In 1998, during a charity event aimed at gathering funds, Doris Lockhart Saatchi was requested to assemble her ideal art collection. Her selection notably deviated from expectations, especially considering her association with the Young British Artists (YBAs), a label tied to her and her former spouse, advertising magnate Charles Saatchi. Instead of choosing contemporary pieces by Damien Hirst or Tracey Emin, she opted for Simone Martini’s 14th-century “Uffizi Annunciation,” alongside artworks by Francisco de Zurbarán and Nicolas Poussin. Her list, prepared for a lecture series by the National Art Collections Fund (now known as the Art Fund), also included modern works like Andy Warhol’s “Triple Elvis” and a painting by American minimalist Brice Marden.
Her selections were viewed by some as a subtle critique of her ex-husband. The couple first met in 1967 in London, where they were both employed as advertising executives at Benton & Bowles. Despite a six-year age difference and her marriage to racing driver Hugh Dibley, Doris left Dibley for Saatchi by the end of the year, eventually marrying him in 1973. They would later significantly influence the London art scene with their collection before their separation in 1987 and subsequent divorce in 1990.
Initially, Doris and Charles seemed an unlikely match. Doris, an American, had studied art and art history at the Sorbonne in Paris and at Smith College in Massachusetts. Charles, on the other hand, was entrenched in the advertising world from the start. Known for his fiery temper, Charles contrasted with Doris’s cool demeanor. She embraced American minimalism while he was fascinated with Superman comics.
Their artistic tastes began to converge after their union. In 1969, Charles purchased his first artwork, a piece by American minimalist Sol LeWitt, and by 1970, he and his brother Maurice established Saatchi & Saatchi. The agency’s walls were soon adorned with works by artists like Robert Mangold, many acquired by Doris. By the mid-1980s, their collection had grown enough to necessitate its own exhibition space, leading to the establishment of the Saatchi Gallery in a former paint factory in northwest London.
After their split, Charles swiftly sold much of the American pop and minimalism collection to make room for works by the YBAs, overshadowing Doris’s contributions to their discovery and promotion. However, artists such as Langlands & Bell have recognized Doris for her early recognition of the YBAs’ potential.
Doris played a vital role in supporting Damien Hirst, notably in his creation of the 1991 piece “The Physical Impossibility of Death in the Mind of Someone Living.” She recounted lending Hirst money to acquire a shark from Australia, a request she found rather amusing.
Born on February 28, 1937, in Memphis, Tennessee, to Nina (nee Tall) and Jack Lockhart, a journalist-turned-newspaper executive, Doris moved with her family to Scarsdale, New York. After graduating from Smith College in 1958, she worked at J Walter Thompson in New York before moving to the UK and marrying Hugh Dibley in 1965.
Post-divorce, the lines between Doris as an individual and a collector blurred. Her residences, designed to also function as galleries, showcased works by underrepresented female artists and those who explored personal anguish in their art. After 1992, she shifted her focus from contemporary art to architectural drawings and models, while also engaging with the media as a presenter on BBC’s “The Late Show” and serving as a judge for various art prizes. Until 1987, she was a contributing editor for the architectural magazine Blueprint and a council member of the Architectural Association. She also consulted on the Millennium Dome Mind Zone, designed by her friend architect Zaha Hadid.
In a 2022 Sunday Times interview, Doris reflected on a 1983 portrait by Robert Mapplethorpe, remarking on how it dehumanized her, seeing it more as a reflection of Mapplethorpe’s artistry than her own identity. She likened herself to the solitary Roman goddess Diana rather than the powerful matriarch Isabella d’Este, identifying with Diana’s independence.
Doris Lockhart Saatchi passed away on August 6, 2025, and is survived by her brothers, Richard and Jeffrey. An error concerning Smith College’s affiliation with the Little Ivies was corrected in this article on August 25, 2025.
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