ANONYMOUS DRAWINGS
How are our judgements about art affected by our knowledge of the artist’s name and background? How is the value of a drawing determined? Where is the boundary between art and non-art?
ANONYMOUS DRAWINGS
How are our judgments about art affected by knowing the artist’s name and background? How is the value of a drawing determined? Where is the boundary between art and non-art?
Anonymous Drawings is an international exhibition project that explores these questions in practice. Around 600 drawings by 600 artists are presented without any mention of authorship or title. Each work is offered for sale at a symbolic uniform price of €250. €200 goes directly to the artist, while the remainder supports future open calls and exhibitions.
Anonymity is maintained until a work is sold. Once sold, the drawing is removed from the wall, and the empty space is filled with the artist’s name and place of origin. The fixed price is not a market value but a conceptual placeholder, symbolizing that art can exist beyond economic hierarchies.
As the exhibition progresses, sold works disappear and the names of the artists appear in the gaps. In this way, the exhibition itself becomes a transforming, processual artwork.
Each exhibition is preceded by an INTERNATIONAL CALL FOR SUBMISSIONS. There are no thematic requirements; the only limit is A3 size. Biographical information is not requested. Selection is based on anonymized digital images, and originals are sent to Berlin only after selection. Participation is free and open to everyone.
In parallel, the ANONYMOUS DRAWINGS ARCHIVE has been created. Artists donate works to the archive, which now holds over 1,500 drawings. It is used for traveling exhibitions and is available for purchase online. With each exhibition and sale, the archive evolves – a living network of contemporary drawing.
Anonymous Drawings is both a conceptual art project and an exhibition platform: a collective artwork without hierarchies that rethinks the boundaries between art, the market, and the public.
Founded in 2006 by Berlin-based artist ANKE BECKER, the project has grown from an independent idea into a permanent institution within the Berlin art scene—open, international, and constantly evolving.
The next open call for participation will take place in summer 2026. Anyone interested can subscribe to our MAILING LIST to receive updates and participation details.