Last week we unveiled the 1/1 Master Edition of “Fly the Rolls-Royce Way to London, 1950s (Viscount)” at Iconic Images Gallery in Piccadilly, London in a wonderful event hosted by CEO and Founder, Meg Gage Williams alongside the team from Iconic Images.
The event was particularly poignant for us because it highlighted the specificity of the work behind The Archives Design Group, of which Stick No Bills is our fine art print and poster art affiliate; we are becoming globally renowned as the safe harbour for the creative heritage of institutional brands, and Viscount is the ideal case in point.
Sourced from the archives of the British Airways Heritage Centre, we have created this magnificent revival at a hyper-real, augmented scale for the twenty-first century. The officially authorised, 100 x 150cm fine art print, with lettering intricately hand-embossed and overlaid in 24 karat gold, serves as a spectacular example of mid-century aviation and automotive art. As well as this one-of-a-kind piece (priced at £16,000), other sizes and qualities are also available via our website, giving this licensed work a new lease of life for generations to come.
Originally, Viscount was an oil painting created on order of the British Overseas Air Corporation (predecessor to British Airways Ltd) by British artist Frank A.A. Wootton OBE. The airline flew Mr. Wootton around the world to create paintings for the fledgling national carrier’s marketing posters; this was the very birth of commercial aviation advertising, encouraging a new, post-war generation of nascent jet-set travelers and adventurers to take to the skies.
This particular work anchors our Wootton Collection in its projection of the best of Britain’s sleek, cutting-edge engineering and aspirational style; a celebration not only of the immaculate Rolls Royce Silver Wraith, but also the Rolls-Royce propeller turbines which changed the face of commercial jet travel forever.
“I am struck by the quintessentially British type of glamour and polish this painting emits,” says Meg Gage Williams, who first engaged with the British Airways Heritage Centre team back in 2016 to begin curating the most outstanding images from the airline’s archival material, including over 900 first edition lithographs. “Viscount comes back to life today as a beacon of intrepid possibility and enduring optimism. I am grateful to British Airways and Rolls Royce for their trust in us and I am incredibly proud to be showcasing this work in the vibrant heart of London at the resplendent Iconic Images Gallery.”
The work is housed in a conservation-grade solid wood, golden art deco style frame behind art glass and is exhibited for sale at Iconic Images Gallery courtesy of The Archives Design Group and its fine art print affiliate Stick No Bills under authorisation of British Airways and with the DACs (Design & Artists Copyright Society) - registered endorsement of the heirs to Mr Wootton’s estate.
