Articles
Artists
Meet the artists and architects who make the Royal Academy unique.
Artists
1 month ago
Remembering Leonard McComb RA
Colleagues, friends and family pay tribute to artist and teacher Leonard McComb, who died on 19 June 2018 aged 87.
Artists
3 months ago
A tribute to Will Alsop RA: 1947 - 2018
Architect Will Alsop RA was known for blurring the boundaries between art and architecture. Following the sad news of his death, the RA’s Head of Architecture and Peter Cook RA reflect on his career.
Artists
3 months ago
The RA in 250 years: home of the sentient robot artist?
As we celebrate the RA’s 250th birthday, we must ask – what will it look like in another 250 years? In this short piece of fiction, the artist, poet and author Brian Catling responds to that question, with a future where robots have joined the ranks of artists and are causing controversy.
Artists
4 months ago
Eva Rothschild RA: “making things feels political”
With news that the Irish artist has been selected to represent her country at the 2019 Venice Biennale, we meet Eva Rothschild in her London studio to talk being a sculptor, parent and feminist.
Artists
4 months ago
“Immensely courageous”: a tribute to Gillian Ayres RA
Friends and colleagues remember the exceptional life and career of the painter Gillian Ayres RA, who passed away on 11 April 2018 aged 88.
Artists
5 months ago
Family how-to: colour the RA Collection
Bring football home this summer and pick up some pencils to colour three lions from the RA Collection!
Artists
9 months ago
Eight things to know about Gilbert & George RA
With a new show at White Cube Bermondsey, the artistic duo tell us eight things about their lives, art, fame, bigots, liberals, Brexit, and their favourite East End Turkish restaurant.
Artists
10 months ago
Rebecca Salter: “Do not tell young people they can’t do things”
On her first full day as Keeper of the RA Schools, Rebecca Salter RA talks artistic dogs, learning Japanese and proving your teachers wrong.
Artists
10 months ago
Podcast: Brice Marden and Gary Hume RA in conversation with Tim Marlow
The two artists discuss their new work and the status of painting today, in a discussion chaired by the RA’s Artistic Director Tim Marlow.
Artists
11 months ago
In the studio with David Adjaye RA
The international architect talks art collections, local communities and working for the disempowered at his London studio.
Artists
11 months ago
The text art of Jenny Holzer: “crummy signs, my speciality?”
As the pioneering American artist covers Blenheim Palace with her provocative text-based work this autumn, she discusses a career of making art with words.
Artists
11 months ago
My art agenda: Emma Stibbon RA
With a solo show at London’s Alan Cristea Gallery this month, the printmaker shares the projects, exhibitions and places currently on her radar.
Artists
11 months ago
Richard Rogers on working with Renzo Piano: “His poet’s soul brought us through”
As Renzo Piano celebrates his 80th birthday, close friend and fellow Academician Richard Rogers looks back at what it was like to work together on one of the 20th century’s most iconic buildings – the Pompidou Centre in Paris.
Artists
1 year ago
Richard Deacon: “Don’t depend on other people’s affirmation”
Turner Prize-winning artist Richard Deacon RA talks obsessive collecting, ambiguous titles and finding the interest in everything.
Artists
1 year ago
Sonia Boyce: “If we can go to Mars, we can send more kids to art school”
Currently preparing for her retrospective at Manchester Art Gallery, artist and educator Sonia Boyce is the latest to reflect on art, life and lessons learnt in our ‘As I see it’ series. She talks tuition fees, a love of Liberty and why we should all be prepared to dream of something different…
Artists
1 year ago
Studio life: tips from the Summer Exhibition artists
As part of our season exploring artists’ studios, we asked the artists of the 2017 Summer Exhibition – from Royal Academicians to first-time exhibitors – to give us a peep inside their working space, and to share their secrets for a successful studio practice.
Artists
1 year ago
Podcast: How can performance art be collected, preserved, displayed and sold?
Catch up on our panel event with this recording of artists Brian Catling RA and Pablo Bronstein in discussion with Tate Senior Curator Catherine Wood and Dr Jen Harvie.
Artists
1 year ago
Conrad Shawcross: “For the first time I see the political potential in my work”
With his new 16-metre installation suspended above commuters at St Pancras International, London-born sculptor Conrad Shawcross talks activism, optical illusions and why he likes a bit of trapeze.
Artists
1 year ago
Exploring watercolour with Christopher Le Brun PRA
Think you know watercolour? Think again. Join the President of the Royal Academy in his London studio as he debunks some of the myths about this versatile medium and its possibilities.
Artists
1 year ago
Eileen Cooper: “Artists love to say they’re unique. We’re not”
With two solo shows this year, her final months as the Keeper of the Royal Academy Schools and the job of coordinating this year’s Summer Exhibition, it’s a busy time for Eileen Cooper. In the latest in our ‘As I see it’ series, the artist talks bad reviews, good dogs, and what she’ll do once all this work is done.
Artists
1 year ago
Podcast: Maggi Hambling in conversation with Tim Marlow
Painter and sculptor Maggi Hambling discusses her work with the RA’s Artistic Director, Tim Marlow.
Artists
1 year ago
Remembering Leonard Manasseh RA
The architect Leonard Manasseh, the first Royal Academician to reach the age of 100, passed away in March. Fellow architect Trevor Dannatt looks back on more than half a century of rivalry, collaboration and friendship.
Artists
> 1 year ago
Academicians to spot in Venice: Phyllida Barlow’s British pavilion and more
From David Hockney’s portraits in palazzi to Phyllida Barlow’s swollen sculptures in the British Pavilion, here’s the must-see work by Royal Academicians in this year’s biennale.
