-up meal and drinks tonight?
0:41:38 > 0:41:41- Yeah.- Come on! Your sons are already rubbing their hands.
0:41:41 > 0:41:44How confident are you? Did you smell bidders?
0:41:44 > 0:41:49No, no, I'm not thinking in terms of that, to be perfectly honest.
0:41:49 > 0:41:52You know, for me, the achievement was being part of the exhibition.
0:41:52 > 0:41:54The rest is the icing on the cake.
0:41:54 > 0:41:57- Well, could be.- Could be.- We'll see.
0:41:57 > 0:41:59Right. So, you want 7,500.
0:42:05 > 0:42:06We didn't get any offers.
0:42:06 > 0:42:08- Oh, well, never mind.- Oh, no!
0:42:08 > 0:42:11- It's fine.- I can hear the "ahh"s behind me there,
0:42:11 > 0:42:14- cos they can't believe it, it was a very popular piece.- Yeah.
0:42:14 > 0:42:16Yeah, it really doesn't matter.
0:42:16 > 0:42:17As I say, you know,
0:42:17 > 0:42:21being part of the exhibition was the thing for me. Really and truly.
0:42:21 > 0:42:23- I'm really sorry. I'll give you a cuddle.- No, don't worry.
0:42:23 > 0:42:26- I honestly don't mind.- Good luck with everything.- Thank you.
0:42:26 > 0:42:30- And that is a fantastic piece.- Thank you.- We wish you the best of luck.
0:42:30 > 0:42:33- Thank you very much.- All right. Give her a cuddle, she needs it!
0:42:33 > 0:42:35APPLAUSE
0:42:35 > 0:42:38What a shame. But since then,
0:42:38 > 0:42:41Judith has successfully returned to the Mall Galleries
0:42:41 > 0:42:43to exhibit with the Society of Women Artists.
0:43:10 > 0:43:14Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd