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Art To Fly – Official Press Release information
The Press Release for Art To Fly, a unique fundraising Website developed by Pat Barnard to raise funds for the Douglas Bader Foundation’s Disabled Children’s Flying Days, has just gone out to various Aviation Magazines and National and Local Daily and Weekly Press.
You will find a link to the Website underneath the editorial:
ART TO FLY
A BRIEF CHRONOLOGY
by
David Bickers
Chairman of the Douglas Bader Foundation and Douglas’ son-in-law
AVIATION ART –THE BEGINNING
Art to Fly is the brainchild of Pat Barnard. It has been established as a non–profit organisation solely to raise money for the Douglas Bader Foundation’s Disabled Children Flying Days. I have known Pat for a long time and am pleased to have the opportunity to work with him on this very worthwhile project. As many know, Pat Barnard is credited with founding the aviation art business as we know it today, almost single–handed.
When he began publishing aviation art over 30 years ago nobody had thought of the idea of obtaining important and relevant signatures of wartime heroes to accompany those of artists on military art prints. The idea was so new that, understandably, when approached, distinguished ex–military personnel had serious reservations about becoming part of what was to be a commercial enterprise.
Being inherently modest and unassuming, distinguished wartime personalities believed that endorsing prints with their signatures would somehow compromise their integrity and reputation. A natural reaction to such a new idea.
Although it had not been tested, from the very outset Pat was convinced that adding significant and relevant signatures to prints would make them eminently more attractive to collectors, and in time increase their value. Determined to find a way around the initial resistance he looked for ways to convince distinguished military figures that their integrity would be in no way be diminished by signing prints.
Pat felt the most obvious route to introduce the model would be to link the idea to a fund–raising exercise, and indeed this is how his Military Gallery publishing business began.
Today, three and a half decades after he launched the concept, when it’s common practice for anyone publishing aviation art to add signatures of pilots and aircrew, it is difficult to imagine there was ever a problem.
Pat transformed the way aviation art is collected, and his faith in the idea of adding aircrew signatures to prints depicting the great air battles of WWII, has been totally vindicated. Today the concept proves irresistible to collectors of aviation prints who, into the bargain, gain the added investment element those signatures provide. But for his determination, this concept of collecting military art might never have happened!
SIR DOUGLAS BADER
After his initial success, and having a strong interest in aviation (he was himself a pilot), Pat approached Sir Douglas Bader to ask if he would sign a print edition featuring a WWII aviation scene. Douglas Bader had lost both legs in a pre–war flying accident, yet commanded a Hurricane squadron during the Battle of Britain, and later led the famous Tangmere Spitfire Wing in 1941. Bader was certainly one of the highest profile figures from British WWII aviation, and Pat knew if he could convince this national hero to participate he would be able to persuade others too.
Once his decision was made, Douglas Bader became full of enthusiasm for the project and immediately suggested he would ask WWII’s top–scoring Allied fighter pilot, Air Vice–Marshal Johnnie Johnson, also to sign the prints – the two had flown together in 1941. So it was that both Aces signed what was to become the very first aviation art print endorsed with the signatures of two famous WWII fighter pilots to be marketed on both sides of the Atlantic.
The print was from a painting by Robert Taylor, a budding young artist who Pat was to promote and publish throughout the next 30 years. Simply titled “Spitfire”, this print launched the pilot–signed aviation art movement as it widely operates today – now an accepted and recognised genre within the popular art print industry.
Sir Douglas Bader took a personal interest in the new publishing operation and became a great ambassador for the Military Gallery. He introduced the idea of signing prints to a large number of fighter pilots he’d flown with, and even some he’d fought against: Indeed it was in Douglas Bader’s office in Ascot that Pat first met General Adolf Galland, commander of all Luftwaffe day and night fighters in WWII. The General was likewise impressed with Pat’s publishing ideas and in turn helped recruit signatures of many of the leading Luftwaffe aces who’d survived WWII.
The Military Gallery couldn’t have gained two more influential friends at this early stage of its aviation art publishing activity, and this support has much to do with the pilot–signed print concept quickly gathering momentum and credibility.
Sir Douglas believed there was some importance in what the Military Gallery was publishing, often saying he saw it as helping to create awareness about WWII aviation among the younger generations, and I believe he was correct about that. One museum director even wrote that it “rightly helped immortalise the gallant endeavours of aviators in WWII ” It probably did that too, though I am sure the aviators who have signed prints never thought about it in this way.
Though always modest about his own feats, Douglas Bader was ever keen to help Pat recruit other distinguished fighter pilots, and he particularly went out of his way to introduce bomber crews, whom he always held in great esteem.
By taking an active part, Sir Douglas Bader, General Galland, together with Group Captain (later, Lord) Leonard Cheshire, VC, were largely instrumental in helping the Military Gallery legitimise the concept of adding distinguished aviators’ signatures to art prints. By the beginning of the 1980’s all the earlier reservations about signing prints had been dispelled, and some of the most famous and distinguished military personnel from all sides of the great conflict were placing their sought–after signatures on Military Gallery prints.
It is in recognition of the part Sir Douglas Bader played in the very early days of his publishing business, that Pat Barnard has set up Art to Fly to raise funds for the Douglas Bader Foundation’s Disabled Children Flying Days.
During the 30 years Pat owned the Military Gallery he and his family personally collected many items of aviation artwork and militaria, including original paintings and drawings, pilot–signed prints and books, aviation articles, artefacts, and other signed documents, even an ammunition box full of genuine WWII Merlin engine valves .
Most of this private collection, together with some personal items that belonged to Sir Douglas kindly donated by Lady Bader, as well as many other highly collectible paintings, prints, and memorabilia donated by generous supporters, or bought–in specifically to raise funds, are offered for sale through Art To Fly. All the profits go to the Douglas Bader Foundation’s Disabled Children’s Flying Days.
When you buy something you’d like to own from ART TO FLY, knowing your purchase will benefit some disabled children will, I am sure, multiply the pleasure you get from your purchase many times over. Your generous support will be greatly appreciated.
With every good wish,
DavidBickers
Chairman
Douglas Bader Foundation
Please click on the link to visit the impressive Website: http://www.ArtToFly.org/
We hope you’ll agree that it’s one to be proud of and it goes without saying that we are indebted to Pat Barnard for its creation.
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