Artists
> 1 year ago
Video: Gilbert & George in conversation with Tim Marlow
“We wanted to have an art that could deal with emotion, with life and death and hope and fear and friendship.”
Artists
> 1 year ago
Michael Craig-Martin RA’s ‘Bright Idea’ in Hong Kong
The Royal Academician’s lightbulb sculpture goes on show at The Peninsula Hotel.
Artists
> 1 year ago
The many masks of Gillian Wearing and Claude Cahun
As a new show at the National Portrait Gallery places the two artists side by side, Lauren Elkin explores how Gillian Wearing RA finds identity-blurring inspiration in the inter-war writer and photographer Claude Cahun.
Artists
> 1 year ago
The International Women’s Day art quiz
Know your O‘Keeffe from your Kahlo? For International Women’s Day, we’re celebrating a few of the great female artists who deserve a wider audience. Take the quiz and let’s see how much you know.
Artists
> 1 year ago
Tony Cragg: “sculpture is a vital sign”
How do you make work indoors that’s destined for a life outdoors? With the opening of his exhibition at Yorkshire Sculpture Park, the artist discusses the realities of making art surrounded by rats, sunshine and Henry Moore.
Artists
> 1 year ago
In the studio with Wolfgang Tillmans RA
The photographer’s workspace in a former Berlin department store houses giant printers, tropical plants and DJ turntables. Anna Coatman meets the acclaimed artist and EU campaigner.
Artists
> 1 year ago
The great art quiz of 2016
Call yourself an art-lover? Let’s see if you’re a true art addict or a part-time peruser in our big fat quiz of the year. No cheating, now…
Artists
> 1 year ago
Eddie Peake: “I wanted to do anything but be an artist”
Marking a solo show at White Cube Hong Kong, RA Schools alumnus Eddie Peake spoke to us about football, finding himself and “ferocious attention seeking.”
Artists
> 1 year ago
How I made it: Ruins by Eva Rothschild RA
“There’s a loss of confidence in structures that we thought we could rely on, a sense of order that’s crumbling” – Eva Rothschild RA on the ideas and production behind her recent installation, Ruins.
Artists
< 2 years ago
Antony Gormley: “We need art more than ever”
In our new series, artists reflect on art, life and lessons learnt. Here, Antony Gormley RA explains how he first found his subject, why the arts are vital in education and why he’s ashamed of Brexit.
Artists
< 2 years ago
Podcast: Yinka Shonibare MBE RA and David Shrigley in conversation with Dr Gilda Williams
In conversation with the art critic and lecturer, Gilda Williams, the two artists discuss their new work, as well as experiences creating pieces for the Fourth Plinth in Trafalgar Square.
Artists
< 2 years ago
Olwyn Bowey RA on painting, prizes and botanics
Working from her garden studio in Sussex, painter Olwyn Bowey RA has tenaciously pursued her interest in the natural world over many decades, and the results are continuing to bear fruit.
Artists
< 2 years ago
How to… make a wood engraving, with Anne Desmet
In the first part of our new video series looking at artistic techniques, Anne Desmet RA demonstrates each step in creating a wood engraving, from tracing the original drawing through to printing a first proof.
Artists
< 2 years ago
An architect to the day he died: my friend John Partridge RA
The RA’s former Surveyor to the Fabric remembers his friend and colleague John Partridge, the celebrated architect of housing, colleges and courthouses, who died this summer aged 91.
Artists
< 2 years ago
Cities of dreams: Peter Cook RA on the importance of imagination
As the Academy stages a show of Peter Cook RA’s drawings to mark his 80th birthday, Kate Goodwin asks the architect about his vision for urban ways of life.
Artists
< 2 years ago
How I made it, by Rebecca Salter RA
Rebecca Salter RA talks about the “uncharted territory” of working in film for Picture the Light, her collaboration with the musician Max de Wardener.
Artists
< 2 years ago
Brian Catling RA’s imaginary studio
The ebullient, multimedia artist-poet Brian Catling RA is reluctant to identify his studio as a physical space, as Fiona Maddocks discovered when she met up with him in Oxford.
Artists
2 years ago
Making a Japanese woodblock print for the Summer Exhibition
In this video, Rebecca Salter RA explains the traditional tools and techniques used by the Sato Woodblock Workshop in Kyoto when creating her print for the Summer Exhibition 2016.
Artists
2 years ago
A tribute to Michael Manser RA: champion of modern housing
Known for his elegant style of housing, the founder of the Manser Medal leaves a legacy of modernism across the UK. Following the architect’s death aged 87, architectural historian Margaret Richardson pays tribute to a remarkable career.
Artists
2 years ago
A brush with genius: Barry Humphries on sitting for David Hockney RA
David Hockney RA returns to the Academy this summer with his sparkling new series of portraits. Barry Humphries, creator of Dame Edna Everage and friend of the artist, recounts his experience of sitting for a portrait in Hockney’s Los Angeles studio.
Artists
2 years ago
Book extract: Anthony Whishaw RA is celebrated in a new monograph
Richard Davey celebrates the independent spirit that characterises Anthony Whishaw RA’s paintings in this extract from a new monograph.
Artists
2 years ago
In the studio with Ron Arad RA
There is barely a straight line to be found in the north London studios of artist, designer and architect Ron Arad RA. Fiona Maddocks meets the maverick whose life and art is always on the move.
Artists
2 years ago
Architect Leonard Manasseh at age 100
As Leonard Manasseh becomes our first centenarian Royal Academician, his cousin, the architectural historian Timothy Brittain-Catlin, takes a look at a career of over 80 years.
Artists
2 years ago
Sex, death and sculpture: Cathie Pilkington’s Top Shelf
The Royal Academician talks about the “Baccahanalian excess” of her sculptural installation Top Shelf, currently on display above the bar in the Academicians’ Room at the RA.
