Art on paper
Weekend-long art business course led by RA experts
26 May 2018 10am - 5pm27 May 2018 10am - 5pm
Collections Library, Burlington House, Royal Academy of Arts, Piccadilly
£360. Includes all materials, light refreshments at the beginning of each day, and a wine reception.
Terms and conditions
Works on paper are a popular category of art that can provide a unique view of history and an insight into the creative process. This course provides a professional perspective on their collection, care and display, now and for future generations.
Led by experts from the Royal Academy Collections department, this intensive course provides unique insight into the care, collection and display of artworks on paper. With access and reference to the RA’s remarkable collection of works on paper the course will consider how artists have worked with paper and what continues to attract them to it today – with key contributions by the Royal Academy Keeper, Rebecca Salter, RA.
As a general collecting category, works on paper includes drawings in ink, charcoal, graphite and other materials, as well as paintings in pastel, watercolour, or mixed media collage.
Since the Renaissance, drawings have been valued for their spontaneity and directness, and as records of an artist’s idea being transferred from mind to paper. Historically, drawing was central to artistic training. Drawing remains key to the way most artists work, and can offer fascinating insights into the creative process and methods of artists, which may be less apparent in other media such as painting or sculpture.
People are often confused by the term "print" and the complex techniques by which they are produced. We will consider what separates an "original print" from a reproduction, and look at the different print media used by artists in the past and in today’s digital age, when issues of uniqueness, authority and reproduction are more complex than ever. We will also address questions about the value of multiples, right across the art market.
Prints and drawings are highly valued by collectors, curators and artists for many reasons discussed in detail in this course. For many people, collecting works on paper is an important route into the art market and collecting in general. Many works of art on paper by leading artists and those of significant aesthetic and historic importance are still reasonably priced and more affordable than other media. Works on paper can represent an important investment and either form the core of a collection, or complement works in other media.
However, art on paper is inherently quite fragile, and so an awareness of its physical properties and conservation concerns is crucial to anyone collecting or working with these media. How we present and display art on paper can make a significant difference to how we perceive and appreciate it, as well as to how long it will endure. Mounting, framing, lighting, and storage are of key importance and all will be addressed, taking in both aesthetic and conservation concerns.
A number of themes will be explored in detail:
• Why collect prints and drawings? An introduction to their history and evolution and their role in the artistic and creative process
• Different categories of works on paper, for example, what is a “print” or a drawing, and how do they differ from paintings?
• Techniques, materials and characteristics of art on paper with exploration of different materials and surfaces and how they affect the artistic process and the finished work
• Issues relevant for collectors such as the trends in the market, how value can be added and what to buy and where to buy it. Conservation principles and how to apply them to your collection to ensure its longevity
• Suggestions for successful framing, mounting and storage of artworks on paper.
• Considerations of exhibition including how best to exhibit and display your collection of prints and drawings.
As such, this course offers a thorough introduction to collecting, caring for, and displaying works of art on paper.
About the course
This course offers a thorough introduction to collecting, caring for, and displaying works of art on paper. Topics covered include: the market for art on paper and how and where to buy it; insights on presenting, storing and displaying works on paper; and the history of collecting prints and drawings from the Renaissance to the present.
With access to examples from the Royal Academy’s own prints and drawings collection, the course covers a fascinating range of theoretical, practical and historical matters. The course draws on the experience of specialist RA experts in collaboration with market experts, who share their knowledge and experience in the context of the Royal Academy of Arts, with reference to its historic collection of prints, watercolours and photographs.
This course is suitable for all levels and those with general interest, as well as specific interests in the collection, care and exhibition of artworks on paper.
This course is for you if:
• You are interested in the history, characteristics and techniques of art works on paper and want to explore what differentiates them
• You have a collection or are thinking of starting one which will focus on or include works on paper
• You are interested in the exhibition and display of works on paper, either in the home or institutional environments
• You are interested in the care and conservation of works on paper, and how to look after and protect them for the future
• You enjoy a mix of theory and practical discussion in a peer-group environment
Minimum age 18
The Library was established at the time of the Academy’s foundation in 1768 to serve the needs of the Members of the RA and students in its Schools and is the oldest institutional fine arts library in the United Kingdom. The Library has built up significant collections of books and other material relating to British art and the history of the Royal Academy, its members, Schools, exhibitions and collections since the mid-18th century.
