Articles
RA Exhibitions
Find out more about our current and upcoming world-leading exhibitions in Piccadilly.
RA Exhibitions
28 days ago
Why you should apply for the Summer Exhibition 2021
As submissions open for this year’s Summer Exhibition, co-ordinator Yinka Shonibare explains how he’s “reclaiming magic” in this year’s show – and why you should get involved.
RA Exhibitions
2 months ago
David Hockney: to Normandy via Yorkshire
Edith Devaney, curator of our upcoming David Hockney exhibition, explores how the artist harnessed springtime to explore the drama of nature, the process of grief – and the power of hope.
RA Exhibitions
2 months ago
Hockney to Constable: introducing our 2021 exhibitions
From David Hockney’s joyous springtime works, to the exciting new force in painting, Michael Armitage, our updated 2021 programme gives everyone something to look forward to.
RA Exhibitions
4 months ago
Virtual tour – Tracey Emin / Edvard Munch: The Loneliness of the Soul
Explore the dark territories and raw emotions distilled in the artworks of Tracey Emin and Edvard Munch in this virtual tour of our landmark exhibition.
RA Exhibitions
5 months ago
In 60 seconds: Lisa Wright’s ‘Porcelain Gaze’
From Thetford forest to the Medici Venus, unmask the influences behind the work of painter and sculptor, Lisa Wright.
RA Exhibitions
5 months ago
Appetite and decay: the animal instincts in Bacon’s paintings
Author Colm Tóibín traces the conflation of the animal and human condition in 20th-century art and literature.
RA Exhibitions
5 months ago
10 expert tips on visiting the Summer Exhibition
Faced with more than a thousand artworks, how can an art lover make the most of their annual pilgrimage to the Summer Exhibition? Veteran critic Mark Hudson draws from his professional experience to offer 10 useful pointers.
RA Exhibitions
5 months ago
Inside the exhibition: ‘Tracey Emin / Edvard Munch: The Loneliness of the Soul’
Join Tracey Emin RA as she introduces her selection of masterpieces by Edvard Munch alongside her own works.
RA Exhibitions
5 months ago
Tracey Emin’s lifelong affinity with Edvard Munch
As the Royal Academy brings Tracey Emin and Edvard Munch’s work together, Jennifer Higgie, host of ‘Bow Down: Women in Art History’ podcast, asks Emin what makes them kindred spirits.
RA Exhibitions
6 months ago
10 works on grief and loneliness by Tracey Emin and Edvard Munch
From ‘My Bed’ to ‘The Scream’, Tracey Emin and Edvard Munch are two artists who are able to distill pure, raw emotion into their works. Here are 10 that encapsulate those feelings of anxiety, grief and loneliness.
RA Exhibitions
6 months ago
Revisiting the exhibition: Antony Gormley
Six tonnes of steel mesh, a gallery flooded with seawater, a body you could walk through and an experience like no other. Relive our 2019 Antony Gormley exhibition with behind-the-scenes videos, inspiration from the man himself and works from the show.
RA Exhibitions
6 months ago
Cristina Iglesias: the artist who transforms public space
Cristina Iglesias, whose sculptures bring out the otherworldliness of the cobbles, stones, bricks and mortar of cities, speaks to Debika Ray about winning the 2020 RA Architecture Prize.
RA Exhibitions
6 months ago
In 60 seconds: Sarah Gillespie’s ‘White Plume Moth’
See how artist Sarah Gillespie turns drawings of drowsy moths into beautiful mezzotint prints – raising awareness of a species that is often overlooked.
RA Exhibitions
6 months ago
Meet the artists of the Young Artists’ Summer Show 2020
Hear from some of the UK’s most talented young artists who are exhibiting in this year’s Young Artists’ Summer Show.
RA Exhibitions
6 months ago
Virtual tour: Summer Exhibition 2020
Explore the first ever winter Summer Exhibition like never before and discover a myriad of works by household names and emerging artists inside this virtual tour.
RA Exhibitions
7 months ago
Munch’s influence on women artists
Art historian Patricia Berman traces Edvard Munch’s surprising influence on women artists, from Tracey Emin RA and Marlene Dumas Hon RA, to Louise Bourgeois and Maria Lassnig.
RA Exhibitions
7 months ago
Nine things to know about the (late) Summer Exhibition
An invitation to artists everywhere, a story that goes back to Turner – and a top secret tea recipe. Here’s what you need to know about a weird and wonderful art tradition that’s over 250-years-old.
RA Exhibitions
7 months ago
Seven tips for starting your own art collection
There are over 1,100 works in the 2020 Summer Exhibition – and most of them are for sale. So how do you choose? Here are our top tips for buying your first pieces of original art.
RA Exhibitions
7 months ago
Inside the Summer Exhibition 2020 with Jane and Louise Wilson RA
Join coordinators Jane and Louise Wilson RA as they introduce the 252nd Summer Exhibition and discuss the challenges of putting it all together during a pandemic.
RA Exhibitions
7 months ago
9 eyebrow-raising moments from the Summer Exhibition
From the time we rejected Banksy to Turner’s “gunshot in the gallery”, the Summer Exhibition has regularly ruffled the feathers of British art in its 252 years. Here are some of our favourite moments!
RA Exhibitions
8 months ago
Watch Anne Desmet RA create ‘Wood Engraver’s Tower’
Learn the story behind Anne Desmet RA’s engraving, which commemorates the centenary year of the Society of Wood Engravers and features in this year’s Summer Exhibition.
RA Exhibitions
8 months ago
Origins of the Ordrupgaard Collection
Our latest exhibition, Gauguin and the Impressionists: Masterpieces of the Ordrupgaard Collection, has humble roots in the home of Wilhelm and Henny Hansen. In this video produced by Ordrupgaard, discover how the Hansens transformed their private home into a jewel in the crown of the Danish art scene.
RA Exhibitions
8 months ago
3 young artists on getting into the Young Artists’ Summer Show
Imogen West-Knights catches up with three young creatives as they prepare to exhibit in this year’s Young Artists’ Summer Show.
RA Exhibitions
8 months ago
The enduring appeal of Impressionism
In bustling Parisian street scenes, windswept seascapes and shimmering portraits, the Impressionists sought immediacy in their art. Writer Deborah Levy finds their approach as radical today as ever, in the masterpieces on show from the Ordrupgaard Collection.
RA Exhibitions
8 months ago
Meet the winners of the 2020 Young Artists’ Summer Show
Discover who won the People’s Choice award, as well as the most inspiring artworks in each key stage chosen by our President, Rebecca Salter.
RA Exhibitions
8 months ago
Inside the first-ever socially distanced Summer Exhibition
For the first time in its 252-year history, the Summer Exhibition will fall in winter. Amy Sherlock speaks to this year’s co-ordinators, film and photography duo Jane and Louise Wilson RA, who are steering the show into new waters.
