ROYAL ACADEMY OF ARTS ANNOUNCES ONLINE AND LIVE AUCTION TO SUPPORT RA SCHOOLS Release date: 6 March
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The Royal Academy Schools Annual Dinner and Auction 2014 will be held on Tuesday 25 March in the prestigious galleries of Burlington Gardens, led this year by a new Chair, Rob Suss, Chair of the RA Patrons’ Group. This year’s auction showcases the works of high profile Royal Academicians, including international Honorary Royal Academician Ai Weiwei, alongside works by recent graduates of the Royal Academy Schools. For the first time the auction will be hosted online, with bidding opening today (6 th March). All auction proceeds support the Royal Academy Schools, the UK’s first art school, which meets the cost of tuition for all artists accepted to study, allowing students to be selected on artistic merit alone.
This year’s auction comprises works donated by 47 artists, including Royal Academicians Grayson Perry, Tracey Emin, Conrad Shawcross, Chantal Joffe and Yinka Shonibare. Other artists have contributed by decorating a dozen Jesmonite eggs, six inches in height and each handcrafted with a bespoke one-off design. Graduates of the Royal Academy Schools Eddie Peake, Charlie Billingham, Prem Sahib and Marie Von Heyl have also produced work for the auction. Further lots include a private dinner with Anselm Kiefer RA, a Life Drawing Masterclass hosted by Ronnie Wood, and a Private Viewing of the Royal Academy’s forthcoming exhibition Dennis Hopper: A Lost Album .
Today’s online launch opens a two week window to place absentee bids, ahead of the live auction in Royal Academy’s Burlington Gardens Galleries on 25 th March, led by Lord Poltimore, Deputy Chairman, Sotheby’s Europe. Sotheby’s will also hold a public preview of the works to be auctioned, between 18 th -23 rd March.
Eileen Cooper RA, Keeper of the Royal Academy of Arts, said: “I am extremely proud that the Royal Academy Schools remains both independent and free to all who study here; fundraising events such as the Schools Annual Dinner and Auction are vital to this purpose. I am also extremely grateful for the generosity of the artists who have donated work this year, an illustrious list which reflects the overwhelming support for the RA Schools within the art world.”
DATES
6 March Online Preview and bidding opens : www.ra-auction.com 18 th –23 rd March Auction Preview : Sotheby’s, 34-35 New Bond Street, London, W1A 2AA 25 th March Royal Academy Schools Annual Dinner and Auction : Royal Academy of Arts, Burlington Gardens, W1S 3ES
TICKETS
Individual tickets to the Royal Academy Schools Annual Dinner and Auction are £350. VIP tickets and packages are also available, prices from £450. Tickets are available via the RA Events Office on 020 7300 5762.
IMAGES
Publicity images of the art works to be auctioned can be obtained from Picselect, the Press Association’s image service for press use. Please register at www.picselect.com and once registered go to the Royal Academy of Arts folder in the Arts section of Picselect.
SOCIAL MEDIA
@royalacademy #RASchools www.facebook.com/royalacademy
NOTES TO EDITORS
Royal Academy Schools Dinner and Auction Committee
Rob Suss is chairing the 2014 Royal Academy Schools Dinner and Auction Committee, whose other members include Eliza Bonham-Carter, Graham Cambers, Eileen Cooper RA, Stephen Garrett, Mark Hampson, Andrew Hanges, John Hurt, Ian Peter Macdonald, Chares Irving, Marcelle Joseph, Jack Macdonald, Keir McGuinness, Helena Morrissey, Lord Poltimore, Dee Stirling, Mark Watts, Siân Westerman, Tyrone Wood and Burcu Yuksel.
About the Royal Academy Schools
The Schools have been an integral part of the Royal Academy of Arts since its foundation in 1768. Past students of the RA Schools include JMW Turner, William Blake and John Constable. More recent alumni include John Hoyland, Anthony Caro, Paul Huxley, Matthew Darbyshire, Rachael Champion, Toby Christian, Lynette Yiadom-Boakye, nominated for the 2013 Turner Prize, Lucy Williams, Catherine Story, Prem Sahib and Eddie Peake.
About the Royal Academy of Arts
The Royal Academy of Arts was founded by King George III in 1768. It has a unique position in being an independent, privately funded institution led by eminent artists and architects whose purpose is to be a clear, strong voice for art and artists. Its public programme promotes the creation, enjoyment and appreciation of the visual arts through exhibitions, education and debate.
For further press information and images please contact Charlotte Hogg on tel: 020 7300 5615, fax: 020 7300 8032 or email: [email protected]