The Best of the Drawing Year at Christies

Every year, I make a point of going to see The Royal Drawing School's "The Best of the Drawing Year" at the annual exhibition at Christies at King Street in London.

I went this afternoon to see the 2024 exhibition.

View of one end of the exhibition on the ground floor at Christies

That's partly because when I first retired, I enrolled in classes at what was then called The Prince's Drawing School between 2005 and 2008.  You can see what I did by reviewing my blog posts back then which are labelled "Drawing a Head"

It's also because 

• I've encountered many of the alumni of The Drawing Year winning prestigious art competitions eg 
• Kathryn Maple (Sunday Times Watercolour Competition - twice and the John Moores Painting Prize) and 
• Clara Drummond (BP Portrait Award 2016)
• plus - last week - two alumni appeared in Episode 5 of this year's PAOTY.

Finally it's because it's always a very good show with lots of people finding really interesting ways to make drawings - using a variety of dry media on a variety of surfaces..

For example, this year, they seem to be rather interested in coloured pencils - but the drawings in coloured pencil that I saw are nothing like the artwork I see in for example the UKCPS Annual Exhibition.

I'm going to upload my pics to an album on my Facebook Page - but that might have to wait until tomorrow - because I need to make dinner before PAOTY Episode 6 starts!

The Best of the Drawing Year

Entrance to the exhibition

This is a selling exhibition of drawings, prints and works on paper from students graduating from the Royal Drawing School’s postgraduate programme, The Drawing Year 2024 at Christie’s, London.

It's on from today until Sunday 17 November 2024 and it's FREE admission! It's open every day between 9am and 5pm on weekdays and between 12pm–5pm at the weekend. 

You can find Christies at 8 King St, London SW1Y 6QT (the link is to a google map!). I go to St James Park and the walk across St James's Park to get to King Street - it's very pleasant! It's also near Green Park and Piccadilly tube stations

You can also see the exhibition ONLINE and buy works from 13th November at royaldrawingschoolexhibits.org - and there have already been a number of sales. Some of the young artists are doing really well.

If you can't get to Christies, then come December, there will be an exhibition of a selection of over 500 drawings, prints and works on paper by students graduating from The Drawing Year 2024 postgraduate-level programme in The Drawing Year 2024 End of Year Exhibition which is held at the Royal Drawing School between 4 December 2024 – 19 December 2024

So the current one is "Best of" and the December one is the comprehensive look at artwork produced by this year's Drawing Year Postgraduates.

The Drawing Year

The Drawing Year has changed somewhat since I first knew it. 

I was going through the profiles of those exhibiting at Christies and was very surprised to find that a very significant percentage are now postgraduates who were awarded First Class Honours wherever they graduated in a related subject.  As in "a LOT"!

You can download the Drawing Year Prospectus as a PDF from the Royal Drawing School website.

The really important thing to know is there is nothing else like this course.

• it's about drawing
• it's completely free to qualifying postgraduates who are selected
• some of its ex-students have done really well
• there's quite a few things you can also do afterwards - like residencies overseas.

So if you like drawing, then this is something you really should investigate!

Leonardo da Vinci: Drawings as Visual Knowledge

The Royal Drawing School sent out an email this morning which focuses on the drawings of Leonardo da Vinci.

Inspired by Autumn Term course, Life Drawing and Anatomy: Mechanics of the Human Form, we have drawn from the fields of science and art to bring together articles, art works, exhibitions and lectures that will open the mind to the world of anatomical drawing...

It included a link to a Lecture - Martin Kemp - Leonardo da Vinci: Drawings as Visual Knowledge - which the art historian Martin Kemp gave at the Royal Drawing School in 2015. This is available to listen to - for free - via Soundcloud. It's an hour and 24 minutes long and it won't surprise you to know I've not listened to it all as yet!

Click the link below to enjoy the lecture. Unfortunately you'll have to imagine the drawings or try and identify them online while you listen

He never draws solutions..... Drawing for him is an act of exploration, of invention of analysis all simultaneously. 

In addition there is a Lecture in October

Exhibiting Leonardo da Vinci across the UK

Lecture by Martin Clayton, Head of Prints and Drawings for the Royal Collection Trust
Venue: Royal Drawing School Shoreditch,
Date: Wednesday 9th October,

Start time: 6.45pm

https://www.royaldrawingschool.org/lectures-events/exhibiting-leonardo-da-vinci-across-uk/

This talk will discuss the purpose of Leonardo’s drawings, and the experience of curating a nationwide exhibition of these drawings for a mass audience.

About Martin Clayton 

• Head of Prints and Drawings for the Royal Collection Trust. 
• Studied Natural Sciences and the History of Art at Cambridge
• Has worked in the Print Room at Windsor Castle since 1990. 
• He has curated many exhibitions on the drawings in the Royal Collection, including the works of Poussin, Canaletto, Raphael, Castiglione, and especially those of Leonardo da Vinci.

Studies of the Foetus in the Womb.