RA Exhibitions
9 months ago
Virtual tour: ‘Gauguin and the Impressionists: Masterpieces of the Ordrupgaard Collection’
Step into our galleries to experience ‘Gauguin and the Impressionists: Masterpieces from the Ordrupgaard Collection’, including 60 works – many of which have never been seen in the UK.
RA Exhibitions
9 months ago
10 young artists who will restore your faith in art
The Young Artists’ Summer Show is our free, open submission exhibition for young people aged 5–19. Their art will inspire you, challenge you and, most importantly, make you smile.
RA Exhibitions
9 months ago
Two women artists who broke into the boys’ club
How do you succeed as an artist in 19th-century Paris when male social circles are closed to you? Berthe Morisot and Eva Gonzalès are two women artists who found a way.
RA Exhibitions
9 months ago
Inside the exhibition: Gauguin and the Impressionists
Join curator, Anna Ferrari, as she introduces Gauguin and the Impressionists: Masterpieces of the Ordrupgaard Collection, including works by Manet, Pissarro, Degas and Morisot coming to the UK for the first time.
RA Exhibitions
9 months ago
From Manet to Morisot: 10 Impressionist paintings coming to the UK for the first time
Wilhelm Hansen scoured 20th-century Paris collecting Impressionist paintings – even buying one from his dentist. Now, these paintings are coming to the UK for the first time in Gauguin and the Impressionists: Masterpieces from the Ordrupgaard Collection.
RA Exhibitions
10 months ago
Cézanne and his love affair with the rocks of Provence
Curator Ann Dumas digs into how Paul Cézanne’s Provençal landscapes broke new ground with their blend of art and geology.
RA Exhibitions
10 months ago
The meteoric rise of Angelica Kauffman RA
Historian Jenny Uglow tells the story of how Angelica Kauffman became a founding Member of the RA and one of the most revered artists in Georgian Britain.
RA Exhibitions
11 months ago
Revisiting the exhibition: Sensing Spaces
In 2014, an architecture exhibition took over the Royal Academy that invited audiences not just to step inside it, but to touch it, smell it and feel it. With a curator’s introduction, a documentary from the show and interviews with the architects, we take a trip back to the monumental exhibition, ‘Sensing Spaces: Architecture Reimagined’.
RA Exhibitions
11 months ago
Bombs, dots and rockstars: seven stories of the Summer Exhibition
From frenemy feuds to a bomb through the roof, the storylines of the Summer Exhibition could make a TV drama – so no wonder it’s often featured on screen. Here are just a few of our favourite episodes…
RA Exhibitions
12 months ago
Documentary: inside our Manet exhibition
Originally released in cinemas, this ‘Exhibition on Screen’ film takes you back in time to visit the Royal Academy’s 2013 ‘Manet: Portraying Life’ exhibition, one of our most visited shows of all time. Take a trip to 19th-century Paris where the story of this modern master unfolds – and peep behind the scenes at the RA, as the curators prepared to tell his story in this major show.
RA Exhibitions
1 year ago
Video: inside the artists’ gardens
Join curator Ann Dumas on a tour through the gardens of Claude Monet, Pierre Bonnard, Emile Nolde, Max Liebermann and Henri Le Sidaner. Filmed ahead of our 2016 exhibition, ‘Painting the Modern Garden: Monet to Matisse’, take a moment to escape to the idyllic rural wilderness.
RA Exhibitions
1 year ago
Documentary: inside ‘Painting the Modern Garden: Monet to Matisse’
Originally released in cinemas, this ‘Exhibition on Screen’ film takes us back to our landmark exhibition, ‘Painting the Modern Garden: Monet to Matisse’, examining the role gardens played in the evolution of art from the early 1860s through to the 1920s.
RA Exhibitions
1 year ago
Mussolini and the Royal Academy: a 90-year-old controversy
In 1930, the greatest works of the Italian Renaissance drew half a million visitors to the Academy. But there was a darker, political undercurrent to this blockbuster show, explains Katherine Jane Alexander…
RA Exhibitions
1 year ago
Documentary: inside two blockbuster Hockney exhibitions
Originally released in cinemas, this ‘Exhibition on Screen’ film takes us back to two of our landmark exhibitions by the iconic British artist, David Hockney RA. Sit back and enjoy, as we revisit 2012’s ‘A Bigger Picture’, and ‘82 Portraits and One Still-Life’ from 2016.
RA Exhibitions
1 year ago
Picasso and Paper: virtual exhibition tour
Experience our ‘Picasso and Paper’ exhibition from home in this video tour of the galleries.
RA Exhibitions
1 year ago
In 60 seconds: Gauguin and the Impressionists
On 29 March 2020, we were due to open our new exhibition ‘Gauguin and the Impressionists: Masterpieces from the Ordrupgaard Collection’. Since you can’t come to us, we thought we would bring a taste of it to you. In this video series, see a bite-sized biography of Gauguin, and take a deep dive into Renoir’s ‘Le Moulin de la Galette’ and Manet’s ‘Woman with a Jug’.
RA Exhibitions
1 year ago
Video: ‘Léon Spilliaert’ - virtual exhibition tour
While the RA doors are temporarily closed, you can still experience our exhibition on Belgian artist Léon Spilliaert in this video tour of the galleries.
RA Exhibitions
1 year ago
Léon Spilliaert: an artist that embraced the dark
Insomniac artist Léon Spilliaert wandered Ostend at night, finding in its empty streets and endless beach the exterior equivalent of his inner isolation. Matthew Beaumont explores the solitude at the heart of his paintings.
RA Exhibitions
1 year ago
The visionary collector behind the Ordrupgaard Collection
Not every collector’s story ends happily. Novelist Sarah Dunant charts the bumpy tale behind Wilhelm Hansen’s treasured collection of Impressionist paintings, which go on display at the RA this spring.
RA Exhibitions
1 year ago
Four artists on their favourite Impressionist paintings in the Ordrupgaard Collection
The Impressionists are renowned for their enduring scenes of people and places, whether energetic seascapes or portraits of young women. Four artists – Hughie O‘Donoghue RA, Maggi Hambling, Ishbel Myerscough and Mali Morris RA – describe works that resonate with them in our upcoming exhibition ‘Gauguin and the Impressionists’.
RA Exhibitions
1 year ago
Video: Inside the exhibition – Picasso and Paper
Join curator Ann Dumas in exploring our new exhibition, ‘Picasso and Paper’. See how the iconic artist innovated by tearing, burning, sculpting and collaging with any paper he could get his hands on.
RA Exhibitions
1 year ago
Video: watch Picasso make a masterpiece
Filmed in 1956, ‘Le Mystère Picasso’ is a documentary capturing Picasso in full creative flow. Three of the works he’s seen making in the film are now the walls of the RA, in ‘Picasso and Paper’ – watch how one of them came to be, in this short film…
RA Exhibitions
1 year ago
Video: meet insomniac artist Léon Spilliaert
Belgian artist Léon Spilliaert was an insomniac. He wandered the streets of Brussels at night in search of inspiration. In this video, delve into the solitude and mystery that encompasses the artist’s evocative paintings.
