Ox-Tales Artists’ Boxes: Auction at the Saatchi Gallery

The Ox-Tales auction was the culmination of a unique collaboration between the UK’s leading contemporary authors and artists, in support of Oxfam.

In 2009, 38 authors joined forces to produce 4 brilliant collections of short stories, Ox-Tales, themed loosely on the four elements: EARTH, AIR, FIRE and WATER. The star-studded cast of writers includes Kate Atkinson, Sebastian Faulks, Helen Fielding, William Boyd, John le Carré, Ian Rankin and Jeanette Winterson.

Following the successful launch of a popular paperback edition last year, the authors all agreed to sign a unique limited edition box set of the four Ox-Tales books.

14 leading artists - Craigie Aitchison, Sir Peter Blake, Michael Craig-Martin, Mat Collishaw, Antony Gormley, Subodh Gupta, Maggi Hambling, Rachel Howard, John Hoyland, Richard Long, Humphrey Ocean, Joe Tilson, Keith Tyson and Gavin Turk - were given one box each and asked to create an original work of art.

These unique artworks were auctioned in aid of Oxfam at the Saatchi Gallery on 16th March. Money raised from the auction is going to help children in Tanzania to have a better education, and young adults in Kenya to make a better living. Find out more.

Click here to view examples of the artists' boxes.
The Ox-Tales Art Book is available in a limited edition run of 350, priced at £10.

About the Ox-Tales box set

“Ox-Tales … is a triumph: four volumes of mostly outstanding fiction … a showcase for contemporary British fiction … a kind of snapshot of what currently interests our writers.” The Observer, June 2009

The Ox-Tales box set is a unique limited edition of the four Ox-Tales books, signed by all thirty-eight authors. The box set has been produced in a once-only run of 150 numbered copies, printed on fine art paper, beautifully bound in cloth and board covers, and with the four books housed in a special solander box.