Collections and Library

Please note that the Royal Academy of Arts Library and Archive will be closed to readers from Thursday 1st to Friday 30th August 2013 for stocktaking and general house-keeping.

We will, however, still be answering information enquiries by letter, fax and email, and the Library Information Desk will be answering telephone enquiries between 10am-1pm and 2pm-5pm, Tuesdays to Fridays.

The collection focuses on British art and artists and predominantly ranges from the 18th century to the present day. Highlights in the collection of paintings and sculpture include major works by Reynolds, Gainsborough, Turner, Constable, Alma-Tadema, Flaxman, Millais, Leighton, Waterhouse, Sargent, Spencer and Hockney. The Collection includes paintings, sculptures, drawings, prints, architectural designs, historic books, archives, historic photographs and plaster casts.

Highlights from the collection can be seen on free tours of the John Madejski Fine Rooms. Click here to find out more.

Cataloguing the Royal Academy’s Collection

This is a project to conserve, photograph and catalogue works of art, books and archives from the Collection and make the information available on this website through a fully searchable database with accompanying images.

Visit our Collections website and search the catalogue.

Click here to view the Artist of the Month
Click here to view the Object of the Month

Download an introductory guide (4.5 MB) to the Royal Academy’s collection of paintings, sculptures and works on paper. A printed copy of this guide is given out free to teachers and full-time students with ID at the RA Learning Desk and is available to other visitors for purchase from the RA Shop.

Royal Academy of Arts Research Library

Established at the time of the Academy’s foundation in 1768 to serve the needs of the Members of the Royal Academy and students in its Schools, the Royal Academy of Arts Library is the oldest institutional fine arts library in the United Kingdom. In fulfilling this role it has built up significant collections of books and other material such as archives, prints, drawings and photographs relating to British art and the history of the Academy, its Members, Schools, exhibitions and collections since the mid-18th century. The Research Library and Archive is open to the public by appointment.