Driven to Draw: Twentieth-century Drawings and Sketchbooks from the Royal Academy’s Collection

This exhibition was conceived to champion and highlight drawings from the Royal Academy’s’ Collection on recite of achieving Designated Outstanding Collection Status. Drawing is almost as natural a human activity as breathing the air around us. However, only in the twentieth century have artists drawn more often from inner compulsion than out of practical necessity. Two sketchbooks by Hicks’ were chosen to be exhibited within the context of this exhibition, which was selected from the Academy’s own rarely seen collection of twentieth-century drawings and sketchbooks. These sketchbooks were completed during three months spent in central Spain after being awarded the Richard Ford Travel Award in 1989 and the sketchbooks deposited within the collection in fulfilment of the conditions of the award. ‘The Designation Scheme exists to celebrate collections of outstanding resonance that deepen our understanding of the world and what it means to be human. The Arts Council is passionate about collections and their ability to impact upon and enrich our lives, and the Designation Scheme is an important and visible assertion of our belief in their enduring cultural value’. http://www.artscouncil.org.uk/sites/default/files/download-file/Collections_List_July_2016_.pdf ‘The collections, library and archive Of the Royal Academy is a highly important part of British national cultural history, holding rich and varied collections which include many spectacular items. The collections, library and archive reflect the Royal Academy’s membership and its pedagogic role, encompassing a broad range of subject matter which reflects the prime identifiers of British Art since the mid-18th century.’ http://www.artscouncil.org.uk/sites/default/files/download-file/Collections_List_July_2016_.pdf