Christie’s, the prestigious British auction house, has undertaken a unique initiative to mark the upcoming coronation of King Charles III. In collaboration with artist Sam Barnett, Christie’s crowd-sourced over 11,000 line-drawn portraits of the king from people throughout Britain. The digital portrait, called “The Royally Big Portrait,” was created using these drawings and is on display on a four-story interactive digital screen at the Outernet broadcasting company in central London.
The project, which aimed to involve the wider public in the coronation celebrations, had an overwhelmingly positive response from people across the country. The submissions were accepted until April 28, and although the deadline has passed, people can still upload images via Outernet until May 8. Individual contributions can be viewed within the portrait at Outernet using an iPad, and the company plans to announce the final number of submissions on May 9.
Christie’s has also organized an exhibition of works by students and alumni from the Drawing Year, an intensive program for young artists established by King Charles III as part of the Royal Drawing School in 2000. The exhibition features commissioned works by the Royal Drawing School and an archive of drawings – one made by each student after successfully graduating.
Five of the commissioned works will be available for purchase as limited-edition prints and a portion of the funds raised will go towards the Drawing Year Scholarship Fund. The exhibition will be on view from May 2 to 25.
In addition to the exhibition, Christie’s will auction a canvas iteration of “The Royally Big Portrait” and sell prints during an event at Outernet on May 4. The proceeds from the auction and sale of prints will benefit BBC Children in Need, a charity that helps children living in poverty or experiencing social injustices.
Kevis House Gallery is also hosting an exhibition showcasing more than a dozen of King Charles III’s watercolors, with signed limited-edition lithographs available for purchase. The sales from the exhibition will benefit The Prince of Wales’s Charitable Fund.
The coronation of King Charles III is a momentous event in British history. These initiatives by Christie’s and other organizations aim to involve the public in the celebrations while supporting various charities and causes. The response from people across Britain to the crowd-sourcing project has been overwhelmingly positive, showcasing the power of art to bring people together and celebrate important events.