Course participants will also explore selected works from the Library Print Room where a significant collection of drawings and sketchbooks by British artists working from the mid-18th century to the present day are held. It also contains a large collection of engravings after the old masters, reproductive prints after all the leading British artists of the 18th and 19th centuries, and a growing collection of original prints by current members of the Academy including Eduardo Paolozzi, Tom Phillips, Jennifer Dickson and Norman Ackroyd.
About the course leaders
Rebecca Salter RA
Rebecca Salter RA is an internationally renowned painter and printmaker, elected as an Academician in December 2014 and Keeper of the Royal Academy in 2017. She studied at Bristol Polytechnic and Kyoto City University of the Arts in Japan, where she lived for six years. While living in Kyoto she worked using traditional Japanese woodblock printing methods with Professor Kurosaki Akira and has since written two books on the subject. Her interest in printmaking and drawing is combined with her primary practice in painting. She exhibits regularly and her work is held in many public collections.
Selected publications
• Salter, R. (2006) Japanese Popular Prints, A&C Black
• Salter, R. (2001) Japanese Woodblock Printing, A&C Black
Annette Wickham
Annette Wickham is Curator of Works on Paper for the Royal Academy Collections. She has curated numerous exhibitions and Collections displays at the Academy including John Gibson RA: A British Sculptor in Rome, Daniel Maclise: The Waterloo Cartoon, and Drawing: The Lines of Time with Ann Christopher RA.
She regularly publishes and gives talks on various aspects of the history of the Royal Academy, its Collections and its Schools. Most recently, she contributed the introductory essay for Artists Working From Life, to accompany the From Life exhibition, and chapters on anatomy and drawing for a book about the Academy and its Collections due to be published in Spring 2018.
Annette studied History of Art at Manchester University and the Courtauld Institute and was previously an Assistant Curator at the Victoria and Albert Museum. She is currently working on new Collections displays which form part of the Academy’s 250th anniversary celebrations.
Morgan Feely
Morgan Feely is Collections Manager for works on paper at the Royal Academy of Arts. He manages the conservation, display and storage of works on paper in the RA collection which includes some 25,000 prints and drawings and 5,000 historic photographs. As well as his work in the collections, Morgan manages the programme of Tennant Gallery exhibitions which is used for the display of works on paper, with a changing programme with a focus on the work of Royal Academicians past and present.
Recent exhibitions of note include Gothic book illustrator Charles Stewart, the engraver Stanley Anderson, and master printmaker and illustrator Charles Tunnicliffe, as well as the exhibition of Academicians including Sir Nicholas Grimshaw, Norman Shaw, Sir Hugh Casson, Eileen Cooper and most recently Anthony Green. As such, Morgan works with a remarkable range of both historic and contemporary art on paper as well as contemporary artists. He particularly enjoys working with current Royal Academicians to put their art on show.
Morgan studied History of Art as an undergraduate at Trinity College Dublin before completing a Masters in 17th-century Italian art at the Courtauld Institute in London. Morgan is currently involved in preparations for the RA’s new public collection displays, as part of the transformation of the RA to celebrate its 250th anniversary in 2018.
James Finch
James Finch spent five years working for the antiquarian printseller Grosvenor Prints before researching an AHRC-funded PhD thesis on the art critic and curator David Sylvester with the University of Kent and Tate. Since completing his thesis he has taught at the University of Kent and the Bishopsgate Institute and worked as a freelance researcher and cataloguer. James was initially employed by the RA as a cataloguer before he began his current position as Curatorial Assistant in the Collections Department earlier this year. James’ research has been published in Tate Papers and Kunst und Politik and he has presented papers at numerous conferences in Britain and overseas. His research interests include art criticism and the relationship between printmaking and other media.
Our courses and classes programme
Our programme of short courses and classes offers the opportunity to explore a range of subjects, led by expert tutors and practising artists.