We all know that January can be rather dry (in more ways than one) so we wanted to give you a heads-up that there’s something exciting on the horizon! On Friday 26^th January, drag yourself away from that sofa and join us from 6-8pm for an evening of great art at the return of our Rare Print Show.

This annual event is one of the most eagerly-anticipated on our events calendar, granting the opportunity to add limited edition and original artworks to your collection from some of the world’s most esteemed artists. This year, the show features rare pieces from the likes of Jeff Koons, Harland Miller and Patrick Caulfield

In today’s blog we’re providing some sneak peeks at what truly special pieces will be included in the upcoming show…

Michael Craig-Martin

Michael Craig-Martin is an undeniable icon of the art world. Alongside shaping the minds of a generation of ground-breaking artists as a lecturer at Goldsmiths (birthplace of the YBA’s), Craig-Martin has created an entire visual language of his own, characterised by colourful line drawings of everyday objects.

For the Rare Print Show, we’re giving collectors an opportunity to snap up his 2004 diptych, Deconstructing Seurat. In the duo of art prints, Craig-Martin offers his reimagining of Bathers At Asnières – a classic work by Georges Seurat, a French post-impressionist artist who pioneered pointillism as a painting technique.  

 

 

In the diptych, Craig-Martin separates the background of the artwork from the group of figures that occupy it, offering the viewer an entirely new way to see and experience the classic masterpiece. This theme is something we experience across Craig-Martin’s oeuvre, making this diptych a chance to own something that perfectly captures his timeless style.

 

Sarah Lucas

Due to her status as a Young British Artist, Sarah Lucas has long been an icon of the art world, but in 2023 we’ve seen her star power soar courtesy of two outstanding exhibitions.

Photo: © Maureen M Evans

Lucas started the year with Big Women, an exhibition she curated at Colchester’s Firstsite Gallery, bringing together the work of leading female artists in the worlds of painting, sculpture, film and fashion.

Next came Sarah Lucas: Happy Gas at the Tate Britain. The show presents her diverse practice, bringing together sculpture, installation and photography, in a self-narrated exploration of what it means to be human. The exhibition is running until January 14^th, and we can’t recommend it highly enough!

The Rare Print Show will feature Perceval – a piece selected by Damien Hirst for his influential 2006 exhibition, In the Darkest Hour There May Be Light. To coincide with the exhibition, Hirst released a boxset featuring specially-produced artworks by 23 of the contributing artists, including Banksy, Tracey Emin and Lucas.

Keep your eyes peeled for other works from the boxset in the Rare Print Show from the likes of Angus Fairhurst and Angela Bulloch.

 

David Shrigley

We’re huge fans of Brighton artist, David Shrigley, and can’t get enough of the hilarious art prints and conceptual works that demonstrate his brilliant mind.

In 2023, the Turner Prize-nominated artist released Pulped Fiction, a conceptual exhibition which saw Shrigley purchase thousands of unwanted copies of Dan Brown’s Da Vinci Code, pulp them and use the paper to print new editions of George Orwell’s Nineteen Eighty Four. It’s work like this, and his consistently side-splittingly funny prints that make him one of the world’s most exciting contemporary artists.    

 

 

The Rare Print Show will feature two artworks from Shrigley, both of which combine his naïve drawing style with perfectly-paired phrases that are at once both playful and profound.

 

 

Ed Ruscha

American artist, Ed Ruscha, recaptured the world’s attention with his 2023 cover design for The Beatles’ final album, Now and Then. The image used was a perfect representation of Ruscha’s work, namely, philosophical text-based works that serve as metaphors for the American state of mind.

 

Ruscha’s art epitomises both the Beat Generation and the Pop Art movement. In fact, mirroring Sir Peter Blake in the UK, across the pond, it’s Ruscha who is considered the Godfather of Pop Art.

 

The Rare Print Show will feature Ruscha’s Turbo Tears – an artwork that, via the words chosen and the style in which they are presented, nods to the turbulence of modern life and the impermanence of our thoughts.

 

Elizabeth Waggett

Elizabeth Waggett’s intricate charcoal artworks have brought her to the attention of art collectors around the world, and are placing her as one-to-watch at this years’ Miami Art Week.

Stylish, thought-provoking and perfect for our ecologically-conscious age, Waggett’s Fragility of Power is a rare opportunity to own one of her most sought-after artworks in a striking platinum and gold finish.  

 

We look forward to seeing you at the Private View. RSVP here to secure your spot.