ABOUT US The Royal Society of Painter-Printmakers is one of the world’s premier organisations representing the work and interests of printmakers. All of the Members of the Society are practising professional printmakers elected by a panel of their peers. From our home in Bankside Gallery on the South Bank of the Thames next to the Tate Modern we hold regular exhibitions showcasing the best in contemporary printmaking. The Royal Society of Painter-Printmakers was previously known as the Society of Painter-Etchers, which was founded by Francis Seymour Haden in 1880 in reaction to the Royal Academy of Art’s reluctance to exhibit etchings and engravings. Once Queen Victoria granted the royal prefix we became The Royal Society of Painter-Etchers. Although in 1991 we changed our name to embrace a broader range of printmaking practices, we have retained the abbreviation RE to this day as both our identity and the qualifying letters that follow an elected Member’s name. We are extremely proud of our history with eminent past Members including Graham Sutherland, Stanley William Hayter, Edward Bawden, Julian Trevelyan and Michael Rothenstein. However, printmaking is a dynamic and forward-looking pursuit and the current membership contains some of the most innovative and creative artists working in every printbased medium imaginable.
Cover shows: Sandy Sykes RE, Memory, unique woodcut with mixed media
Giulia Zaniol RE, Absence, etching
EXHIBITIONS RE Original Prints is a five-week annual exhibition showcasing current work by the Society’s Members held in the spring. Each year in the summer and winter we share the exhibition space with the Royal Watercolour Society in exhibitions where the content constantly changes as the work is sold off the wall. From 2014 onwards the Royal Society of Painter-Printmakers is staging the National Original Print Exhibition at Bankside Gallery, an annual open submission print exhibition. We are also starting a compelling series of annual exhibitions focussing in turn on one of the many techniques practised by our Members. The first of these will be on Relief Prints in 2015.
For details of our exhibitions please visit www.banksidegallery.com For the National Original Print Exhibition see www.nationalprint.org
ELECTIONS The RE holds an annual election at Bankside Gallery for artists who would like to join the Society and enjoy the benefits of being a Member. The Society seeks practising professional printmakers from the UK and abroad and intends its membership to reflect the best of printmaking as an art form in all its diversity. Details of the dates and application procedures can be obtained by emailing info@banksidegallery.com.
Paul Catherall ARE, Shard Blue, linocut
EDUCATION
The Society takes its role as advocate for the art of printmaking very seriously. With one completely open submission exhibition starting in 2014 and a series of partially open submission exhibitions to commence in 2015 we are endeavouring to promote printmaking to a wide audience and encourage printmakers to create new work. The RE also organises a number of prizes to young printmakers and recent graduates. We also encourage direct interaction with our artists through ‘meet the artist’ sessions at all of our exhibitions.
Gerry Baptist RE, The Tasty Meal Deal - After Picasso, woodcut
Members of the Royal Society of Painter-Printmakers, Remember Me, etching
REMEMBER ME As a celebration of the Society, 36 Members of the RE worked together to create a large collaborative print. They each created self-portraits on small copper plates, which could be printed together to form a single image. The title, Remember Me, is a play on the artists’ status as ‘RE Members’. Featuring the work of 8 Royal Academicians and 4 Presidents of the Society this is truly a collector’s item. The print is an edition of 100 signed on behalf of the Society by its President and is available from Bankside Gallery for £650. Bankside Gallery |48 Hopton Street | SE1 9JH London 020 79287521 www.banksidegallery.com | info@banksidegallery.com
Nana Shiomi RE, A Room on the Other Shore - screen -, woodcut print
DIPLOMA COLLECTION Every artist who has successfully applied for membership of the RE has had one piece selected from his or her portfolio for the diploma collection. This impressive collection of historic and contemporary prints is stored at the Ashmolean Museum in Oxford and charts the progress of the Society and the changing face of its membership. It is a valuable and fascinating resource available to view in person by anyone upon request to the museum or you can view the online version of the collection by using the following link: www.re-printmakers.com/diplomacollection.aspx
CORPORATE SPONSORSHIP The Royal Society of Painter-Printmakers is a vibrant and dynamic arts organisation. We are a registered charity and hold the endorsement of a Royal Seal of approval. We welcome approaches for corporate sponsorship to aid us in our work and with an email list of over 6000 active subscribers this is an excellent way to promote your business nationally to an informed readership. Sponsors fund our shows, and exhibitions themselves can offer a unique backdrop for a corporate event. For further information please contact the RE Secretary at Bankside Gallery.
Norman Ackroyd RA RE, The Rumbling Muckle Flugga, Shetland, etching
PRINTS COLLECTORS CLUB The Print Collectors Club was originally set up in the 1920’s. The aim of the Club is to promote printmaking and the work of our artists but it is also a friendship scheme whose members feel like integral members of the Society. As a member of the PCC you will receive a print from the specifically commissioned annual collection and also enjoy a 10% discount on all unframed prints and bookshop purchases as well as receiving invitations to Society private views and events held at the gallery. With an exciting relaunch of the Club planned for 2015 there has never been a better time to join.