About the Exhibition
Welcome to the ninth anniversary Royal Automobile Club Art of Motoring whether you are attending the actual exhibition in the Iconic Images Gallery in St James’s, our “teaser” display in the Royal Automobile Club or are simply viewing the Exhibition online. All the information you need to enjoy the show, find out more about the artists and indeed purchase a work are right here.
The Royal Automobiles Club have long had a strong commitment to motoring art and the work of many of Britain’s finest automotive artists over the past hundred years hang on walls of the Pall Mall Club House. The Club regularly adds to the collection and also makes this Exhibition financially possible. Although the artists pay a modest administrative fee to exhibit in the Show, they do not pay any commission to take part, thanks to the generous backing of the Club.
This year the Club’s art portfolio was expanded to include the Summer Exhibition in the historic Motor House at the Woodcote Park Golf and Country Club as well as a selection of Le Mans themed art in July in the Club’s Long Bar.
Virtually all the works featured here are originals and for sale and should you decide to purchase one, it is sure to bring you pleasure for many years to come and may even increase in value. Many artists also accept commissions and sell limited edition prints of their works. The very nature of the sculptures , makes it uneconomic to produce a single example, particularly if they are made from metal, but usually the runs are very limited.
The exhibition was the originally the brainchild of the Club’s Head of Motoring, the late Peter Foubister and has since has been enthusiastically expanded by his successor Jeremy Vaughan. It has become one of the main events in London Motor Week. Originally Peter asked Andrew Marriott, the TV and Film producer/commentator to run the Exhibition as he knew he had experience of mounting similar art shows at Silverstone and Goodwood. Andrew quickly brought in Rupert Whyte, whose Historic Car Art organisation represent and market the works of many of the top artists. Working together with complimentary skills – we are the curators.
Nine years ago the exhibition started almost opposite the Club in the now closed Royal Opera Arcade Gallery in Pall Mall, then moved the Mall Gallery by Admiralty Arch , followed by several years actually in. the Club’s Pall Mall premises. There was a year during Covid when we went “on-line” and last year we had the pleasure to mount the Exhibition at Sotheby’s in their Conduit Gallery as part of R.M.Sotheby’s sponsorship of the London-Brighton Veteran Car Run. With that gallery not available , this year we have moved to the easily accessible and contemporary Iconic Images Gallery, just a stone’s throw away from the Club.
This year we are showing the work of about 25 artists and some of them such as Tim Layzell, Roy Putt, Martin Tomlinson, Richard Wheatland and John Ketchell have been with us every single year, several others for most of the exhibitions. However we are always looking for new talent and this has been a particularly good year. For the first time at the Art of Motoring you can view the work of Welsh pencil artist Emma Capener, a big hit at our Summer show, 24-year old Harry Gravett, another lady artist Juliet Marsh and our first Scottish artist Gavin McMurray. We also have a first-time sculptor in Greg Percival. Another newcomer is Alan Thornton whose F1 art will be complemented by Amalgam’s superb F1 model Grand Prix cars.
Last year’s newcomers Anna-Louise Felstead, Richard Neergaard, Andy Shore and Kevin McNicholas are back too, as are other earlier Art of Motoring discoveries Neil Collins, and former McLaren chief sportscar designer Paul Howse. Brian James returns back with colourful and bold poster art style .
Sculptor Jonny Ambrose, the first man to use 3D printing for motoring art and the desktop sculpture ace Robin Bark are joined by former Bentley designer Tim Potts with his impressive bronzes. Ella Friere’s silk screen supercar profiles have long been sort after while Simon Britnell also features car profiles but in a very different way.
Finally although the exhibition is primarily for UK artists , we do have a couple of non-Brits - the Le Mans winner and Formula 1 racer turned artist, Sweden’s Stefan Johansson. “Little Leaf” In his third year showing his impressive large portraits and “bomb blast” works. Rumour has it his latest work is of Lewis Hamilton. Joining us for the very first time is one of France’s top exponents of the motoring brush Jean-Yves Tabourot.
We hope you agree that for our ninth anniversary we have really put together a fine art show which we can justifiably claim to be one the best in the world dedicated to automobile art. We hope you enjoy – and maybe finish up with something for your wall, desk or mantlepiece.
Andrew Marriott and Rupert Whyte - your curators.