What: Incognito 2022, Ireland’s biggest online art sale, will take place this Thursday, April 21 at 9.30am. What’s so special about Incognito is that the buyer has no idea who the artist is until the sale closes, when the artist’s name is revealed. There are over 1,200 artists participating and the price for each postcard-sized artwork, €65, supports the Jack and Jill Children’s Foundation.

Who: Curator Lucinda Hall explains: “Incognito is wonderfully democratic, with each artist on an equal footing with the next. With Incognito, you don’t have to spend hundreds or thousands of euros on a painting, you can get an original work of art that you love for €65, while also raising funds for Jack and Jill. It’s a win-win!”

Among the lrish artists taking part are Mick O’Dea, Peter Curling, Martin Gale, Bridget Flinn, Maser, Helen Steele, Martin Mooney, Ruthie Ashenhurst, Una Sealy, Abigail O’Brien and Robert Ballagh. Some surprise celebrity guest artists are also participating, while the artworks range from watercolours, to acrylics, pastels and charcoals as well as oil paintings and more unusual media such as crayon, collage, embroidery, wood, glass, ceramics, plaster, and, even, diamante!

Hall has some tips on how to spot a masterpiece: “My only advice would be that if there’s an artist taking part that you admire, study their work to get a sense of their approach. Then go online at Incognito.ie, browse through the art, and perhaps, you might well be able to spot their work. Assuming, of course, that they haven’t disguised their style just to lead you astray!”

How: Would-be purchasers are urged to register their Incognito account, browse the art and select their favourite pieces into a Wish List before the sale. When the lottery goes live at 9.30am on Thursday all art works on Wish Lists are automatically entered into a lottery sale system, where the lucky purchaser is selected at random, and up to three artworks per Wish List will be attempted to be purchased. The remainder of the collection will then be available for purchase from 10am. Previous Incognito sales have seen over 3,000 artworks sold out within hours. Art fans are encouraged to sign up today, to be in with a chance to secure their favourite pieces.

Why: The €65 price for each postcard-sized artwork supports the work of the Jack and Jill Children’s Foundation and translates into home nursing care hours for 412 children with complex medical conditions. This includes children with brain injury, severe cerebral palsy, as well as those with a genetic diagnosis or a neuro-developmental condition yet to be diagnosed. To date, Incognito has raised a total of €625,000 which equates to a total of 34,722 hours of care – and a lot of support for the 412 Jack and Jill families who are in communities right across Ireland.

For Carmel Doyle, CEO of the Jack and Jill Children’s Foundation, Incognito is a very special fundraiser for artists, for art lovers and for Jack and Jill families: “Each piece of art is part of a bigger story and leaves behind an extraordinary legacy. For the artist, it is a way of showcasing their work and helping a great cause. For the buyer, it’s a colourful addition to their home or a gift for a friend, as well as making a real difference to the lives of the 412 children supported by Jack and Jill. This fundraiser also means that as a charity Jack and Jill keeps going, by funding and providing care for the children we support at home, in their community, where they belong. It truly is heart-warming how one act of generosity leads to so much more. “This year, Jack and Jill celebrates our 25th birthday and today we are supporting more families than at any time in our history. Our families rely on Jack and Jill, and fundraisers like Incognito, now more than ever.”

Need to Know: To register with Incognito 2022 and create your own account, visit www.incognito.ie. For more information on the work of the Jack and Jill Children’s Foundation, visit www.jackandjill.ie.