Artists
> 2 years ago
Object of the month: April 2016
As Yinka Shonibare RA prepares to wrap the Academy’s Burlington Gardens façade in his bold designs, the RA Collections team takes a look at one of his distinctive works.
Artists
> 2 years ago
A tribute to Zaha Hadid RA: 1950–2016
One of the world’s greatest architects, Zaha Hadid inspired a generation. Following the sad news of her death, the RA’s Head of Architecture and two fellow architects reflect on a visionary career.
Artists
> 2 years ago
Conrad Shawcross RA’s ‘The ADA Project’ in Hong Kong
The Royal Academician’s sculpture inspired by the mathematician Ada Lovelace goes on show at The Peninsula Hotel.
Artists
> 2 years ago
Meet six contemporary avant-gardeners
Today’s artists share their avant-garde ancestors’ passion for plants. But instead of paint, they are using unusual materials and media – including gardens themselves – to break creative boundaries.
Artists
> 2 years ago
In the studio with Yinka Shonibare RA
As Yinka Shonibare RA prepares to wrap the Academy’s Burlington Gardens façade in his bold designs, Fiona Maddocks visits the sculptor at his warehouse studio in east London.
Artists
> 2 years ago
10 minutes with… Humphrey Ocean RA
The artist tells us why Van Gogh was his earliest inspiration, and why he still loves Josef Albers’ square paintings.
Artists
> 2 years ago
How I made it, by Ken Howard RA
“I knew I had to paint it in winter,” says Ken Howard. The artist tells us how he became hooked on painting this Chelsea Square, why he had to paint it quickly and when he knew it was done.
Artists
> 2 years ago
In the studio with Rose Wylie RA
In Rose Wylie RA’s Kent studio, paint spatters are everywhere. Fiona Maddocks meets the artist whose star is shining late in life.
Artists
> 2 years ago
My studio life: Ian Ritchie RA
Ian Ritchie RA shows us around the Canary Wharf offices of his architectural practice.
Artists
> 2 years ago
Art quiz of the year 2015
Know your art? Take our quiz of the year and see how you measure up…
Artists
> 2 years ago
10 minutes with… Barbara Rae RA
The artist tells us why she is inspired by Arctic explorations and the Scottish coastline in winter light.
Artists
> 2 years ago
Painting their life: Diana Armfield and Bernard Dunstan
Royal Academician Diana Armfield tells us about a creative partnership that has stood the test of time.
Artists
> 2 years ago
Podcast: Chris Wilkinson and Humphrey Ocean on drawing
Architect Chris Wilkinson RA and painter Humphrey Ocean RA discuss what it is to draw, and why the process is central to their work.
Artists
> 2 years ago
My studio life: Chris Wilkinson RA
The architect’s sketchbooks are currently on display at the RA. We visited him at his practice to find out why, in an age of computers, drawing is still at the centre of what he does.
Artists
< 3 years ago
10 minutes with… Phyllida Barlow RA
As she turns her focus to a group of small sculptures, Phyllida Barlow tells us what music inspires her and why she loves Picasso.
Artists
< 3 years ago
David Remfry RA on his portraits of people and dogs
In this video, the Royal Academician discusses his new book which brings together portraits of friends and neighbours with their canine companions.
Artists
< 3 years ago
Lessons in life, love and art from Marina Abramovic
From losing consciousness to sitting motionless every day for three months, the inimitable artist pushes her body to its limits. Watch her in conversation with Bryan Appleyard.
Artists
< 3 years ago
Bob and Roberta Smith RA at the William Morris Gallery
Bob and Roberta Smith’s exhibition of his recent campaigning art finds a natural home at the London gallery dedicated to designer and radical socialist William Morris.
Artists
< 3 years ago
Anne Desmet: Time is of the essence
Anne Desmet RA is known for her prints and collages exploring space and time. But in her new show she combines these with objects in unusual and playful ways.
Artists
< 3 years ago
Podcast: William Kentridge Hon RA in conversation with Tim Marlow
Internationally acclaimed artist William Kentridge Hon RA discusses his career and work with the RA’s Artistic Director Tim Marlow.
Artists
< 3 years ago
Fred Cuming RA: portrait of an artist
Fred Cuming RA reflects on his long career as a painter in this short film, shot in and around his East Sussex home.
Artists
< 3 years ago
Catching up with… Tim Ellis
Six years on from leaving the RA Schools and selling his final year show to the Saatchi Gallery, Tim Ellis has been exhibiting across the world. We head to his Dalston studio.
Artists
< 3 years ago
My studio life: Eileen Cooper RA
As Eileen Cooper RA guides us round both her studios, she tells us about her career in printmaking, and why she loves drawing in charcoal.
Artists
< 3 years ago
Thomas Heatherwick RA: “Inspiration is a cliché”
Thomas Heatherwick RA delights in discovering his ideas don’t work – it’s all part of a process of elimination that results in his extraordinary designs, as Sam Phillips finds out.
Artists
< 3 years ago
Damien Hirst in conversation with John Hoyland RA
The late John Hoyland RA told Damien Hirst about meeting Francis Bacon, and what it is to be a painter.
Artists
< 3 years ago
Sean Scully RA pays homage to Catalonia
The abstract art of Sean Scully RA is installed in the 9th century church of Santa Cecilia in Catalonia.
Artists
< 3 years ago
In the studio with Sonia Lawson RA
Despite various challenges, including a leaking roof, Sonia Lawson RA is keen to return to her garden studio, says Fiona Maddocks.