RA Exhibitions
> 1 year ago
Quiz: How Picasso are you?
Sure, Picasso was a master of everything from papier maché to poetry – but you’re a creative too. Perhaps you even have a touch of the Pablo personality. As our ‘Picasso and Paper’ exhibition opens, let’s find out just how Picasso you are…
RA Exhibitions
> 1 year ago
On the paper trail of Pablo Picasso
Antique drawing sheets, Paris metro tickets and lavish wallpapers – the medium of paper was a living ground for the unassailable creative genius of Pablo Picasso. Julian Bell previews our groundbreaking exhibition, Picasso and Paper.
RA Exhibitions
> 1 year ago
Can artists and designers help save the world?
Our exhibition, ‘Eco-Visionaries’, not only reflects a planet undergoing profound change but proposes ways to adapt without succumbing to apathy or inertia.
RA Exhibitions
> 1 year ago
Video: Lucian Freud’s painting technique
The 50 Lucian Freud self-portraits currently on show at the RA reveal how the artist developed his distinctive painting technique throughout his career. Find out more in this video.
RA Exhibitions
> 1 year ago
Some thoughts on painting, by Lucian Freud
“The painter’s obsession with his subject is all that he needs to drive him to work…” As his self-portraits go on show at the RA, we share Lucian Freud’s only published statement on his creative process. It reveals the uncompromising intensity behind his approach to painting.
RA Exhibitions
> 1 year ago
A beginner’s guide to Lucian Freud
As we unite more than 50 of Lucian Freud’s self-portraits for the first time ever, here’s a handy guide to get to know the man whose painted, printed and drawn figure is in our galleries this autumn.
RA Exhibitions
> 1 year ago
Behind the scenes of our Antony Gormley exhibition
Six tonnes of steel mesh, eight kilometres of coiled tubing, a gallery flooded with sea water and a body that can be walked through: this autumn Antony Gormley RA transforms the Academy’s Main Galleries into a sequence of experiences that challenge the viewer. The show’s co-curator takes us behind the scenes.
RA Exhibitions
> 1 year ago
Picasso to Abramović: introducing our 2020 exhibitions
From the 18th century right up to the present and from fragile paper masterpieces to groundbreaking performance art, the RA’s Artistic Director Tim Marlow introduces our exhibition programme for the coming year.
RA Exhibitions
> 1 year ago
Lucian Freud in five self-portraits
From the focused, linear depictions in his early works, to the triumphant naked portrait painted at the top of his game, Lucian Freud’s self-portraits are a testament to the artist’s indefatigable journey. Friend and art critic Martin Gayford selects five works from our forthcoming exhibition ‘Lucian Freud: The Self-portraits’.
RA Exhibitions
> 1 year ago
Antony Gormley: 10 works to know
From chewing his way through 600 loaves of bread to making the world’s largest angel, Antony Gormley has never been afraid to pull out all the stops in the name of art. As we prepare for his biggest UK exhibition in over a decade, here are 10 works you need to know from across his career.
RA Exhibitions
< 2 years ago
Thomas Houseago: Summer Exhibition 2019
“There’s an experience that art can offer which is this strange combination of activating the eyes, the mind, the body and a kind of emotional spectrum.”
RA Exhibitions
< 2 years ago
Video: meet the artists of the Young Artists’ Summer Show
Hear from some of the talented artists in our Young Artists’ Summer Show, which celebrates the creativity of young people aged 7-19.
RA Exhibitions
< 2 years ago
Video: Félix Vallotton in 60 seconds
Tim Marlow gives a quick introduction to Félix Vallotton, the Swiss-born painter and printmaker whose portrayals of Belle Epoque Paris reveal a truly distinctive artistic vision.
RA Exhibitions
< 2 years ago
Novelist Tessa Hadley on the intriguing world of Félix Vallotton
With their secret trysts and satirical twists, the paintings and prints of the Paris-based Swiss artist Félix Vallotton prompt more questions than answers. Novelist Tessa Hadley gives her personal response to the artist’s enigmatic world.
RA Exhibitions
< 2 years ago
Summer Exhibition 2019 prizes announced
Printmaker, painter and sculptor Joe Tilson RA has won the 2019 Charles Wollaston award for the “most distinguished work” in the Summer Exhibition.
RA Exhibitions
< 2 years ago
Exploring this year’s Summer Exhibition with coordinator Jock McFadyen RA
Feeling overwhelmed by all the art to see in this year’s Summer Exhibition? Here’s some guidance from poet and art critic Kelly Grovier, who met with the show’s coordinator to discuss its themes before selecting his own standout works to see.
RA Exhibitions
< 2 years ago
Artist Ian McKeever RA on the raw power of Helene Schjerfbeck’s self-portraits
As we introduce the Finnish artist Helene Schjerfbeck to British audiences, painter Ian McKeever RA reflects on her searing self-portraits; works that changed the way he viewed both art and himself.
RA Exhibitions
< 2 years ago
Video: Alexa Chung at the Summer Exhibition
Join presenter and fashion designer Alexa Chung for a (very) private view of this year’s Summer Exhibition, as she picks out some of her favourite works.
RA Exhibitions
< 2 years ago
Exploring Finland in the footsteps of Helene Schjerfbeck
To coincide with our exhibition of works by Helene Schjerfbeck, Sam Phillips returned to the places the Finnish artist called home, and along the way saw what Finland’s art scene had to offer.
RA Exhibitions
< 2 years ago
A beginner’s guide to Félix Vallotton
From bohemian Paris to the battlefields of the First World War, Félix Vallotton’s art was shaped by a tumultuous epoch – but his vision remained distinctly his own.
RA Exhibitions
2 years ago
Why nudes are allowed in galleries but not on Facebook
In a world where social media screens for nudity, it’s remarkable that one of the few places we can look freely at the naked body in public is the art gallery, says Jill Burke from the University of Edinburgh, as ‘The Renaissance Nude’ opens at the RA.
RA Exhibitions
2 years ago
Four things to know about Phyllida Barlow’s sculpture
As the Academician’s site-specific show opens at the RA, Jon Wood explains what we gain from the pleasures and perplexities of her works.
RA Exhibitions
2 years ago
What would Michelangelo make of Bill Viola?
With the work of contemporary artist Bill Viola on show alongside works by Michelangelo, the exhibition’s co-curator imagines what the Renaissance master might have had to say about it, in a fictional letter to his nephew…
RA Exhibitions
> 2 years ago
Bill Viola / Michelangelo: scenes from the extremities of life
We asked four writers to respond to key themes in ‘Bill Viola / Michelangelo’. On the subject of birth, art historian Ingrid Rowland reveals how both artists confront the particular and the universal in the cycle of life.
