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Joe Lycett: Summer Exhibitionist

Art-loving comedian Joe Lycett joins artists hoping to make it onto the walls of the RA Summer Exhibition 2022, the world’s largest open-submission art contest.

Art-loving comedian Joe Lycett follows a fascinating mix of artists submitting to the Royal Academy Summer Exhibition 2022, the world’s largest open-entry art contest. Here, anyone can send in their work to be judged and stand a chance of making it onto the Royal Academy’s prestigious walls.

Every year, tens of thousands of people make a submission, but only a fraction of the very best make it into the final show each summer. Joe himself has first-hand experience as a ‘summer exhibitionist’. In 2018, he entered a small sculpture called Chris, made from clay and a tub of Pringles, that somehow ended up in that year’s exhibition. He gave Chris an eyewatering price tag of £12.5 million.

However, Joe’s beginners luck deserted him, and each year since, his artwork has been rejected by the RA judges, showing just how competitive the infamous Summer Exhibition selection process really is. Of the 15,000 works submitted this year, only 900 will end up in the final show. Knowing both the highs of RA success and much more frequent lows of RA rejection, Joe is an informed guide to this year’s RA Summer Exhibition.

Exploring the brutal and bizarre stages of the judging process, Joe also delves into the remarkable artwork and backstories of his fellow ‘send-in’ artists, all hoping to realise their dream of making it onto the RA walls this summer alongside the rock stars of the art world.

59 minutes

Last on

Thu 11 Aug 2022 01:05
BBC Two

Clips

See all clips from Joe Lycett: Summer Exhibitionist (4)

Music Played

Timings (where shown) are from the start of the programme in hours and minutes

  • 00:00

    Doctor P

    Neon (feat. Jenna G)

  • 00:04

    The Durutti Column

    Sketch for Summer

  • 00:07

    Sir Georg Solti, London Symphony Orchestra, Georg Solti

    IV. Allegro. Thunderstorm From Symphony No. 6 In F Major, Op. 68 "Pastoral"

  • 00:08

    Buzzcocks

    Ever Fallen in Love (With Someone You Shouldn't've)

  • 00:16

    Hot Chip

    Over and Over

  • 00:16

    Hot Chip

    Over and Over

  • 00:17

    David Bowie

    Heroes (Remastered)

  • 00:21

    Fela Kuti

    Shakara (Oloje)

  • 00:30

    alt-J

    Bloodflood Part II

  • 00:33

    HNNY

    Sunday

  • 00:33

    Frankie Goes to Hollywood

    Relax

  • 00:35

    Wayne Hill

    Left Bank Two ('Vision On Gallery' Theme Tune)

    Performer: The Noveltones.
  • 00:45

    One Self

    Paranoid

  • 00:46

    Fink, Finian Greenall

    Yesterday Was Hard On All of Us

  • 00:47

    Fink

    Yesterday Was Hard On All Of Us

  • 00:54

    Bonobo

    Walk In The Sky (feat. Bajka)

Credits

Presenter Joe Lycett
Director Luke McMahon
Executive Producer Tom Currie

Broadcasts

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