Joe Lycett's Art Hole plugged in eight-way auction

Trapeze has won rights to Joe Lycett’s Art Hole in an eight-way auction, promising “salacious stories” and backed by a major publicity campaign this autumn.

Anna Valentine, managing director of The Orion Publishing Group, has acquired world rights to the book by comedian Joe Lycett, from Hannah Chambers at Chambers Management. The deal followed a “competitive” eight-way bidding war. 

Joe Lycett’s Arthole will be published by Trapeze on 26th September 2024 in hardback, trade paperback, audio and e-book, with a supporting special edition. 

The blurb reads: “Inside Joe Lycett’s Art Hole  you’ll find his greatest artistic achievements and, for the first time, the salacious stories behind the portraits, some of them completely and utterly unbelievable. 

 “A collection of Joe Lycett’s portraits of the world’s most influential people including Eamonn Holmes and Mick Hucknall are presented in this stunningly designed book. Read how His Royal Highness Prince William, The Prince of Wales, sat for an exclusive portrait whilst extolling the virtues of the Philips Air Fryer Series XXL Connected.  

“Enjoy a never-before-seen portrait of Priti Patel, done in a break from her hobby as one of the United Kingdom’s greatest fly-tippers. And delight in the gob-smacking story of then-deputy prime minister Therese Coffey averting an international incident at Cadbury World.”

Joe Lycett’s Art Hole is “brimming with surprises, including an astonishing array of British cultural titans, such as Harry Styles, Robert Peston, Nadine Dorries and Elaine Paige,” Trapeze said. The publisher said it is “stunningly designed, it is sure to delight, fascinate and perhaps even inspire you to pick up a paint brush”. 

Lycett is a BAFTA and two-time Royal Television Society award-winning comedian. He is also an artist who has exhibited at Royal Academy London, Manchester Art Gallery, The IKON Gallery, and more. He has sold work around the globe, to established art collectors, fellow comedians, and on one occasion to Harry Styles for a fee of £6 and a KitKat Chunky Peanut Butter. 

Lycett said: “I’m delighted to finally be able to show my Art Hole to the world, and can’t wait for the resulting inevitable aggressive legal letters.” 

Valentine said: “As well as being one of the UK’s best loved comedians, Joe Lycett is a bonafide artist, so this book brings both strands of his oeuvre together for the first time. As brilliantly funny as it is stunningly designed, Joe Lycett’s Art Hole will delight his fans and will be supported by a major headline-grabbing campaign this autumn.” 

Hodder published Lycett’s debut, Parsnips: Buttered, in 2016.