The Deck of Cards was commissioned by the JPL Gallery of London and first published by Andrew Jones Art, 1979. From the descriptive insert: “Fifty-six contemporary British artists have been especially commissioned to contribute to this unique interpretation of a pack of playing cards. Each cards represents the original work of a different artist, together with additional designs for the reverse and for the box. The cards have been printed on Superluxe board and have been produced in the traditional Old English size.”
The Royal Academy of Arts about the deck: “In 1976 the JPL Gallery in London asked fifty four British artists to create their version of a playing card. Each artist was given the task to create a specific card from the pack; plus an artist to create the reverse pattern for the entire deck and an artwork for the pack itself. When collector Andrew Jones saw the show he purchased the entire collection and approached artists with the request to create an actual pack of cards from their artworks. The cards were then then sold in a range of outlets including gallery shops such as the RA. Some of the best known British artists from the 20th century were involved with this project including many RAs.”
Find out more about the deck and view all the images on its dedicated website: deckofcards.info.
