Under the Bed Sale 2026
Deadline: 22/12/2025City: Sheffield | Region: South Yorkshire | Country: United Kingdom | Karen Sherwood
The Under the Bed Sale is a famous and extremely popular sale of older and early original work that artists no longer hold dear. We invite artists, across all media to send us older and early work, sketches, mistakes, glaze tests, cracked pots, misprinted original printmaking, damaged work, experiments etc to sell off at bargain prices.
The Under the Bed Sale is open to all. Although all works will be accepted please send an expression of interest by completing the submission form so we can message you with all details required to take part. There is no fee for taking part.
The Under the Bed Sale invites artists to root out older and early works that they may have hidden under their beds, in the corner of the studio, stored in the attic or the shed and send it to us to sell off at bargain prices. It is important to understand this is not about undercutting a market price for current work it is about selling off older works you no longer hold dear or that you have never shown anyone, at bargain prices.
We ask that if the work has ever been on sale it needs to be priced at 50% or less than the original selling price. However, work does not have to be of exhibition quality. We are happy to receive unframed, unmounted drawings or paintings, pages from sketchbooks, mis-prints, maquettes, mistakes, experiments, life drawings etc. Abstract , figurative and things that defy description, across all media, are all welcome. This event has been described as a 'Salon jumble sale' which I feel is a fair description.
*Although we are open to all styles of work we retain the right to remove any work we deem to be offensive. In addition, works likely to leak or stain or mark other works need to be clear celophane wrapped to prevent damage to other unwrapped artworks.
We cap the retail price to a maximum £350. However, prices can start from under a £1 Artists are welcome to give us up to 100 unframed items, 50 x 3D items and 25 wall pieces (canvases or framed works) each. Any items in excess of 1 metre by 1 metre needs to be negotiated with the gallery. All items need to arrive labelled and priced with the retail selling price and with the relevant paperwork.
Work is welcome to arrive for the sale by post and unsold items can be returned by post at the artists expense. Appointments need to be made for the delivery and collection of work. We only accept in person deliveries during the week. No payments will be made for sales until unsold work has been collected. As we regularly receive between 2-4000 items, it is essential unsold work is collected as we do not have capacity to store the work for any period of time. Although sales are regularly in excess of 1000 items in three weeks, there is still plenty of work to be returned.
Exhibition dates: 10 January 2026 - 1 February 2026
Delivery dates: From now - up until Wednesday 7th January 2026
Notice of two days for in person appointments is appreciated. Weekdays only. No deliveries will be accepted in person at a weekend.
Pricing: Unframed items can be priced with a label or written in pencil on the back if approriate. Please make sure pricing labels are well attached as items are moved around a lot during the sale.
Pricing: wholesale (artist's price) x 2.2 = retail. EG: £100 x 2.2 = £220. £100 to artist, £100 to gallery £20 to HMRC (VAT)
Or Retail / divide by 2.2 = Wholesale.
EG: £200 retail / divide by 2.2 = £90.91 to artist £90.91 to gallery £18.19 to HMRC (VAT)
All work needs to arrived priced with retail prices as the work will go straight out on display.
Collection Dates:
It is essential artists make appointments to collect unsold work. We stock take the week after the sale ends and then collections can be arranged from the week beginning 9th February. All artist have until 13th March to arrange to collect work. Work that remains uncollected beyond this period will be disposed of, at our discretion, unless agreed otherwise with the gallery.
Payment for sales will be made promptly after the end of the sale once remaining unsold works have been collected or returned.
Make a submission Contact the curatorYou must have an account to make a submission using CuratorSpace. It's free and only takes a few moments. Once registered you'll be able to keep track of all of your submissions and get updates on upcoming opportunities.
Already have an account? You'll need to log in to make a submission to this opportunity.
You must have an account to send a message to the curator of this opportunity. Registering only takes a few moments. Once registered you'll be able to keep track of all of your submissions and get updates on upcoming opportunities.
Already have an account? You must log in to send this curator a message.
Get the latest CuratorSpace news, updates about new opportunities, upcoming deadlines, and art-related promotions.
A signal, a sigh, a sensation – the subtle impulse of conception before coming into existence,... Open Call for publication: UTILITY
We invite you to apply to be a part of our upcoming publication entitled Utility. ZOZOBRA - Contemporary art to the times we live in
Zozobra is a Spanish word for distress. This call is for artists to step up and fulfill their...