Exhibitions re. Anatomy

Exhibition: Leonardo da Vinci: A Life in Drawing 

Venue: Queen's Gallery
Date: Finishes 13 October 2019
https://www.rct.uk/collection/themes/exhibitions/leonardo-da-vinci-a-life-in-drawing/the-queens-gallery-buckingham

Marking the 500th anniversary of the death of Leonardo da Vinci, the exhibition brings together more than 200 of the Renaissance master's greatest drawings in the Royal Collection, forming the largest exhibition of Leonardo's work in over 65 years. 

The Science Museum: Anatomy and Pathology Departmental Collection

These objects chart how our understanding of human anatomy has shifted over time. They include an important series of anatomical models, tools used to dissect and study the dead, and preserved human specimens including a large tattoo collection.

The London Pavilion, Piccadilly Circus: BodyWorlds

BodyWorlds, curated by creative director Dr. Angelina Whalley, explores the reproductive, nervous, cardiovascular, respiratory, locomotive and metabolic systems in more detail than has ever previously been possible, offering an unparalleled insight into the human body and how it works.

Review: Prince & Patron Exhibition at Buckingham Palace

The Queen has departed for Scotland and Buckingham Palace has opened up its State Rooms for summer visitors to London - and I'll also be taking a break after this post...

Every summer there is also an exhibition for the visitors to the State Rooms - and this year it's called Prince & Patron.

The exhibition marks HRH Prince of Wales's 70th year and his 70th birthday later this year and his abiding interest in the arts and particularly the visual arts.

The Prince of Wales has enjoyed a life-long passion for art and, as Chairman of The Royal Collection Trust and Patron of several arts charities, has promoted the creation and understanding of art worldwide. 

The exhibition opened to the public on Saturday 21 Jul 2018 and continues until Sunday, 30 Sep 2018.

I went to see it last Friday and below are some photos of what's included and some comments about the nature of the exhibition.

Prince and Patron - the exhibition

The exhibition includes a cedar wood pavilion in the centre of Afghan design.

I'm not sure that many people realise that the Prince of Wales is the Chairman of The Royal Collection Trust and Patron of several arts charities

Prince Charles has brought together what is in my view a very personal exhibition - reflecting both his life and his interests. The exhibition contains over 100 works of art - drawings, paintings, decorative items and artifacts, selected from the Royal Collection, his own collection and created by artists supported by three of His Royal Highness's charities

• The Royal Drawing School - founded by the Prince in 2000 as an independent educational charity raising the standard and profile of observational drawing through teaching and practice.
• The Prince's Foundation School of Traditional Arts - focuses on the practice and research of the traditional arts
• Turquoise Mountain - which has trained over 5000 traditional builders and artisans in Afghanistan

‘These charities have achieved more than I could ever have hoped, often in ways that I would never have expected. I am delighted that they now have an opportunity to show their work in Buckingham Palace and together with some of my favourites from the Royal Collection.’

I think maybe the exhibition will reveal what many people may not have realised - that the Prince personally commissions a lot of artwork and artifacts by skilled craftspeople for the Royal Collection and for his own homes.

The look of the exhibition - a rather large drawing room!

As I walked round the exhibition, I kept being reminded that the walls looked a bit like the eclectic collection of items you might find in the home of a dedicated collector with a very clear view about what he likes.

It's very much NOT a normal exhibition display where items are separated and organised.

It's not unlike some of the rooms used by the family at Clarence House.
Reinforced by the usual side tables with domestic items, books, lamps and family photos

Best of the Drawing Year 2017

Students of the Royal Drawing School’s postgraduate programme - the Drawing Year - are having exhibitions of their work this month.

• The Best of The Drawing Year 2016-17 is displaying over 90 drawings, prints and works on paper at Christie’s King Street 10–15 November 2017 Monday to Friday 9am–4.30pm, (Wed 15 Nov 9am–2pm)
• An expanded show of over 300 drawings in  The Drawing Year End of Year Exhibition 2016-17 at the Royal Drawing School Shoreditch 29 November 2017 to 16 January 2018.

The works are by artists graduating from the School’s intensive postgraduate programme who have spent the last year exploring their practice through drawing from observation.

The Best of the Drawing Year 2017 Exhibition at Christies Ground Floor Gallery

The Drawing Year

The Drawing Year was founded in 2000 as the School’s flagship programme. It offers:

• a year of intensive study, research and practice in drawing from life
• high-quality teaching from a distinguished faculty. 
• Every student is given a full scholarship and free studio space, allowing artists of all backgrounds to develop their artistic professions and careers in the creative industries

The scope to study for free is particularly relevant and helpful at a time of rising fees for education and the high cost of living in London.

Past graduates of The Drawing Year have gone on to work as fine artists, or have professional
practices in illustration, animation, architecture, film and theatre design.

Recent success stories include:

• Clara Drummond, First Prize winner of the BP Portrait Award 2016
• Kathryn Maples, winner of the Sunday Times Watercolour Competition in 2014 and 2016
• Alice Shirley, acclaimed designer of Hermès silk scarves. 

