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David Addis, Immediate Past Master of the Drapers

Bullying can take many forms – from the physical such as kicks or pinches and more violent beating and attack; via verbal – something which young girls are especially at risk from; to the virtual in the form of texts, e-mails and entries on social networking sites. In each case the
bullied person suffers – their self-esteem is lowered and in some of the most extreme cases it can lead to dropping out of school or college altogether or even suicide. Bullying is not something you readily. You may have suffered bullying yourself, or know someone who was bullied. I do not mind telling you that I was bullied at school, and this was in the days before mobile phones and the internet, so it was verbal and physical attacks that made my life difficult, not helped because for a while I was the fat boy who was picked on. So beatng bullying, in all its forms, is close to my heart and I thank you for coming this evening and for supporting this auction and the charity. Every
single step that we can take to make the bullies aware of the effect they have on others and every move we can make to help those who are bullied, has got to be a good thing. I know, from having been to see for myself the excellent workshops that Beatbullying run, they can have an immediate and positive effect. That is why I was proud to choose Beatbullying for my charity whilst I was Master of The Drapers’ Company. I can assure you that your contribution will help work towards stamping out bullying.

Janette Parris, Artist

This unique auction, featuring more than 70 works from influential artists, has been a real joy to curate. The support that these busy people have given to this charity event has been truly amazing, and I’d like to thank each and every one of them. The artists taking part include
six Turner Prize nominees (of which two were winners) — Wolfgang Tillmanns, Mark Wallinger, Mike Nelson, Gary Hume, Mark Titchner, Fiona Banner and the recently nominated Enrico David. All the artists are highly respected within the art world. Among the work are text pieces from Bob and Roberta Smith; limited edition prints from Gary Hume and Fiona Banner; sculptures from Paul
Noble and Karin Ruggaber; paintings from Margarita and Cathy Watkins; and photography from
Wolfgang Tillmanns and Bridget Smith. To the artists: a big thank you for donating work without too much arm twisting. Not only have these incredibly busy people given highly valuable pieces of work, but they have gone out of their way to help Beatbullying staff photograph and collect the work. The simple reason is that Beatbullying is a hugely worthwhile cause. Bullying blights the lives of many children and often has long-lasting consequences. Beatbullying gets excellent results with the children it helps. To the staff at Beatbullying: thanks for running such a
fantastic charity. To the buyers: there has never been a better time to invest in art. To the members of the public viewing the exhibition: this is a genuinely unique and exciting display of art, with a very prestigious roll-call of names. These pieces are thought-provoking, unusual,
humorous and high-quality. I’m always happy to talk about them, so please feel free to tap me on the shoulder at any time during the exhibition or auction. I hope you enjoy the show.