Postcards shown are anonymous images from RCA Secret 2013
Exhibition open: 14th March – 22nd March 2013 Sale day: Saturday 23rd March 2013 Royal College of Art, Dyson Building, 1 Hester Road, London SW11 4AS
Information: www.rca.ac.uk/secret; Twitter: @RCASecret
Paula Rego , Julian Opie & David Bailey Donate mini artworks to RCA Secret Postcard Sale .
Works of art by Paula Rego, Julian Opie and David Bailey are going on sale for just £45 at the RCA Secret postcard event. But you’ll have to spot them amongst the other 2,700 postcards on display!
All of the postcards are displayed anonymously for a week in the RCA Secret exhibition at the College’s new Dyson building in Battersea then go on sale for one day only to the public for £45 each, regardless of whether it’s been made by a famous name or a young art student.
Although it can help to know the different styles of the artists, a lot of it is down to pure luck and many collectors don’t realise whose work they have chosen until they hand over their cash on the sale day.
Each year, the Royal College of Art asks professional artists and designers, plus up-and-coming art students and graduates to make and donate a piece of work, the only conditions are that it has to be postcard-sized and it must be signed on the back. Artists may choose to paint, draw, sketch or even produce a 3-d sculpture as long as it’s postcard-sized. This year’s event will feature original works by renowned artists such as Paula Rego, Julian Opie, David Bailey, Christo, John Baldessari, Wallace and Gromit creator Nick Park, film director Mike Leigh and from the world of fashion, Sir Paul Smith, Orla Kiely and Manolo Blahnik.
Wilhelmina Bunn, RCA Secret curator said:
“We’re thrilled with the number and quality of postcards that have been sent to us this year. The breadth of artistic styles will make for a really stunning exhibition, with contributions by artists and designers from all walks of life displayed next to each other. At a time when arts education funding is being cut we’re even more grateful for this support, with donations helping the next generation of artists coming through the College.”
Potential collectors will be able to view all the postcards in person at the RCA in Battersea or on-line at www.rca.ac.uk/secret from 14th March. All postcards go on sale on Saturday 23rd March on a first come, first served basis, with a maximum of four cards per person. There will also be a raffle for collectors to win a position in the first 50 places in the queue.
Now in its 20th year, the event has raised more than £1 million for the RCA Fine Art Student Award Fund, helping hundreds of emerging artists at a formative stage in their careers. RCA Secret 2013 is being exhibited for the first time in the College’s new Dyson building in Battersea which houses the studios and facilities of the School of Fine Art.
About RCA
The Royal College of Art is the world’s most influential postgraduate university of art and design. Specialising in teaching and research, the RCA offers the degrees of MA, MPhil and PhD across the disciplines of fine art, applied art, design, communications and humanities. There are over 1,200 masters and doctoral students and more than a hundred professionals interacting with them – including scholars, leading art and design practitioners, along with specialists, advisors and distinguished visitors.
