Are selfies an art form? This London gallery will try to prove they are

David Cameron, Barack Obama, Angela Merkel, Francois Hollande and John Kerry have all posed for selfies. Even Russia’s staunchly serious president Vladimir Putin has stood surrounded by a group of youngsters as one of them holds up a smartphone ready to capture the moment for posterity. Now, a new exhibition coming to a London gallery will focus on the importance of selfies as an art form.

In many ways, the selfie represents the epitome of contemporary culture’s transition into a highly-digitalised and technologically-advanced age as mobile-phone technology has caught up with the camera.

Nigel Hurst, chief executive officer at the gallery

The Saatchi Gallery will showcase self-portraits from long before mobile phones were thought of, such as those of Van Gogh, Rembrandt and Velazquez.In more modern times, examples include selfies by former British PM David Cameron, former US President Barack Obama and British actor Benedict Cumberbatch’s ‘photobomb’ at the Academy Awards. Ten young British photographers will be commissioned to contribute and a #SaatchiSelfie competition will give people worldwide the opportunity to get involved too.