RA Exhibitions
> 2 years ago
Bill Viola / Michelangelo: finding the language of emotion
We asked four writers to respond to key themes in ‘Bill Viola / Michelangelo’. On the subject of emotional states, novelist Deborah Levy asks what it means to surrender to our most intense and incoherent feelings.
RA Exhibitions
> 2 years ago
Bill Viola / Michelangelo: art as a search for meaning
We asked four writers to respond to key themes in ‘Bill Viola / Michelangelo’. On the subject of mortality, the former bishop Richard Holloway writes that art and religion are driven onwards by the fact of our death.
RA Exhibitions
> 2 years ago
Bill Viola / Michelangelo: expressing the inexpressible
We asked four writers to respond to key themes in ‘Bill Viola / Michelangelo’. On the subject of transcendence, poet and novelist Ben Okri argues that art’s power lies where understanding leaves off, beyond thought and word.
RA Exhibitions
> 2 years ago
Artists of Oceania: John Pule
Artist John Pule, who is from Niue and New Zealand, introduces his five-panel painting ‘Kehe tau hauaga foou (To all new arrivals)’ in our Oceania exhibition.
RA Exhibitions
> 2 years ago
Artists of Oceania: Lisa Reihana in conversation
With her panoramic video installation currently on show in our Oceania exhibition, watch acclaimed New Zealand artist Lisa Reihana discuss her practice with the RA’s Artistic Director Tim Marlow.
RA Exhibitions
> 2 years ago
Video: Learn about this spectacular headdress in Oceania
This huge feather headdress from Papua New Guinea is 100 years old and has rarely been shown in public due to its delicate nature.
RA Exhibitions
> 2 years ago
Video: Egon Schiele in 60 seconds
Tim Marlow gives a quick introduction to Egon Schiele, whose extraordinary works on paper are on show in our exhibition ‘Klimt / Schiele’.
RA Exhibitions
> 2 years ago
Artists of Oceania: Mata Aho Collective
New Zealand’s Mata Aho Collective introduce their spectacular 11-metre installation ‘Kiko Moana’, which hangs in the opening room of our Oceania exhibition.
RA Exhibitions
> 2 years ago
“Do you destroy your work? I do” – Phyllida Barlow and Harrison Birtwistle discuss creativity
As Phyllida Barlow prepares to open a new show of work at the RA, she joins composer Harrison Birtwistle, and journalist Fiona Maddocks, to exchange ideas about creativity – from how ideas arise to when you know they’re finished, and the trauma of titling.
RA Exhibitions
> 2 years ago
Video: Gustav Klimt in 60 seconds
Tim Marlow gives a quick introduction to Gustav Klimt, one of the two Viennese masters whose works on paper are shown side-by-side in our exhibition ‘Klimt / Schiele’.
RA Exhibitions
> 2 years ago
“It ties us back to our ancestors”: one family’s Oceania story
Shown together for the first time, two historic carvings in our Oceania exhibition tell the story of a voyaging past that connects the Māori people of New Zealand to their ancestors from far across the Pacific.
RA Exhibitions
> 2 years ago
My art agenda: Sarah Pickstone
Sarah Pickstone, alumna of the RA Schools, discusses the inspiration behind her new works in Burlington House, her co-operative studio and the democratic nature of drawing.
RA Exhibitions
> 2 years ago
Video: Oceania and the art of tattooing
Tattoo has a long history in the South Pacific, as shown by a number of historic treasures and contemporary artworks in our Oceania exhibition. In this video, a traditional tā moko (Māori tattoo) artist talks about his work.
RA Exhibitions
> 2 years ago
A quick interpretation of Cornelia Parker’s PsychoBarn
With Cornelia Parker’s Hitchcock-inspired barn in the Royal Academy’s courtyard, Sam Jacob takes a look at the psychological, architectural and social layers of this imposing installation.
RA Exhibitions
> 2 years ago
The beauty of watercolour
The heyday of British watercolour is reflected at the RA in a free exhibition of works from the BNY Mellon Collection, says Ian Warrell.
RA Exhibitions
> 2 years ago
Klimt, Schiele and the meaning of art
As the drawings of Gustav Klimt and Egon Schiele go on show at the Royal Academy, Jill Lloyd reveals how these two giants of 20th-century Viennese modernism fuelled one another’s innovations on paper to push the boundaries of art and depict the human figure as never before.
RA Exhibitions
> 2 years ago
Video: Oceania opening procession and performances
Our major exhibition Oceania celebrates the dazzling and diverse art of this vast region. To mark the opening of the exhibition, a special ceremonial welcome took place at the RA.
RA Exhibitions
> 2 years ago
Renzo Piano: 8 buildings to know
With an RA exhibition profiling the work of Renzo Piano, we introduce eight of the architect’s landmark projects, from New York’s Whitney Museum to London’s iconic Shard.
RA Exhibitions
> 2 years ago
Renzo Piano: “my buildings are explorations”
He gave us the Shard in London, and in Paris the Centre Pompidou. On the eve of his first exhibition in the capital for 30 years, Renzo Piano meets Jonathan Glancey and reflects on a life of making buildings.
RA Exhibitions
> 2 years ago
Introducing our 2019 exhibitions at the Royal Academy of Arts
From the genius of the Renaissance to immersive new work created specially for our galleries, next year’s exhibitions promise to exhilarate and inspire. The RA’s Artistic Director, Tim Marlow, introduces our packed programme for 2019.
RA Exhibitions
> 2 years ago
10 art exhibitions to see in September
From iconic graphic designs to objects of resistance and Impressionist depictions of everyday life, here’s our pick of exhibitions to see this month.
RA Exhibitions
> 2 years ago
A journey through the art of Oceania
As the RA mounts its groundbreaking exhibition on the art of the peoples of the Pacific Islands, Maia Jessop Nuku introduces its themes of voyaging, encountering and place-making.
RA Exhibitions
> 2 years ago
The art of Oceania: seven stories
Curators and scholars give us a glimpse of the remarkable diversity, ancient and modern, that marks out Oceania on the world’s art map.
RA Exhibitions
> 2 years ago
Watch as he works: Zhang Enli hits London
Renowned Chinese artist Zhang Enli will make a site-specific installation in the RA’s Life Room, in an open studio setting where the public can watch him work.
RA Exhibitions
< 3 years ago
10 art exhibitions to see in August
From a translucent sculpture offering a portrait of a city, to an exploration of humans and the cosmos, here’s our top 10 art exhibitions to help you escape the August heat.
RA Exhibitions
< 3 years ago
Inside the show: The Great Spectacle
From the work of “friendly rivals” Reynolds and Gainsborough to the rebellious Pre-Raphaelites, our exhibition The Great Spectacle brings together some of the highlights of 250 years of the Royal Academy’s Summer Exhibition. Take a look inside in these videos.