Artists
< 3 years ago
My studio life: Anthony Whishaw RA
From his studio in south west London, Anthony Whishaw RA tells us how he has been influenced by Goya, and why he enjoys working from two studios.
Artists
3 years ago
Annual Architecture Lecture: Bjarke Ingels
Danish architect Bjarke Ingels delivered the 25th Annual Architecture Lecture in the unique setting of the Summer Exhibition.
Artists
3 years ago
My studio life: Piers Gough RA
As Piers Gough RA guides us round his practice in Clerkenwell, he tells us what it was like to work with Paul Smith, and what it really takes to be an architect.
Artists
3 years ago
10 minutes with… Tess Jaray RA
Each month we catch up with a different Royal Academician. Here, Tess Jaray RA tells us about a recent shift in her colour palette, and shares “the only rule” for aspiring artists.
Artists
3 years ago
When top architects meet LEGO
As part of the London Festival of Architecture, we set four teams a challenge to build a model city in under two hours. Here’s what they did.
Artists
3 years ago
10 minutes with… Ann Christopher RA
Each month we catch up with a different Royal Academician. This month, Ann Christopher RA tells us about casting plaster figures, her love of Richard Serra’s work and her new sculpture in Uganda.
Artists
3 years ago
How to get into the Summer Exhibition? Try this advice
We asked the artists selected for this year’s Summer Exhibition to share their secrets, and tell us their personal rules for making art. Here’s what they said.
Artists
3 years ago
Postcards from the edge of the Earth: Emma Stibbon’s polar art
A new exhibition showcases the Academician’s artistic response to her Arctic and Antarctic journeys.
Artists
3 years ago
Six ways the Napoleonic Wars changed British art
The conflict blocked artists from travelling – but also led to a boom in the art market and the arrival of works by Titian and van Eyck. As a wave of commemorations marks Waterloo’s 200th anniversary, our Curator of Works on Paper explains.
Artists
3 years ago
10 minutes with… Timothy Hyman RA
As he prepares to exhibit new work, we chat to Timothy Hyman RA about his love of Sienese frescoes and learning to paint with gouache as a child.
Artists
3 years ago
Preview: Lynette Yiadom-Boakye at the Serpentine
The imagined portraits by this RA Schools alumna and Turner Prize nominee are revelations from another world, says Kelly Grovier.
Artists
3 years ago
Michael Craig-Martin, man for all seasons
As Michael Craig-Martin RA co-ordinates this year’s Summer Exhibition, the Curator and Head of the RA Schools Eliza Bonham Carter discovers in a new book what makes this leading artist and teacher tick.
Artists
3 years ago
In the studio with Louisa Hutton RA
Behind redbrick walls in an old Berlin factory Fiona Maddocks finds architect Louisa Hutton RA in a calm and spacious haven.
Artists
3 years ago
Stephen Cox RA and Eric Parry RA: set in stone
Art and architecture combine on a corner of London’s St James’s, where Stephen Cox RA has integrated sculpture into Eric Parry RA’s building. Sam Phillips reports.
Artists
3 years ago
David Chipperfield RA meets Conrad Shawcross RA
RA Magazine’s Guest Editor David Chipperfield RA meets Conrad Shawcross RA in Green Park to talk trees and tetrahedrons, ahead of the sculptor’s spectacular work that greets visitors to the Summer Exhibition.
Artists
> 3 years ago
Alison Wilding RA: why sculptors make works on paper
“I don’t think my work on paper has remotely anything to do with the kind of sculpture I make, and I think that’s why I do it - because it’s an opportunity to go down a different route,” says Alison Wilding RA.
Artists
> 3 years ago
Michael Craig-Martin RA: advice for an aspiring artist
In an extract from his new book, the Royal Academician who nurtured talents including Gary Hume, Sarah Lucas and Damien Hirst offers his insights into how to get on in art and the art world.
Artists
> 3 years ago
Fiona Rae RA: “I’ve always had an experimental approach to painting”
The Royal Academician explains how turning away from colour has had an invigorating effect on her work.
Artists
> 3 years ago
10 minutes with… Michael Landy RA
Each month we catch up with a different Royal Academician. This month, here’s Michael Landy RA on destroying his work, being afraid of Tracey Emin and why young artists need a thick skin.
Artists
> 3 years ago
Hughie O’Donoghue RA: “painting is archaeology in reverse”
The Royal Academician explains how the nature of memory and a sense of place are driving forces in his latest series of paintings.
Artists
> 3 years ago
Bryan Kneale RA at Pangolin London
An exhibition of five decades of Bryan Kneale’s sculpture and works on paper gives the Academician a chance to see his work afresh.
Artists
> 3 years ago
Remembering Albert Irvin RA
Basil Beattie remembers his friend and fellow Academician, the painter Albert Irvin RA, who has died at the age of 92.
Artists
> 3 years ago
Anish Kapoor’s new paintings at Lisson Gallery
The Royal Academician explains how his new series of paintings in silicone and resin have a close connection to his blockbuster 2009 show at the RA.
Artists
> 3 years ago
Remembering Robert Clatworthy
A key figure in a group of sculptors who emerged in the 1950s, we look back on the career of Robert Clatworthy, who has passed away aged 87.
Artists
> 3 years ago
Chantal Joffe: Me and my mentors
In the latest in our series on turning points in artists’ careers, Chantal Joffe RA tells Sam Phillips about the impact two teachers had on her work.
Artists
> 3 years ago
Richard Wilson’s ‘Hang On A Minute…’ travels to Hong Kong
The Royal Academician’s sculpture inspired by ‘The Italian Job’ goes on show at The Peninsula Hotel.
Artists
> 3 years ago
In Memoriam: William Bowyer RA
Mick Rooney remembers his fellow Academician, the painter William Bowyer, who has died aged 88.
