Art-lovers are camping out outside a London art college in the hope of buying a £45 postcard that might turn out to be worth thousands of pounds.
Famous names including Paula Rego, Yinka Shonibare and David Bailey are among more than 1,000 artists who have created 2,700 postcard-sized works for the annual Royal College of Art “secret” sale.
The works are on display at the college’s Battersea campus but cannot be purchased until Saturday.
However, people have already begun braving the cold and wet to queue for the sale in the hope of securing a work by a famous artist - or even a current student who could be a star in the future.
The twist in RCA Secret, which has raised funds to support students for the past 20 years, is that the artist’s identity is revealed only after the card is bought for £45 and the signature on the back can then be seen.
The hopeful campers already in line will not even get first pick as a raffle to generate even more cash assigns the opening 50 places in the queue – but they remain optimistic nevertheless. Unemployed Spaniard Luis Martin, 26, who has been camping out since Tuesday morning, wants a Julian Opie. He thought it a good use of his time. “If you get something by an artist who is a big name it could be worth thousands,” he said.
Lee Douglas, 44, from Brighton, has come to the sale for the past decade and his purchases so far have included a piece by pop star Holly Johnson. This year he wants a Maggi Hambling and believes he has spotted her work on show. “I clearly know which her cards are.”
Ian Zanardelli, 32, a London South Bank University student who lives in Elephant and Castle, said he enjoyed having to guess the artist. “I think of it as like a game. Some students exhibiting work try and ape the style of the famous artists in the show to trick you out and make you question what art is.”
Some works are later re-sold, with a Tracey Emin making £16,000 a few years ago.
But Harvey Carroll, 50, from the Midlands, insisted most were bought for love. “Very few of the postcards purchased here end up on the market.”
Other works this year have been provided by animator Nick Park, film director Mike Leigh, shoe designer Manolo Blahnik and John Squire of the Stone Roses.
For more visit www.rca.ac.uk/secret