RA Exhibitions
< 3 years ago
Summer Exhibition 2018 prizes announced
Sculptor and installation artist Mike Nelson RA has won the 2018 Charles Wollaston award for the “most distinguished work” in the Summer Exhibition.
RA Exhibitions
< 3 years ago
Tracing British art through 250 years of the Summer Exhibition
The Summer Exhibition has filled the RA’s galleries every year since 1769 – it’s been a witness (and a player) in many of British art history’s biggest moments. Jenny Uglow takes a look at the art that’s caused drama, changes, protests and celebration over the past quarter millennium.
RA Exhibitions
< 3 years ago
Did Banksy get into the Summer Exhibition?
As the 250th Summer Exhibition opens, Banksy has revealed that he entered the public submission exhibition under a pseudonym… Here’s the inside story.
RA Exhibitions
< 3 years ago
Video: Grayson Perry inside the Summer Exhibition
Take a look inside the 250th Summer Exhibition in this video with coordinator Grayson Perry RA, as he shows us some of his highlights of this year’s show.
RA Exhibitions
< 3 years ago
Podcast catch-up: Technology is the answer, but what was the question?
A series of talks considered the title’s provocation, by architect Cedric Price. Catch up on all the events here…
RA Exhibitions
< 3 years ago
Behind the scenes at the 250th Summer Exhibition
What’s it like to put together the Summer Exhibition? We spoke to this year’s coordinator, Grayson Perry RA, and his band of fellow artists in charge of selecting and hanging the world’s largest open-submission art show.
RA Exhibitions
< 3 years ago
Monet, Hockney, Van Gogh: remember these RA blockbusters?
As our transformed campus lays the foundations for another 250 years of blockbuster art exhibitions, Artistic Director Tim Marlow takes stock of some of the RA’s most popular shows since 1768.
RA Exhibitions
3 years ago
Video: Tracey Emin RA on her largest-ever text piece
Hanging from the vast Victorian glass roof of St Pancras International, I Want My Time With You is the latest in the Terrace Wires public art series. In this video, Tracey Emin discusses the origins of the work and why she chose these particular words.
RA Exhibitions
We need to talk about Charles I’s “pet dwarf”
With a portrait of “The Queen’s Dwarf” on display at the RA, Tom Shakespeare argues we need to look beyond the painting’s spectacle to consider the person it’s depicting – and the uncomfortable truths it still carries today.
3 years ago
RA Exhibitions
3 years ago
Tacita Dean: “I don’t care about the long run. I care about now.”
With three landmark exhibitions in London this year – including the inaugural show of the RA’s new galleries – the artist discusses mysteries of the cosmos, classical mythology and chance encounters at her LA studio.
RA Exhibitions
3 years ago
Henrietta Maria: the queen behind Charles I’s collection
Charles I might have had a keen eye for art, but his queen’s eye was sharper and far more sophisticated. With the couple’s extraordinary art collection currently on display at the RA, the consort’s biographer Erin Griffey explores her life, style and legacy.
RA Exhibitions
3 years ago
Video: Artemisia Gentileschi in 60 seconds
Tim Marlow gives a quick introduction to Artemisia Gentileschi, one of very few women who carved out a career in the 17th-century art world.
RA Exhibitions
3 years ago
Event recording: short stories with Pin Drop and Graham Swift
Catch up on an evening of short stories told by Man Booker Prize-winning author Graham Swift.
RA Exhibitions
3 years ago
Chantal Joffe RA: “If I can paint it, I can deal with it”
With a nude self-portrait currently on show in our From Life exhibition, Chantal Joffe discusses her models, inspiration and artistic process with the show’s curator, Adrian Locke.
RA Exhibitions
3 years ago
Video: Van Dyck in 60 seconds
With our Charles I exhibition celebrating the monarch’s extraordinary art collection, we take a closer look at one of his favourite painters – the Baroque superstar Anthony van Dyck.
RA Exhibitions
> 3 years ago
Strike a pose: 250 years of life drawing at the RA
As our ‘From Life’ exhibition explores the past, present and future of representing bodies in art, we look back at the Royal Academy’s 250-year tradition of drawing nude models.
RA Exhibitions
> 3 years ago
Podcast round-up – Charles I: King and Collector
Catch up with recordings of events surrounding our exhibition reuniting the extraordinary art collection of Charles I.
RA Exhibitions
> 3 years ago
Princes and painters: a who’s who of Charles I’s court
Before you visit our blockbuster ‘Charles I’ exhibition, refresh your knowledge of Stuart history with our introduction to all the major players surrounding the King, matching up big names with impeccably painted faces.
RA Exhibitions
> 3 years ago
Video: a close-up look at Charles I’s Holbein drawings
As the RA prepares to show the great works of Charles I’s art collection, we go behind the scenes at Windsor Castle to see some rarely-shown Holbein drawings that are coming to the exhibition.
RA Exhibitions
> 3 years ago
360 video: how Jonathan Yeo turned virtual reality into bronze
As part of our From Life exhibition project, painter Jonathan Yeo has been depicting his own body in virtual reality. In this 360 degree video, explore his studio as he creates a virtual self-portrait to be 3D-printed as a sculpture.
RA Exhibitions
> 3 years ago
Video: what you need to know about Duchamp’s Fountain
2017 marks 100 years since a porcelain urinal changed the course of modern art. In this video, Professor Dawn Ades tells the story behind Marcel Duchamp’s ‘Fountain’.
RA Exhibitions
> 3 years ago
“It’s a trick on consciousness” – Antony Gormley on virtual reality
To celebrate our From Life exhibition, filmmakers followed artists and architects including Antony Gormley, Farshid Moussavi, Yinka Shonibare and Humphrey Ocean as they experimented with virtual reality in their practices. Watch five clips from the documentary here.
RA Exhibitions
> 3 years ago
From pencil and paper to virtual reality: working from life today
With our current exhibition exploring the past, present and future of working from life, art critic Ben Luke explores how today’s artists are rethinking this seemingly traditional process in innovative, unexpected ways.
RA Exhibitions
> 3 years ago
Sex, death and religion in Jasper Johns’s ‘Dancers on a Plane’
A tribute to the artist’s lifelong choreographer friend, this painting is full of symbols and allusions that aren’t immediately clear. Here, art historian Simon Wilson takes a close look at the work’s testicles, cutlery and fancy footwork.
RA Exhibitions
> 3 years ago
Podcast round-up: Dalí / Duchamp
Catch up with our events surrounding the exhibition, from an introductory talk by exhibition co-curator Professor Dawn Ades CBE FBA, to a close look at a key work from the show – Dalí’s ‘Christ of Saint John of the Cross’.