Artists
> 3 years ago
House of curiosities: in the studio with Tom Phillips RA
When Tom Phillips RA rented a room in a south London house 50 years ago, little did he know the entire house would become his studio.
Artists
> 3 years ago
Zaha Hadid RA in conversation with Alain Elkann
The eminent architect discusses her approach to her work and her thoughts on the past, present and future of architecture.
Artists
> 3 years ago
10 minutes with… Rebecca Salter RA
Each month, we have a quick chat with one of our Academicians to find out what they’re up to and what the RA means to them.
Artists
> 3 years ago
Cornelia Parker’s poppies at the Whitworth
A survey of work by Cornelia Parker RA is the opening show at Manchester’s newly renovated Whitworth Gallery – featuring a room hung with the negatives from a poppy factory.
Artists
> 3 years ago
The story behind John Singer Sargent RA’s ‘Carnation, Lily, Lily, Rose’
With an exhibition of paintings by John Singer Sargent at the National Portrait Gallery, we take a look at one of this Royal Academician’s most famous works.
Artists
> 3 years ago
Chantal Joffe RA at Jerwood Gallery
We speak to painter Chantal Joffe RA in her new exhibition at Jerwood Gallery in Hastings.
Artists
> 3 years ago
10 minutes with… Alan Stanton RA
Each month, we have a quick chat with one of our Academicians to find out what they’re up to and what the RA means to them.
Artists
> 3 years ago
Remembering Ivor Abrahams RA
Past President of the RA Phillip King pays tribute to his friend and colleague Ivor Abrahams RA, who has died aged 79.
Artists
> 3 years ago
My studio life: Allen Jones RA
We visited Allen Jones RA in his Oxfordshire studio, where he talked about his transition from painting to sculpture, and about painting Kate Moss.
Artists
> 3 years ago
10 minutes with… Richard Wilson RA
Each month, we have a quick chat with one of our Academicians to find out what they’re up to and what the RA means to them.
Artists
> 3 years ago
Kept up with your culture? Take the 2014 quiz
Here at the RA, we’re keen to make sure you’re getting your recommended annual intake of art. Find out now!
Artists
> 3 years ago
Diana Armfield RA on her art epiphany
As her husband’s health began to fail, painter Diana Armfield RA began to paint French and Italian scenes using sketches she had made during their travels.
Artists
> 3 years ago
10 minutes with… Phillip King PPRA
Each month, we have a quick chat with one of our Academicians to find out what they’re up to and what the RA means to them.
Artists
> 3 years ago
‘In Tangier’: an extract from Tess Jaray’s new book
This short memoir is taken from painter Tess Jaray RA’s new book, ‘The Blue Cupboard: Inspirations and Recollections’.
Artists
> 3 years ago
The wizard of Oxfordshire: in the studio with Mick Rooney RA
Behind garage doors at his Cotswolds home, Mick Rooney RA conjures a magical world on canvas.
Artists
> 3 years ago
Catching up with… Grace O‘Connor
From her studio in Southwark, the former RA Schools student Grace O’Connor describes how her experience at the Academy formed her future painting practice.
Artists
> 3 years ago
Kiefer and Chipperfield talk space and creativity
In a discussion chaired by the RA’s Tim Marlow, Anselm Kiefer and David Chipperfield RA explore the ways art and architecture interact in Kiefer’s practice.
Artists
< 4 years ago
An extract from the memoir of Philip Dowson PRA
A few years ago, Philip Dowson wrote and published a book of his memoirs, which he distributed only to his close family and friends. We have been given permission to republish an extract.
Artists
< 4 years ago
Will Alsop RA on the architecture of Leighton House
In this article from the RA Magazine archive, architect Will Alsop discusses Leighton House, and what its architecture says about Frederick Leighton, the Royal Academy President who commissioned it.
Artists
< 4 years ago
When David Hockney, Allen Jones and Gordon Ramsay met for lunch
In an article from the RA Magazine archive, we find out what happened when two Academicians joined Gordon Ramsay at his Claridge’s restaurant.
Artists
< 4 years ago
Anthony Eyton RA and the bell ringers of Spitalfields
The Academician’s lifelong artistic engagement with the East End neighbourhood now includes the bell ringers of its iconic Hawksmoor church.
Artists
< 4 years ago
A tribute to Geoffrey Clarke RA
A fellow Academician pays tribute to the celebrated sculptor, who has passed away aged 89
Artists
< 4 years ago
From the archive: The iconography of Allen Jones RA
Revisit this exploration of the meaning of Jones’s works, ahead of his first major retrospective in Burlington Gardens.
Artists
< 4 years ago
In conversation with Frank Bowling RA
Royal Academician Frank Bowling discusses his working practices, his desire to make “pure painting” and the changing reactions to his work throughout his lifetime.
Artists
< 4 years ago
Tess Jaray RA reads from ‘The Blue Cupboard’
The Royal Academician shares a chapter from her new memoir.
Artists
< 4 years ago
Interview: William Tucker RA
As a new exhibition of his work opens in London, the US-based Academician reflects on an artistic discovery that moulded his approach to sculpture.
Artists
< 4 years ago
My studio life: Grayson Perry RA
We caught up with Grayson Perry RA as he moved into his new Islington Studio, where he told us about ceramics, motorbikes and why he wears cashmere socks.
Artists
< 4 years ago
Behind the mask: Gillian Wearing RA
Shortlisted for a major European art award, the Royal Academician tells us about her recent work on show in The Hague.
Artists
< 4 years ago
Conrad Shawcross RA on ‘The ADA Project’
The Royal Academician discusses his robot installation inspired by Ada Lovelace.
