Ever wondered what lies hidden in the deepest, darkest archive of your favourite art space? At London’s Institute of Contemporary Arts (ICA), it’s technicolour windbreakers. The vintage treasures were recently uncovered in the ICA's basement. Gregor Muir, the executive director at the ICA, spoke today (10 November) of the confused delight of discovering the long-forgotten jackets in the building’s storage space. “No one really knows what they were doing there,” he said.
The fetching jackets, designed in 1978 by Peter Blake, Patrick Caulfield and Allen Jones, epitomise the throwaway Pop fashion of the era. Made from brightly coloured polyethylene, the garments feature names of artists such Joseph Cornell scrawled on the sleeves and a garish “The ICA likes art” logo emblazoned on the back.
The Art Jaks series was originally created to raise funds for the ICA and this year, to mark the institution’s 70th birthday, the limited edition jackets will go on sale once again. Seventy jackets will be available for £70—just in time for Christmas.