RA Exhibitions
> 3 years ago
Podcast: Short stories with Pin Drop and Lisa Dwan
Catch up on a special evening with critically acclaimed actress Lisa Dwan reading from ‘Foirades/Fizzles’ by Samuel Beckett, a unique collection of short prose published in collaboration with Jasper Johns in 1972.
RA Exhibitions
> 3 years ago
Video: what is encaustic painting?
Encaustic is an ancient painting method in which wax and pigment are fused onto a surface with heat. Watch a demonstration of this versatile technique by Royal Academician Terry Setch, recorded in his Cardiff studio.
RA Exhibitions
> 3 years ago
The life of Charles I: King, collector, tastemaker, traitor
Political turmoil in 17th-century Europe threw up exciting pickings for Charles I’s art collection. But after a civil war that led to his execution, his masterpieces were dispersed across the globe. Here, Jenny Uglow introduces our show finally reuniting the king’s treasures.
RA Exhibitions
> 3 years ago
Video: Marcel Duchamp in 60 seconds
What was it that made Marcel Duchamp such an influential figure? Here’s a quick introduction to the man dubbed the father of conceptual art.
RA Exhibitions
> 3 years ago
Six secrets from Matisse’s studio
When Henri Cartier-Bresson photographed Matisse in his seventies sketching in his studio, he also captured many of the objects that inspired the artist throughout his career. Here we take a closer look at six items that surrounded Matisse at work.
RA Exhibitions
> 3 years ago
Inside the show: Matisse in the Studio
From African masks to ornate furniture, the objects that Henri Matisse collected throughout his life played a key role in his art. Learn more in these videos with curator Ann Dumas.
RA Exhibitions
> 3 years ago
Jasper Johns: 10 works to know
Over the past six decades, Jasper Johns’s paintings, sculptures, drawings and prints have left an indelible mark on art. With the RA showing a major survey of his practice to date, here’s a closer look at ten of his key works.
RA Exhibitions
> 3 years ago
Video: Salvador Dalí in 60 seconds
Tim Marlow gives a quick introduction to Salvador Dalí, the Spanish surrealist who became the first art superstar of the television age – and whose surprising friendship with Marcel Duchamp is currently in the spotlight at the RA.
RA Exhibitions
> 3 years ago
Video: Jasper Johns in 60 seconds
Tim Marlow gives a quick introduction to Jasper Johns, one of the 20th century’s great artistic innovators, who continues to make work today.
RA Exhibitions
> 3 years ago
Podcast: An introduction to ‘Second Nature: The Art of Charles Tunnicliffe RA’
Catch up on a talk by Professor Robert Meyrick, Head of the School of Art at Aberystwyth University, for an introduction to the life and wildlife illustrations of Charles Tunnicliffe.
RA Exhibitions
> 3 years ago
Quiz: who said it – Dalí, Duchamp or celeb?
Do you know your Dalí from your Duchamp? How about your Duchamp from your Donald Trump or Madonna? They may not have had Twitter to broadcast their musings, but both Dalí and Duchamp were notorious for their colourful statements… can you pick them out from these other quotable figures?
RA Exhibitions
> 3 years ago
Podcast: Matisse’s portraits
In the studio, Matisse battled between portraying a physical resemblance of his sitter and what he understood to be their more lasting, essential character. Co-curator Ellen McBreen explores how the artist explored the possibilities of portraiture throughout his career.
RA Exhibitions
> 3 years ago
Podcast: cultural appropriation in the arts
Artists Yinka Shonibare RA and WESSIELING join ‘Matisse in the Studio’ co-curator Ellen McBreen to examine the ethical and artistic considerations of cultural appropriation within the arts, in a discussion chaired by writer and broadcaster Bidisha.
RA Exhibitions
> 3 years ago
Dalí and Duchamp: a curious camaraderie
The pair may seem like opposites, but our exhibition this autumn shows they shared surprising artistic interests. Here, curator Dawn Ades explores four aspects of their enduring affinity for each other’s work.
RA Exhibitions
> 3 years ago
Podcast round-up – Jasper Johns: ‘Something Resembling Truth’
Catch up on talks at the RA surrounding our autumn exhibition of the pioneering American artist.
RA Exhibitions
> 3 years ago
Jasper Johns: “Take an object. Do something to it. Do something else to it.”
This month the RA celebrates Jasper Johns as one of America’s greatest living artists – here art historian Barbara Rose explores the complex transformations of objects and images throughout his work.
RA Exhibitions
> 3 years ago
Jasper Johns: a beginner’s guide
In autumn 2017 we celebrate the work of pioneering American artist Jasper Johns. The exhibition spans over six decades of ground-breaking work, exploring this highly innovative artist through an extraordinary selection of paintings, sculptures, drawings and prints.
RA Exhibitions
< 4 years ago
Matisse’s studio: “an interior world of his own making”
With our Matisse in the Studio exhibition now open, Nicholas Watkins reveals the artist’s working practice – orchestrating objects and models in his French ateliers to explore colour, line and space.
RA Exhibitions
< 4 years ago
Video: Henri Matisse in 60 seconds
Tim Marlow gives a 60-second introduction to Henri Matisse, one of the most influential artists of the 20th century.
RA Exhibitions
< 4 years ago
Summer Exhibition 2017 prizes announced
Filmmaker and installation artist Isaac Julien wins the prestigious £25,000 Charles Wollaston award for the “most distinguished work” in the Summer Exhibition.
RA Exhibitions
< 4 years ago
A glimpse inside the RA Schools
With the RA Schools show currently showcasing students’ final projects, it’s time for the exhibiting artists to say farewell to their studios and classmates at the Academy. Here, student Richie Moment shares a Polaroid yearbook of his fellow third years.
RA Exhibitions
< 4 years ago
The studios behind the Summer Exhibition
How are the capital’s artists using their working spaces today? In the spirit of this year’s Summer Exhibition, which is encouraging artists who have not shown before at the RA, Skye Sherwin visits first-time exhibitors at work to see what they are bringing to the Academy.
RA Exhibitions
< 4 years ago
In pictures: 40 years of exhibition posters
This year marks 40 years of our Friends of the RA scheme, and 40 years of the exhibitions they’ve visited. As a display of posters goes on show as part of Friends Week, here’s a reminder of just a few – and an invitation to vote for your favourites!
RA Exhibitions
4 years ago
Podcast round-up: Futures found – the real and imagined cityscapes of post-war Britain
Part of our current ‘Futures Found’ architecture programme, these podcasts explore the contrasts between the ambitions for Britain’s new post-war cityscapes and the varied futures that were subsequently created.
RA Exhibitions
4 years ago
Podcast round-up – America After the Fall: Painting in the 1930s
Catch up on talks at the RA surrounding our exhibition America After the Fall: Painting in the 1930s.
