Charles Saatchi to serve as his own divorce lawyer in fight to retain art collection
Charles Saatchi has decided to act as his own divorce lawyer in a separation battle from his celebrity chef wife, Nigella Lawson, in a bid to retain his vast art collection.
Valued in excess of £200m its contents have been amassed over the past decade and have been described as ‘the greatest contemporary art collection in private hands.’
Saatchi is a very hands-on collector and had intended to gift these items to the nation but negotiations with the Arts Council have reached an impasse, meaning they’ll now be up for grabs in the divorce settlement.
This process is likely to prove acrimonious however following the publication of a photograph of Saatchi with his hand around his wife’s throat over dinner and her refusal to issue a statement supporting him.
The pair has been married for over 10 years making Lawson eligible to a large chunk of Saatchi’s estate under English law with Lawson instructing her lawyer, Lady Fiona Shackleton, to begin that process.
A legal source told the Telegraph: “Charles is acting for himself. He doesn’t like the lawyers he has had in the past and has chosen to go it alone. It is not uncommon for high-powered businessmen to think they can negotiate divorces themselves.
"Fiona likes doing deals. This just means the deal is being brokered between Fiona and Charles.”