THE godfather of Britart, Charles Saatchi, is to play a silent Svengali in an X Factor-style search for British artists.

Saatchi, who famously spotted and promoted young British artists such as Damien Hirst and Tracey Emin in the 1990s, is to preside over the talent contest, which will be screened on BBC2 later this year. The winner will have his or her work shown at the Hermitage museum in St Petersburg in October.

The exhibition will also be seen early next year at the new Saatchi Gallery in Chelsea, west London. But the collector will be barred from buying the winner’s work.

Mark Thompson, the BBC director-general, is to announce details of the programme this week in a speech on the corporation’s commitment to the arts.

Saatchi, who rarely gives interviews and never attends his own openings, will be seen judging entries on the show but will not be heard speaking.

Artists across Britain can submit images of their work to www.submityourart.com, next month.

A source close to the programme, which has the working title of Saatchi’s Best of British, said: “It could be a 15ft painting, a video, or a screwed-up ball of paper.”

A shortlist of six artists will attend an art school “boot camp” for three months. Saatchi will monitor their progress and give them feedback before he picks the winner.

“Anybody with a fresh creative approach should enter – because nobody knows where the next art star will emerge from,” said Saatchi.

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