Local Westminster based charity, Vital Regeneration and banking group BNP Paribas, have come together in a bid to make sure the latest exhibition of Britain’s most iconic living artist, David Hockney can be accessed and appreciated by all this month. 

BNP Paribas has sponsored the charity to arrange a full day of Hockney related events for local families living in Westminster. 

Sadia Ur-Rehman, Community Enterprise Manager at Vital Regeneration said, “This is a really exciting opportunity.  Many of the families we work with have never been to an Art Exhibition on this scale before.  We are looking forward firstly to taking the families to experience Hockney at the Royal Academy, and then to bringing the Royal Academy and Hockney right back with us into the heart of the local community”

Vital Regeneration will provide free entry into the exhibition and an exclusive guided tour, offered by the Royal Academy.  They will then return to The Greenside Community Centre, where four artists from the Royal Academy will run an interactive ‘personal landscapes’ workshop, for local families to experience landscape painting first hand, and provide a talk about the artist and his life, led by Royal Academy curator, Francoise Durrant.

This inspiring opportunity is one of two exciting Hockney related events run by Vital Regeneration and sponsored by BNP Paribas.  The Westminster based charity also recently organised an exclusive Hockney inspired fundraising event for a group of their Corporate Funders at the Royal Academy.  The event incorporated breakfast and a private guided tour of the David Hockney exhibition to raise money for an after school initiative for disadvantaged children in Westminster.

Emma Rembalski, Vital Regeneration’s Corporate Partnerships Manager said “It was a real honour to be at the Royal Academy at a time when it was closed to the public.  The guests all left feeling both inspired by the Hockney experience and by the fact that they had helped to raise money for a good cause”.

Notes to Editors:

For press enquiries, images and interviews please contact: rash@vitalregen.org

About Vital Regeneration

Vital Regeneration is a registered charity working to transform London's most deprived neighbourhoods.  They focus most of their work in Westminster where they develop social, environmental and economic programmes.  Their vision is for everyone to have equal expectations and opportunities in life and not to be seriously disadvantaged by where they live. 

David Hockney Day at Greenside will be held on February 16th and include:

To down load the Fyer click here

• 9.30am: meet at Greenside (travel by coach to Royal Academy of Arts)
• 10.30am: Tour of David Hockney’s exhibition ‘A Bigger Picture’ for families with children aged 12 and under
• 1.30pm: Personal Landscapes Workshop at The Greenside Community Centre - discover what landscape means to David Hockney and create your own personal story in this fun activity - for families with children aged 12 and under
• 4pm: Hockney Talk at The Greenside Community Centre – hear the story behind the exhibition and David Hockney’s art – Open to all

Eco Kids Club

Vital Regeneration delivers environmental themed after-school clubs in 14 schools in Westminster, reaching over 400 disadvantaged children each year.  Children learn about climate change and other environmental issues through creative activities and children who live in over crowded housing are given the space and support they need to study. 

For more information about Vital Regeneration please visit: www.vitalregeneration.org

About BNP Paribas

BNP Paribas (www.bnpparibas.com) is an official sponsor of the David Hockney Exhibition and one of the best rated banks in the world*.  The Group has a presence in more than 80 countries and more than 200,000 employees, including more than 160,000 in Europe.  It ranks highly in its three core activities: Retail Banking, Investment Solutions and Corporate & Investment Banking.  In Europe, the Group has four domestic markets (Belgium, France, Italy and Luxembourg) and BNP Paribas Personal Finance is the leader in consumer lending.  Paribas is rolling out its integrated retail banking model across the Europe-Mediterranean zone and boasts a large network in the western part of the United States.  In its Corporate & Investment Banking and Investment Solutions activities, BNP Paribas also enjoys top positions in Europe, a strong presence in the Americas and solid and fast-growing businesses in Asia.  *Rated AA- by Standard & Poor's.

About the David Hockney exhibition

The Royal Academy of Arts presents the first major exhibition in the UK to showcase David Hockney’s landscape work.  Vivid paintings inspired by the Yorkshire countryside, many exhibited for the first time, are shown alongside related drawings and digital video.  Over 150 works are on display, the majority of which have been created in the last eight years.  The exhibition also includes a selection of works dating as far back as 1956, which places the recent work in the context of Hockney’s extended exploration of and fascination with landscape.  The exhibition takes the visitor on a journey through Hockney’s view of the world.