Alumni have also exhibited widely in the UK and internationally, and their work is included in major collections, such as Tate, the Royal Collection, British Museum and the V&A Museum.

The Drawing Year 2016-17

Graduates of the most recent Drawing Year include the first ever graduate who started out on the Drawing School's Young Artists courses who has then gone on to complete The Drawing Year.

• Londoner Gideon Summerfield age 22 was part of the Young Artists programme between the ages of 12-17. Since then he has graduated from Cardiff School of Art and Design with a First Class Honours Degree in Illustration, and credits the School with much of his success. I first highlighted him on this blog in Drawings of Holocaust Survivors.
• He displays two of his portraits in this exhibition, including a pencil portrait of British immunologist Dr William Frankland MBE, which won first prize in the Hermione Hammond Drawing Award 2017. 
• An expanded selection of his work displayed at Shoreditch, will feature his reportage illustration documenting the refugee crisis, entitled ‘Love the Stranger as Yourself, which recently captured the attention of the media including the BBC.
• Lee Cutter’s ink drawings of Japanese gardens symbolise the presence of harmony and balance. This metaphor of finding peace is important to Cutter – he led a difficult childhood, facing challenges in his education, a lack of support networks, and some bad decisions, which led to spending time in prison. Upon discovering drawing, it ‘gave him a new life’; he went to study fine art at university, and now works at the Koestler Trust, helping others transform their lives through the power of art.

drawings by Christabel McCreevy

• Christabel MacGreevy came to The Drawing Year from Central St Martins, with a background in fashion and commercial textiles, looking to expand her practice. Christabel took up drawing and illustration to create the designs for her fashion brand launched in May 2017, Itchy Scratchy Patchy, featured in Vogue, NY Times Style and Financial Times Fashion
• Richard Ayodeji Ikhide has used drawing to develop his textile designs into fine art.
• Jack Fawdry Tatham’s interest in aquatint etchings (pictured above), has led to plans to reopen the printing press under Pollock’s Toy Museum, a Victoriana museum in Fitzrovia owned by his Grandmother. 

All the drawings in this exhibition are for sale; prices for a small print, study, or a large-scale drawing range between £150 - £2000.

The commission goes towards funding the School’s scholarship and bursaries programmes so that high-quality drawing tuition is available to all regardless of background or circumstance.

Exhibiting Artists

• Joshua Bristow, 
• Rosie Chamberlain, 
• Jessica Jane Charleston, 
• Ben Westley Clarke, 
• Becca Collins, 
• Mark Connolly, 
• Laurie Crean, 
• Somaya Critchlow, 
• Lee Cutter, 
• Joana Galego,
• Alexander Gilmour, 
• Judith Hagan, 
• Nancy Haslam-Chance, 
• Emily Hill, 
• Richard Ayodeji Ikhide, 
• Charlotte Johnston, 
• Alice Macdonald, 
• Christabel MacGreevy, 
• Isaac Nugent, 
• Jackson Rees, 
• Tom Scotcher, 
• Dorry Spikes, 
• Jamie Stenhouse, 
• Gideon Summerfield, 
• Jack Fawdry Tatham, 
• Stefan Tiburcio, 
• Catherine Watson, 
• Peter Wenman

If you're interested in drawing - in London

For those interested in drawing, the Royal Drawing School is offering some opportunities to improve your drawing via

• The Foundation Year
• Free Life Drawing events
• Summer Schools

The Foundation Year

Next Tuesday is the Open Day for The Foundation Year - A free one year, skills-based foundation course in London's creative Docklands

• full-time course - five days of teaching a week 
• structure of the course progresses from set assignments towards self-directed study
• a limit of 50 places to ensure one-to-one tuition
• free to 18 and 19 year olds 
• some bursaries available for over-19s.
• located at main campus at Trinity Buoy Wharf

You can book for Open Days on Tuesday 20 June 2017 @ 2pm
This is a link to the event announcement on Facebook re. the Open Day on 20th June and the same on the webite

Plus 2017/18 Open Days will be held on:

• Thursday 12 October 2017 @ 2pm
• Thursday 26 October 2017 @ 2pm
• Saturday 25 November 2017 @ 11am
• Wednesday 17 January 2018 @ 2pm
• Saturday 27 January 2018 @ 11am

Applications for The Foundation Year 2018/19 will open in September 2017 and close in February 2018

You can see The Foundation Year End of Year Exhibition 2016-17 at Trinity Buoy Wharf between Wednesday 14 June – Thursday 22 June 2017 (Open 11am–6pm daily)

FREE Life Drawing

Every first Thursday of the month, during term time and the holidays, there is a free life drawing session, in collaboration with Time Out and the Whitechapel Gallery, 6.30-9pm. Places are offered on a first-come, first-served basis, and basic drawing materials are provided free of charge. This month we will be drawing in the studio with a life model.

See the website for more details about dates and venues for the First Tuesday events at:

• Shoreditch
• Oxford Street

Other public courses

More information about other public courses can be found on the website. You can also download our Public Courses brochure.