There’s a room in London right now with artworks by the likes of Hockney, Tim Burton, Tracey Emin, Quentin Blake, Heatherwick, Norman Foster and King Charles, to name a few – and it’s entirely free to visit.
The exhibition is mostly made up of drawings, which becomes obvious when you learn the exhibition is celebrating the 25th anniversary of the Royal Drawing School.
Being a group collection by lots of different people, it’s a very mixed display ranging from the abstract to still lifes and even architectural concepts. Accompanying each is a personal message from the artist about why they draw and what it means to them.
Although mainly pencil and ink on paper, there’s a handful of standouts, such as the wire sculpture that looks like a drawing until you get up close to it, and a three-dimensional, almost origami drawing of birds.
The exhibition is very much a showcase of artists who either got a break thanks to the school, or respect the work it does and want to support it.
You can even join them, with paper and pencils offered for anyone who wants to create a work of art which can also go on display next to the famous folk.
The exhibition, The Power of Drawing: Marking 25 Years of the Royal Drawing School is open until 26th July 2025 and is free to visit.
They say booking is needed, but I have never needed a ticket to visit before, and they didn’t check for one on my visit. You might want a ticket to be safe though.
The Royal Drawing School is open Mon to Sat and about 10 minutes walk from Old Street or Shoreditch stations.
