Inspirational thinking at Sir John Soane’s Museum

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'Inspired by Soane'

19 May – 6 June 2015

Manolo Blahnik, Christopher Bailey, Maggi Hambling, Paul Smith and Jon Snow among leading figures to donate original artworks for new exhibition at Sir John Soane’s Museum

Some of the world's leading artists, architects, creatives and fashion designers will feature in a brand new exhibition entitled ‘Inspired by Soane: I found this and thought of you…’ at Sir John Soane’s Museum (19 May to 6 June 2015). Fashion designers Manolo Blahnik, Christopher Bailey, and Paul Smith, artists Maggi Hambling and Antony Gormley, architect Zaha Hadid, and presenter Jon Snow are among the 100 personalities that have contributed to ‘Inspired by Soane’ by donating original postcard artworks. This collection will go on display at the Museum, and each piece will be available to win in a raffle that will help raise funds for the Museum.

These acclaimed individuals were asked to create imaginative and inventive postcard artworks, inspired by a selection of 100 objects from the Museum’s collection that are not on regular public display. Over 140 unique, beautiful and highly creative pieces have been donated, in a variety of artistic mediums from paintings, photographs and collages, to sculpture, metalwork and ceramics.

As part of the exhibition, visitors will be offered the chance to take part in a raffle to win one of these original artworks.  The money raised will go towards digitizing 18,000 items in the Museum’s drawings collection, ensuring that they are available online to be accessed by audiences around the world.  As part of the fundraising effort, the Museum has secured matched funding for monies raised, thanks to the generosity of the Leon Levy Foundation.  For every £1 raised, the Museum will receive a further £1 from the Foundation, up to the first £50,000. This will be invaluable to ensuring continued access to the Museum’s collection.

One of the most notable artworks in the exhibition is by American architect Michael Graves, who died this year. This postcard was the last painting he created in his lifetime, and will be auctioned separately from the raffle, by the US-based Sir John Soane’s Museum Foundation.  Michael Graves was a member of the Foundation’s advisory board. 

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