This year’s RCA post card sale has netted a grand total of £111,000 for the college’s hardship and bursary fund. This year’s event saw people queuing for days with an encampment of over 50 tents which provided shelter for the unprecedented cold March weather.
Postcards by well known artists such as, Paula Rego, Julian Opie and David Bailey was the key draw as the sale went public on Saturday for just £45. With 2,700 postcards on display All of the anonymously postcards 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.
Paula Rego
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.”
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. Over 1,400 people braved the weather to attend this years sale.
View This years Postcards Here
Christo
Julian Opie