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RWA Press Releases RWA Press Releases For further press release information, latest news, or if you require press images please contact: Kate Morgan, Marketing Officer at the RWA. e-mail: info@rwa.org.uk Tel: 0117 973 5129 Drawing Breath & Jerwood Drawing Prize 2007 Major Drawing Exhibitions come to Bristol 27th January - 2nd March 2008 To kick-start 2008, Bristol will be lucky enough to be host to two of the most magnificent exhibitions of contemporary drawing in the country. The Royal West of England Academy in Clifton will be showing the acclaimed Jerwood Drawing Prize alongside Drawing Breath, a collection of drawings by the award winners and eminent selectors of this annual drawing prize. Comprising of over 180 works these exhibitions present the breadth and depth of contemporary drawing from a wide range of internationally and nationally renowned artists currently working in the UK. The Jerwood Drawing Prize is the leading award for drawing in the UK and this will be the first time this major exhibition has toured to Bristol. Comprising two exhibitions, the 2007 prize and the retrospective, this is the most exciting display of contemporary drawing the West Country has seen in a long time. On display will be works by many nationally and internationally acclaimed artists such as Jason Brooks, Eileen Cooper RA, Ken Currie, Stephen Farthing RA, Peter de Francia, Anthony Green RA and Tom Phillips RA alongside local artists such as Anita Taylor RWA, Paul Thomas RWA, Lucy Austin, Linda Meakin, Kerry Phippen and Irene Lees. Curated by RWA Academicians, Professor Anita Taylor and Paul Thomas (co-founders of the Jerwood Drawing Prize), Drawing Breath reflects a decade of outstanding work, representing a broad spectrum of current drawing. John MacDonald’s review of Drawing Breath in The Sydney Morning Herald in March 2007 stated that: “The finest of drawing can be seen in this epic show” and “The variety of this exhibition is a testimony to the openminded, non-doctrinaire spirit in which the Jerwood has been conducted and the quality of the work is exceptional”. This will be the only time that both the annual Jerwood Drawing Prize and the anniversary show, Drawing Breath, will be seen together. It offers a rare opportunity to view the two shows and experience the diversity of recent contemporary drawing in the RWA’s stunning top-lit galleries with the wonderful newly sanded floors. Many works of art are for sale and the RWA offers a 0% art credit-purchasing scheme. Editor’s notes : Photo Opportunity/Artist Interview Opportunity : Press preview 25th January by appointment Private View                                                 : 26th January 2.30-5pm Gallery Opening Times                                  : 10am - 5.30pm (Mon-Sat), 2-5pm (Sun) Admission Fees                                            : £4 adults, £2.50 concessions, U16 Free