RCA Secret Sale day: Eager buyers queue around the block for postcards and pick up some stars

Associated media

This morning (21 March) at 8a.m. eager buyers were let into the Dyson Gallery at London's Royal College of Art for the much anticipated Stewarts Law RCA Secret Sale Day. Some dedicated collectors had camped for nearly a week to get to the front of the queue and they weren’t disappointed; collectors picked up their first choices and happily revealed their hard won hauls.

Collector Harvey Carroll  camped for four days and was delighted to find that a card that he’d picked because it made him laugh was by Turner Prize winner Laure Prouvost. ‘That’s fantastic! The whole thing’s been so much fun and this is an added bonus. I’ve had a great time’, he said. Jessica Milligan meanwhile got all her first four choices, including a Jeremy Deller, Maggi Hambling and a Yinka Shonibare. ‘I was really lucky, I didn’t do any research but I got the ones I loved. The Deller is a present for my boyfriend, I’m so happy that I was able to get it for him!’ she said.

3000 postcards were up for grabs for only £55 including work by Paula Rego, Jeremy Deller, Sir Paul Smith and Bob & Roberta Smith. So what’s the secret?  All  the postcards are displayed anonymously so you have to guess which artist or designer has made the work before you hand over your cash.  But don’t worry if you’re not an art expert; chances are you’ll go home with something you’ll love, whether it is by a famous name or a young art student (who could go on to be the next Tracey Emin!). 

This year the exhibition turned 21 and to celebrate there were contributions from some of the world’s most well-known contemporary artists and designers including: Bob & Roberta Smith, Maggi Hambling, Jeremy Deller, Zandra Rhodes, Richard Long, Susan Hiller, Christo, David Bailey, Yinka Shonibare, Ryan Gander, Paula Rego, Nick Park (designer of the UK's Christmas stamps in 2010), James Dyson, Norman Ackroyd, Laure Prouvost, Paul Smith and Joseph Kosuth.

At 6pm when the sale day ends the artists are linked to their work online in a big reveal! Check out the website to see who did what!

Royal College of Art, Dyson Building, 1 Hester Road, London SW11 4AN

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