RA Exhibitions
4 years ago
Podcast: Black art and activism
Artists Sonia Boyce RA, Dr Kimathi Donkor and Jacob V Joyce join arts practitioner and academic Dr Michael McMillan to discuss whether black artists today are expected to challenge global and national issues of race and representation.
RA Exhibitions
4 years ago
Podcast: the influences of American Gothic
Art historian R. Tripp Evans delves deep into the significance and origins of Grant Wood’s iconic painting, one of the works in the RA’s exhibition America after the Fall: Painting in the 1930s.
RA Exhibitions
4 years ago
Podcast: art of the 1930s American dream
Professor Sarah Churchwell examines the political, cultural and aesthetic contexts of the RA exhibition ‘America after the Fall: Painting in the 1930s’, which includes works by Grant Wood, Edward Hopper and Georgia O’Keeffe.
RA Exhibitions
“No one should be ashamed of their art hero”
Mentioning the quirky, non-conformist style of Anthony Green at my art school interview drew sniggers – but it was Green’s very idiosyncrasies that taught me to think for myself, says artist and RA Schools tutor Mark Hampson.
4 years ago
RA Exhibitions
4 years ago
10 of the most parodied artworks of all time
With ‘American Gothic’ in the UK for the first time, we take a look at some of the other iconic works that have attracted moustaches, Muppets and other mimicry across art history.
RA Exhibitions
4 years ago
A timeline of events in the Russian Revolution: 1917-1932
Have the artworks in our Russian Revolution exhibition got you hankering for a little more history, or are you wanting to brush up on a few key dates before you see the show? Maybe our timeline can help…
RA Exhibitions
4 years ago
Inside the show: art of the Russian Revolution
In these videos, take a look inside our exhibition of post-revolutionary Russian art and learn more about the vast 1932 exhibition in Leningrad that inspired it.
RA Exhibitions
4 years ago
Degas, dolls and life drawing: Cathie Pilkington in the RA Schools
Cathie Pilkington RA is transforming the RA Schools’ life drawing room with an installation of uncanny figures inspired by Degas’ sculptures. Amy Sherlock finds out more about the project.
RA Exhibitions
4 years ago
Video: Edward Hopper in 60 seconds
In our latest 60-second guide, Tim Marlow introduces Edward Hopper, perhaps the most important American realist painter of the early 20th century.
RA Exhibitions
4 years ago
Five graphic design ideas from the Russian Revolution
Soviet designers gave us dynamic geometry, bold typography and minimalist colour that feels right at home in 2017. Designer and author Steve Heller shares five key ideas you need to know.
RA Exhibitions
4 years ago
Revolution: Russia 1917-1932: podcast round-up
Catch up on events at the RA surrounding our exhibition of art during the Russian Revolution.
RA Exhibitions
4 years ago
The tale of Russia’s revolutionary ceramics
Emma Crichton-Miller charts the fortunes of St Petersburg’s porcelain factory, from supplier of exclusive editions to the Russian court, to producer of high end Soviet agit-prop.
RA Exhibitions
4 years ago
A designer collection: Cath Kidston on the art in her life
With prints on her walls by Calder, Klee and Keith Haring, Cath Kidston has long been an avid collector, and the London Original Print Fair has been the designer’s hunting ground. Martin Gayford went to see the works adorning her Gloucestershire home.
RA Exhibitions
4 years ago
Video: Grant Wood in 60 seconds
Tim Marlow introduces Grant Wood, the artist whose portrayals of small-town life in America include one of the most recognisable paintings of all time.
RA Exhibitions
4 years ago
Miss Piggy’s American Gothique: the making of a (near) masterpiece
As Grant Wood’s American Gothic goes on show at the RA, the former Creative Director of the Muppets explains how he came to make a painstaking tribute to it – and why he owes Piggy an apology. We begin our story in Bermuda…
RA Exhibitions
4 years ago
The reality behind American Gothic
As ‘America after the Fall’ brings some of the country’s most iconic works to Europe for the first time, Sarah Churchwell considers the cultural and political backdrop to Depression Era art.
RA Exhibitions
> 4 years ago
The Russian painting that’s so controversial it’s in storage
As the RA prepares for a major exhibition of Russian art, we go behind the scenes at Moscow’s State Tretyakov Gallery to discover a seldom-seen painting that will be making the trip to London.
RA Exhibitions
> 4 years ago
Six views of America
As a new term in the White House divides America, we look back to another time of social upheaval and economic anxiety. Here are six snapshots of a changing country, as depicted by 1930s artists in the RA’s upcoming exhibition, ‘America after the Fall’, and then by contemporary painters in 21st century USA.
RA Exhibitions
> 4 years ago
Intrigue: James Ensor by Luc Tuymans: podcast round-up
Three podcasts explore the work and life of James Ensor, with the RA’s Senior Curator, Adrian Locke, contemporary Belgian painter, Luc Tuymans, and conservator Herwig Todts offering a closer look at Ensor’s eclectic career.
RA Exhibitions
> 4 years ago
What virtual reality means for art
With a display of virtual reality art opening in January, we spoke to HTC’s Rikard Steiber about the rise of VR and its potential impact on art and artists.
RA Exhibitions
> 4 years ago
The story of art in the Russian Revolution
With a momentous exhibition marking the centenary of the Russian Revolution, Martin Sixsmith charts the course of a pivotal period in art, from euphoric creativity to eventual repression.
RA Exhibitions
> 4 years ago
Abstract Expressionism: podcast round-up
From a curator’s introduction to reflections on 1950s New York, catch up on discussions surrounding our Abstract Expressionism exhibition.
RA Exhibitions
> 4 years ago
Dreams, demons and seismic doodling: Timothy Hyman RA on James Ensor
In this extract from his new book, Timothy Hyman explores how the visionary Belgian painter remade figurative painting in his own macabre manner.
RA Exhibitions
> 4 years ago
“I taught Jack that” – Thomas Hart Benton and his student, Jackson Pollock
Ahead of our America After the Fall exhibition, Debra N. Mancoff spotlights Hart Benton’s paintings of idealised rural life during the Great Depression – and his mentorship of an emerging young artist, Jackson Pollock.
RA Exhibitions
> 4 years ago
“We didn’t think it was a movement” – meet the 1940s critics of Abstract Expressionism
Seeking advice as she co-curated our Abstract Expressionism exhibition, Edith Devaney went to New York to meet Dore Ashton and Irving Sandler – two commentators who championed the likes of Mark Rothko and Willem de Kooning, and entertained them in their kitchens.
RA Exhibitions
> 4 years ago
“I’m a creampuff gone rotten” – James Ensor on art and life
An anti-establishment artist with plenty to say, James Ensor’s scribblings are just as eccentric as his paintings. As an insight into his whimsical works, here’s a selection of Ensor’s inner musings – on art, critics and his naughty pug.
RA Exhibitions
> 4 years ago
Inside the show: James Ensor by Luc Tuymans
Take a look at some of the key works in ‘Intrigue: James Ensor by Luc Tuymans’ in these short videos.
