7-Year-Old Is an Accidental Art Sensation

Leilah Poulain's mom isn't super-handy with Facebook. In an attempt to showcase her daughter's painting of a penguin (above), she mistakenly uploaded the file to a public folder meant for entrants to a contest. The winner of that contest would have their artwork showcased in the Saatchi Gallery, a world-famous contemporary art gallery.

‘A year later I’d forgotten about it, and then I got an email saying Leilah was a Saatchi winner,’ said Rebekah.

I called them and said, “Thank you, but I don’t know what you’re on about”.

Apparently there were 1,700 applicants – but Leilah wasn’t actually one of them. Not on purpose.

‘It was quite funny really. I told my brother, who’s a graphic designer, and he couldn’t believe it. He said he’d love to exhibit at the Saatchi Gallery.’

Yesterday, Leilah’s painting was hanging on the wall of a gallery which features work from the likes of Damien Hirst and Tracey Emin.

Rebekah added: ‘It seems it all happened because I’m such an idiot. I didn’t know what I was doing when I uploaded Leilah’s picture.

‘When I told her the picture was going to be in a gallery, she thought it was brilliant.

‘Leilah said, “Does this mean I’m a famous artist?”. She wants to go to see it in London now.’

Link | Image credit: SWNS