Since the extension was made to the current Paul Smith store at No. 9 Albemarle Street in Mayfair London in August 2013 there have been a number of art exhibitions that have taken place.
Naturally whatever the subject is being Paul Smith you know it will have a twist of the norm as well as being intriguing and thought provoking, and the latest one is no different……even when the subject is Pencils!
The Secret Life Of The Pencil exhibition that is running from May 20th to June 3rd and is a 52 strong set of prints.
"The humble pencil is found where most of mankind's greatest achievements begin", explain Alex Hammond and Mike Tinney, the pencil pushers behind this special project.
The photographic study aims to showcase the continued use of the pencil in an increasingly digital world, demonstrating how the simple writing implement still sits proudly on the desk or behind the ear of the world's leading artists, architects, writers and designers.
Documenting each pencil in pin-sharp detail, the photographs capture individual pencils as unique as fingerprints, each giving clues to the character of their owner.
Contributors to the project have been drawn from across the creative industries and visitors to the exhibition will be able to view pencils from cultural icons such as Sir Quentin Blake, Tom Dixon, Stephen Fry, Mike Leigh, Philippe Stark, our very own Paul Smith.
Visitors can support the project by buying editioned posters and limited edition prints from the series.
And for the length of the exhibition a series of framed one-off prints, including the original pencil, will be available for auction online via Paddle8.
To add an extra element of exclusivity, some of these unique prints will also come with special personal effects from the contributors. These include:
• A concept car sketched by Ian Callum, Chief Designer at Jaguar
• A Nick Park sketch of Gromit professing his love of the 4B pencil!
• Hand carved pencils from Anish Kapoor & Pam Hogg
• A unique sketch from Paul Smith
A one-off large Solander presentation box containing 20" x 16" prints of all 52 participants will also be auctioned.
All the proceeds will be going to help the work of Children In Crisis charity.
Take a look below at a selection of the images from the exhibition, and for further details please head over to here.