Artists
< 4 years ago
Tracey Emin RA: “It’s like being at art school again”
The Royal Academician describes tackling the medium of bronze as her major new exhibition opens in London.
Artists
< 4 years ago
Through artists’ eyes
Three Royal Academicians – an architect, a sculptor and a painter – respond to memory, mystery and material in the work of Anselm Kiefer.
Artists
< 4 years ago
10 minutes with… Frank Bowling RA
Each month, we have a quick chat with one of our Academicians to find out what they’re up to and what the RA means to them.
Artists
< 4 years ago
David Remfry RA on the major turning point in his practice
A remarkable look into how a chance encounter in 1988 liberated the Academician’s painting practice.
Artists
< 4 years ago
Black artists in British art
An insight into Eddie Chambers’s ‘Black Artists in British Art: A History from 1950 to the Present’, the first comprehensive study on the topic.
Artists
< 4 years ago
A look inside the studio of Sandra Blow RA
As abstract art pioneer Sandra Blow RA is celebrated by two Cornwall shows, Jonathan Grimble and Denny Long from her Estate give us a tour of her atmospheric studio space in St Ives.
Artists
< 4 years ago
In Memoriam: Alan Davie RA
The Academician’s art dealer and lifelong friend remembers a life well lived.
Artists
< 4 years ago
In the studio with Will Alsop RA
Known for his colourful urban buildings, the Academician also retreats to paint in his Norfolk studio.
Artists
< 4 years ago
Remembering Sir Philip Dowson PRA
A few personal notes on a fellow architect and mentor by Sir Michael Hopkins RA.
Artists
< 4 years ago
Art Party: coming to a cinema near you
A new film by Bob and Roberta Smith RA and Tim Newton has its first screening at the RA.
Artists
< 4 years ago
Michael Sandle RA on William Dalrymple’s book ‘Return of a King: The Battle for Afghanistan’
The Academician and sculptor finds history repeating itself on reading an illuminating analysis of Britain’s first Afghan war.
Artists
< 4 years ago
Behind the scenes: Anselm Kiefer’s studio at Barjac
In the lead-up to his major RA exhibition this autumn, we take a look inside the artist’s huge “gesamtkunstwerk” in the south of France.
Artists
4 years ago
Our picks from the A-level Summer Exhibition Online
As the exhibition draws to a close, we asked three RA members of staff to select their highlight.
Artists
4 years ago
Richard MacCormac RA remembered
People from around the RA pay tribute to leading architect Sir Richard MacCormac, who has died aged 75 following a long illness.
Artists
4 years ago
10 minutes with… Cathie Pilkington RA
Each month, we have a quick chat with one of our Academicians to find out what they’re up to and what the RA means to them.
Artists
4 years ago
Zaha Hadid RA on the influence of Malevich in her work
As a major Malevich show goes on view, Zaha Hadid RA reveals how her use of painting and drawing to develop buildings was inspired by the artist.
Artists
4 years ago
Hughie O’Donoghue RA contemplates art of the First World War
As an exhibition honouring the British art of the First World War opens at the Imperial War Museum a century after its outbreak, the painter discusses the impact of these works.
Artists
4 years ago
David Remfry RA’s watercolours at Fortnum & Mason
Painter Mick Rooney RA gives his own inimitable take on David Remfry RA’s witty watercolours, a new installation in the department store’s Diamond Jubilee Tea Salon.
Artists
4 years ago
The fruits of Barbara Rae RA’s recent travels go on display
The vibrant colours and traditional textiles of Mexico have weaved their way into the painter’s recent ‘Rebozo’ series.
Artists
4 years ago
Norman Ackroyd RA discusses his watercolours
A new book of Norman Ackroyd RA’s watercolours captures the immediacy of the moment, as the artist explains.
Artists
4 years ago
Mathew Tom & the RA Schools Starr Fellowship
Vivid colours are coupled with formal simplicity in the recent artworks exhibited by Mathew Tom in the RA Schools studios.
Artists
4 years ago
10 minutes with… Tim Shaw RA
Each month, we have a quick chat with one of our Academicians to find out what they’re up to and what the RA means to them.
Artists
4 years ago
Building blocks of the city
On Sunday, the RA played host to a great LEGO challenge.
Artists
4 years ago
Tracey Emin talks about ‘My Bed’
Tracey Emin RA’s ‘My Bed’ (1998), one of the seminal works of the Young British Artist generation, goes up for sale at Christie’s on Tuesday 1 July.
Artists
4 years ago
Ed Ruscha remembers Dennis Hopper
As the RA prepares for ‘Dennis Hopper: The Lost Album’, Honorary Royal Academician Ed Ruscha reflects on his friendship with the legendary actor, director and photographer in 1960s Los Angeles and beyond.
Artists
4 years ago
An interview with Amy Petra Woodward
The artist discusses her exhibition in the RA’s Gallery Café.
Artists
4 years ago
In the studio with Phillip King PPRA
Fiona Maddocks meets sculptor and former RA President Phillip King in his studio in a converted north London factory.
Artists
4 years ago
Two artist couples display together this summer
Two Academicians take the rare step of showing alongside their partners this summer, reports Richard Cork.
Artists
4 years ago
Bob and Roberta Smith’s guide to the Summer Exhibition
Art now is more popular than it ever has been. We are in an era where art is at the centre of a public conversation about who we are, and where we want to go.
Artists
4 years ago
Stephen Chambers RA’s ‘The Big Country’ travels to the Pera Museum
The RA is curating a major exhibition in Istanbul of prints and paintings by Stephen Chambers, including his giant screen print shown at the RA in 2012, writes Emma Hill.
