Something amazing is going to happen in August. For the first time ever, some of the best works of art in the UK are going to be shown on tens of thousands of billboards throughout the country.
While the poster versions will not have the same oomph as the originals, it is nevertheless a beautiful, thoughtful and grand effort by the organisers of Art Everywhere.
The exhibition, which is subtitled A Very Big Art Show, is the largest of its kind not just in the UK but anywhere in the world. Some of the partners making this happen include Tate, Posterscope, ArtFund, Easy Art and ArtsMediaPeople.
“Art is for everyone, and everyone who has access to it will benefit from it”, said Damien Hirst, one of many artists who are supporting the exhibition.
This project is amazing and gives the public a voice and an opportunity to choose what they want to see on their streets.”
The exhibition is the brainchild of Richard Reed, one of the co-founders of Innocent Drinks, the now famous company that specialises in healthy smoothies.
“There is something so nourishing, exciting and surprising in seeing art in places you wouldn’t necessarily expect to see it,” he noted.
“Our vision this summer is that we want to flood the streets of the UK with the greatest art this country has ever created,” he continued.
It is definitely a collaborative endeavour, as the backers and organisers are asking for members of the public to kindly donate as little as £3 each to help cover the cost of printing – the billboard spaces will be free.
Any donation is met with a gift, so there is something to remember the show by. For example, a donation of £21 gets you a Tote bag, £60 a random bus stop poster and £450 a rather epic billboard-sized poster.
“The great thing about all these pictures and artworks is that they are owned by the British public,” commented Bob and Roberta Smith (which is the brilliant pseudonym of Patrick Brill).
“In this way, the project makes clear that everyone has a place in British art. When seeing artworks on such a big scale, each made by really strong individual voices, hopefully future generations can be reminded that they can be a part of it too; making them think: ‘Maybe I will go to art school.'”
Some of the works being considered include Lucian Freud’s Man’s Head (Self Portrait I), Damien Hirst’s Pardaxin, Howard Hodgkin’s Rain, George Stubbs Cheetah and Stag with Two Indians and Barbara Hepworth’s Pelagos.
Art Everywhere: A Very Big Art Show runs from August 10th until August 25th 2013.
Cadogan Tate can ship works of art from the US to your chosen destination anywhere in the world.