London art exhibition set to raise thousands of pounds for young people

Art for Youth London is an annual fundraising exhibition and platform for emerging artists, in aid of UK Youth.

Now in its 36th year, having been founded in 1988 by Diana Brooks MBE, the event has raised more than £2 million for the national youth work charity.

This year, more than 150 artists will be showcasing nearly 1,000 high-quality pieces of art, priced from just £50 to £6,000, across various media such as oil paintings, watercolours, sculptures, ceramics, and photography – with 35 per cent from each sale going to UK Youth.

Ndidi Okezie OBE, UK Youth chief executive officer, said: “Art for Youth is a hugely popular annual exhibition offering art-lovers and collectors an opportunity to enjoy and buy high-quality, yet affordable works of art during national Youth Work Week – all while raising money for UK Youth.

“Youth work is life changing, and even lifesaving and every penny raised goes towards supporting our network of more than 9,000 youth organisations and national partners, collectively reaching 5.3 million young people, many of whom are living in deprived areas or facing huge personal barriers.

“Youth work has such a positive impact for young people up and down this country. Evidence shows people engage with youth work as a teenager are happier, healthier and wealthier as adults than those who did not.

“Purchasing a work of art, attending our event or making a donation will support artists and vulnerable young people here in the UK.”

Artists set to exhibit include painters Suchi Chidambaram and Annabel Fairfax, sculptor and painter Stephen Rew, who has been exhibiting at Art for Youth for more than a decade and won the Diana Brooks Prize for an outstanding exhibitor aged under 35 in 2015, and figurative painter Georgina Potter.

This year, Art for Youth takes place at The Mall Galleries, central London, from Tuesday-Friday, November 5-8.

Highlights of the four-day event include a live auction of exclusive pieces on the Wednesday evening, postcards donated by artists priced at £50 each, and a mystery art wall. The mystery wall will feature hundreds of artworks at a single price, with buyers unaware of the artist, or the piece’s value until after purchase.

All evenings are ticketed events, with the gallery open Tuesday-Thursday , from 6-9pm, and Friday, from 6-8.30pm, with tickets including a glass of wine or soft drink. Advance tickets are £25 for the Tuesday and Wednesday and £22 for the Thursday and Friday. On-the-door evening entry is £28 on Tuesday and Wednesday, or £24 on the Thursday and Friday. Daytime entry, from 11am-4pm, is free. To buy tickets, see shorturl.at/dQfR9

For more information, see artforyouth.com