Artists
4 years ago
10 minutes with… Emma Stibbon RA
Each month, we have a quick chat with one of our Academicians to find out what they’re up to and what the RA means to them.
Artists
4 years ago
Sam Phillips meets Terry Setch RA
Continuing our series on artists’ epiphanies, Sam Phillips visits the Welsh beach that transformed Setch’s art.
Artists
> 4 years ago
Paint inspiration: Ken Howard RA
Ken Howard RA’s range of interior paints created specially for the Royal Academy is inspired by his beloved Venice, a city where he has had a studio for the past 10 years.
Artists
> 4 years ago
Paint inspiration: David Mach RA
The artist’s new paint range for the RA draws inspiration from his life and work.
Artists
> 4 years ago
Red Alan’s Manifesto
A new artwork by Grayson Perry RA presents a special manifesto for the Royal Academy.
Artists
> 4 years ago
The One Show Summer Art Competition 2014
We are delighted to be working with the BBC on a very special competition this summer.
Artists
> 4 years ago
10 minutes with… Mike Nelson RA Elect
Each month, we have a quick chat with one of our Academicians to find out what they’re up to and what the RA means to them.
Artists
> 4 years ago
Ancient and modern
From traditional engravings to cutting edge digital techniques: the RA Schools is a hive of creative approaches to printmaking.
Artists
> 4 years ago
The beasts are coming
A group of sculptures by Lynn Chadwick RA (1914 - 2003) is being installed in the Royal Academy’s Annenberg Courtyard, as part of celebrations to make the centenary of his birth.
Artists
> 4 years ago
In tribute: Alan Davie RA
President of the Royal Academy Christopher Le Brun remembers the artist who died on 5 April aged 93.
Artists
> 4 years ago
Phyllida Barlow at Tate Britain
Phyllida Barlow RA has unleashed seven playful giants into Tate Britain’s Duveen Galleries.
Artists
> 4 years ago
Georg Baselitz: Artist and collector
Georg Baselitz first encountered chiaroscuro woodcuts on a trip to Italy as a young artist. He went on to become an avid collector of these revolutionary prints, many of which are now on display in our exhibition ‘Renaissance Impressions’.
Artists
> 4 years ago
Last chance to bid in RA Schools Auction
Your chance to own work by an Academician and help us to continue to meet the cost of tuition fees for all students at the RA Schools.
Artists
> 4 years ago
Making a mark: #PrintMonth at the RA
Welcome to Print Month. This April we’re celebrating the versatile art of printmaking, with a packed programme of exhibitions, events and online activity.
Artists
> 4 years ago
10 minutes with… Conrad Shawcross RA Elect
Each month, we have a quick chat with one of our Academicians to find out what they’re up to and what the RA means to them.
Artists
> 4 years ago
An extract from ‘Matisse: The Chapel at Vence’
Read an extract from RA Publications’ new book on the chapel that Henri Matisse considered his greatest work.
Artists
> 4 years ago
Cutting it fine
As Tate Modern mounts a major show of Matisse’s cut-outs, painter Mali Morris RA pays tribute to the artist’s directness, inventiveness and exuberance
Artists
> 4 years ago
Living colour
We visit the converted stable where the nonagenarian artist Alan Davie RA creates his jewel-like paintings.
Artists
> 4 years ago
Between the lines
In the first of a new series on artists’ epiphanies, Tess Jaray RA reveals three turning points in her understanding of art.
Artists
> 4 years ago
His dark materials
War, terror and human conflict pervade the art of new RA sculptor Tim Shaw, whose first major solo show opens in Birmingham.
Artists
> 4 years ago
Out of the ordinary
Michael Craig-Martin RA is installing the commonplace in a far from everyday setting, writes Richard Cork.
Artists
> 4 years ago
Man of mettle
Academician Anthony Caro was the most influential British sculptor of the post-war era, famously taking sculpture off the plinth. Norman Foster RA pays a personal tribute to the man who collaborated with him on several projects.
Artists
> 4 years ago
In memoriam: Maurice Cockrill RA
His huge abstract paintings brought a vibrance to the RA’s Summer Exhibitions, while a spirit of openness characterised his role as Keeper of the RA Schools, writes his colleague, senior lecturer Richard Kirwan
Artists
> 4 years ago
‘Sensation’ works on view at Christie’s
The Royal Academy’s ‘Sensation’ exhibition in 1997 made a major splash in the art world, introducing a wider public to the YBA (Young British Artist) generation of Tracey Emin, Damien Hirst and their contemporaries.
Artists
> 4 years ago
Meet the architects: Álvaro Siza and Eduardo Souto de Moura
More than any other architects, Álvaro Siza and Eduardo Souto de Moura have made me look with a fresh eye at the Royal Academy’s galleries and architecture.
Artists
> 4 years ago
Meet the architects: Kengo Kuma
It may seem a strange term for an architect to coin, but Japanese architect Kengo Kuma has been developing an idea of what he calls “weak architecture”.
Artists
> 4 years ago
Meet the architects: Diébédo Francis Kéré
When putting together this group of architects I purposefully sought out those who would bring a variety of perspectives on how we think about architecture and the spaces around us.
Artists
> 4 years ago
Timothy Hill: architecture in Australia
Architect Timothy Hill discusses his current projects and reflects on the conditions of architecture in Australia.
Artists
> 4 years ago
Tim Winton: the island seen and felt
Author Tim Winton explores his belief that ‘Australia the place is constantly overshadowed by Australia the national idea.‘
Artists
> 4 years ago
Meet the architects: Li Xiaodong
It was when sitting with Li Xiaodong in a courtyard garden in the Huairou district, a mountainous area near the Great Wall, an hour north of Beijing, that many of his observations of Chinese culture and sensibilities became much clearer for me.
Artists
> 4 years ago
Shaun Gladwell: performance landscapes
Internationally acclaimed Australian contemporary artist Shaun Gladwell discusses his video ‘performance landscapes’.
Artists
> 4 years ago
My studio life: Phyllida Barlow RA
We visited Phyllida Barlow RA in her busy studio as she prepared for an installation at Tate Britain.
Artists
> 4 years ago
Meet the architects: Sofia von Ellrichshausen and Mauricio Pezo
Spending some time with the Chilean architects who ‘consider’ rather than ‘design’.
Artists
< 5 years ago
Meet the architects: Grafton
“Buildings tell the stories of our lives in built form… We walk through and feel spaces with our whole bodies and our senses, not just with our eyes and with our minds. We are fully involved in the experience; this is what makes us human.”
Artists
< 5 years ago
Fire and water
The RA’s Australia show has three rooms dedicated to Aboriginal art. Wally Caruna celebrates this rich vein of indigenous culture by exploring a key work in the show that evokes the ancestral origins of the great bush fire.
Artists
< 5 years ago
My studio life: Norman Ackroyd
Norman Ackroyd RA has been working from a former leather factory in Bermondsey for 30 years, where he has a printing press and an etching press.
Artists
< 5 years ago
In the studio with Sean Scully RA
Sam Phillips meets Sean Scully RA in his Barcelona studio.
Artists
< 5 years ago
Out to lunch with David Mach RA
The RA speaks about how his love of large numbers influences his sculptures over a steak at Hawksmoor.
Artists
5 years ago
In the studio with Phyllida Barlow RA
Meet the sculptor who chooses materials for their rawness and authenticity to create her haunting art.
Artists
5 years ago
Out to lunch with Cornelia Parker RA
The Academician talks about the mix of violence and poetry in her work, as her often explosive art takes her across the globe.
Artists
> 5 years ago
Former RA Schools student nominated for Turner Prize
Lynette Yiadom-Boakye completed her post-graduate course at the RA. A decade on, she is nominated for one of the art world’s most prestigious awards.
Artists
> 5 years ago
Out to lunch with Chris Wilkinson RA
The architect and Academician talks over lunch about searching for “the beautiful idea” when he designs a building.
Artists
> 5 years ago
In the studio with Joe Tilson RA
Fiona Maddocks meets painter and Academician Joe Tilson at his studio in a workers’ cottage in Chelsea.
Artists
> 5 years ago
Out to lunch with Richard Wilson RA
Over a sushi lunch, the sculptor and Academician talks about “getting away with” art that challenges our preconceptions of the world around us.
Artists
< 6 years ago
In the studio with Peter Cook RA
The architect and Academician fills his London studio with a sense of fun, as Fiona Maddocks discovers.
Artists
< 6 years ago
Out to lunch with Mali Morris RA
Redefining the best of British cuisine with the Academician, who herself is as a conjuror in the world of colour.
Artists
< 6 years ago
In the studio with Anne Desmet RA
Printmaker and Academician Anne Desmet discusses juggling work and family life in a studio at her east London house.
Artists
< 6 years ago
In conversation with Timothy Hyman RA
As artist in residence at Maggie’s Cancer Caring Centre, the Academician is a healing presence.
Artists
6 years ago
In the studio with Jenny Saville RA
The Academician talks with us from her current studio in Oxford.
Artists
> 6 years ago
In the studio with Gillian Wearing RA
We speak to the painter in her minimalist studio in London’s East End, which is filled with an unexpected riot of colour.
Artists
< 7 years ago
In the studio with Gary Hume RA
The Academician’s Clerkenwell studio is cool, white and ordered - but in it Hume is a warm, unpretentious presence.
Artists
< 7 years ago
Out to lunch with Bryan Kneale RA
Over a seafood lunch, Sarah Greenberg admires the Academician’s steely resolve.
Artists
7 years ago
In the studio with Stephen Cox RA
The Academician has built his studio in a converted granary, in the Shropshire landscape made famous by A.E Housman.
Artists
< 8 years ago
In the studio with Albert Irvin RA
Evidence of Albert Irvin’s thirst for adventure on canvas can be seen in the east London studio he has occupied for over 30 years.
Artists
< 8 years ago
Out to lunch with Will Alsop RA
The architect and Academician enthuses over a dish called Heaven and Earth, and tells us why fun is important in architecture.
Artists
8 years ago
Out to lunch with Eric Parry RA
Over an Italian lunch, the architect and Academician discusses the influence of art and history on his designs.
Artists
8 years ago
In the studio with John Carter RA
The quiet minimalist aesthetic of the Academician’s London studio has survived an extraordinary intrusion, he tells us.
Artists
> 8 years ago
In the studio with Antony Gormley RA
Get the vital statistics on the Academician’s studio, his work, and his relationship to the planet.
Artists
> 8 years ago
Out to lunch with Anthony Green RA
A classic French bistro delights the Academician, who tells us why the future of the RA belongs to its Friends.
Artists
> 8 years ago
Out to lunch with Barbara Rae RA
Over a seafood lunch the Academician discusses why the world is her oyster when it comes to making her art.
Artists
> 9 years ago
In the studio with Maurice Cockrill RA
When Maurice Cockrill RA is not nurturing his charges at the RA Schools, he can be found hidden away in his splendid attic studio at the Academy.
Artists
> 9 years ago
In the studio with Jennifer Durrant RA
Jennifer Durrant RA’s studio is part of a big adventure she embarked on in 2000, when she left London to migrate south.
Artists
< 11 years ago
In the studio with Michael Sandle RA
Visiting with the sculptor in his new London studio, Fiona Maddocks finds him as full of sound and fury as his monumental work.