RA Exhibitions
> 4 years ago
“Abstract Expressionism still makes me breathe deep”
How do painters from different generations see Abstract Expressionism today? Two RA Schools alumni, Basil Beattie RA and Aimée Parrott, met in the Academy’s show to discuss the movement’s enduring influence.
RA Exhibitions
> 4 years ago
Video: Abstract Expressionists in 60 seconds
Got a minute? In these short videos, the RA’s Artistic Director introduces five of the key figures of Abstract Expressionism.
RA Exhibitions
> 4 years ago
Luc Tuymans on Brexit, Ensor and the establishment
Belgium’s leading contemporary painter, who curates the RA’s James Ensor exhibition, tells Sam Phillips why it is time to reassess Ensor’s art.
RA Exhibitions
> 4 years ago
James Ensor: A man of many masks
The Belgian artist James Ensor painted life through the lens of the carnival, creating unsettling and often satirical works. Michael Prodger searches for the man behind these intriguing images.
RA Exhibitions
> 4 years ago
Six Academicians on the Abstract Expressionists
The power and complexity of Abstract Expressionist art lies in the diverse sensibilities of its artists. Here six Royal Academicians respond to some of the movement’s greatest painters.
RA Exhibitions
> 4 years ago
Hockney: “People like pictures – they won’t go away”
In an extract from their forthcoming book, A History of Pictures, David Hockney RA and Martin Gayford discuss the impact of the digital age on art. Will painting survive?
RA Exhibitions
> 4 years ago
Quiz: which Abstract Expressionist are you?
Are you a sensible socialite or a bar brawler? Are you ruled by ideals or impulses? Take the quiz to find your kindred Abstract Expressionist spirit, as its biggest characters take over our galleries.
RA Exhibitions
> 4 years ago
David Bailey in conversation with Tim Marlow
Watch a video of legendary photographer and filmmaker David Bailey in conversation with the RA’s Artistic Director Tim Marlow, discussing his influential work and innovative portrait photographs from the last 60 years.
RA Exhibitions
> 4 years ago
The Portrait: a short story inspired by Hockney
How can a portrait describe the relationship between an artist and a sitter? How does that differ in a written portrait? In our creative writing course, participants were asked to take inspiration from our current Hockney Portraits exhibition to create a short story.
RA Exhibitions
> 4 years ago
Odd couples: Artists you never knew were friends
In autumn 2017, we explore the little-known relationship between two of modern art’s greatest masters – Salvador Dalí and Marcel Duchamp. Here, we take a look at their peculiar friendship, and five other artist pairs you would never have guessed.
RA Exhibitions
> 4 years ago
What’s coming up in 2017 at the Royal Academy of Arts
The RA’s Artistic Director introduces our 2017 exhibition programme, which explores some of the most momentous developments in 20th-century art.
RA Exhibitions
> 4 years ago
New York nights: the Manhattan of the Abstract Expressionists
New York’s legendary Cedar Tavern and the surrounding galleries became the hub of the New York art scene in the 1940s and ‘50s. Morgan Falconer walks the streets where reputations were on the line.
RA Exhibitions
> 4 years ago
How Abstract Expressionism changed modern art
What did the artists associated with Abstract Expressionism do so differently? And how is their work still relevant today? As the first survey of Abstract Expressionism for nearly 60 years is staged in Britain, co-curator David Anfam answers key questions.
RA Exhibitions
> 4 years ago
“Rothko’s studio matched his mood”
Delving into his own memories of New York’s Abstract Expressionist scene, Paul Huxley RA recounts dinner parties and road trips with the likes of Lee Krasner, Mark Rothko, Robert Motherwell and Helen Frankenthaler.
RA Exhibitions
> 4 years ago
Video: What’s it like to sit for David Hockney?
Hear from four of the sitters painted by David Hockney for our exhibition ‘David Hockney RA: 82 Portraits and 1 Still-life’, from 11-year-old Rufus Hale to the architect Frank Gehry.
RA Exhibitions
> 4 years ago
After the deluge: Artist Aono Fumiaki on art as restoration
In this video, artist Aono Fumiaki talks about his work born out of the wreckage of Japan’s 2011 tsunami, on show in this year’s Summer Exhibition.
RA Exhibitions
< 5 years ago
Video: Zatorski + Zatorski’s skeletal self-portrait
Artist duo Zatorski + Zatorski discuss their unusual self-portrait created from carbonised human skeletons.
RA Exhibitions
< 5 years ago
Video: Kutlug Ataman’s portrait in 10,000 panels
The Turkish artist discusses the origins of his large-scale installation work which is on show in the Summer Exhibition.
RA Exhibitions
< 5 years ago
Podcast: Juliet Stevenson reads the winning entry of the RA & Pin Drop Short Story Award
The RA hosted the second RA and Pin Drop Short Story Award. Here, Juliet Stevenson reads A Quiet Tidy Man by Claire Fuller.
RA Exhibitions
< 5 years ago
David Hockney: podcast round-up
From a curator’s introduction to reflections on portraiture from academics and artists, catch up on discussions surrounding our David Hockney exhibition.
RA Exhibitions
< 5 years ago
Podcast: Richard Wilson RA in conversation with Tim Marlow
The sculptor discusses his critically acclaimed work with the RA’s Artistic Director Tim Marlow, and the challenges that faced him when co-ordinating this year’s Summer Exhibition.
RA Exhibitions
< 5 years ago
Video: In the studio with David Hockney RA
David Hockney RA talks to curator Edith Devaney about his Royal Academy exhibition ‘82 Portraits and 1 Still-life’.
RA Exhibitions
< 5 years ago
How I got into the Summer Exhibition
Every year there are around 13,000 public entries to the Summer Exhibition, with about 700 making it through to hang in the galleries. We asked 2016’s selected artists to share their creative secrets.
RA Exhibitions
< 5 years ago
Summer Exhibition 2016 prizes announced
David Nash RA announced as winner of the Charles Wollaston award.
RA Exhibitions
< 5 years ago
In pictures: Summer Exhibition Preview Party 2016
The official launch of the Summer Exhibition 2016 welcomed some of London’s most celebrated artists and art lovers to Burlington House.
RA Exhibitions
< 5 years ago
Great expectations: students of the RA Schools prepare for their final show
The stage is set and the pressure is on as third-year students from the RA Schools prepare work for their final show, which opens to the public this summer in the studios of the RA. Jonathan P. Watts goes behind the scenes to meet the artists at this critical point.
RA Exhibitions
< 5 years ago
Bill Jacklin RA on New York, his home for two decades
No one captures New York quite like Bill Jacklin RA, who moved to the Big Apple in the 1980s and never looked back. Nancy Campbell caught up with him ahead of his show of prints and drawings at the RA.
RA Exhibitions
< 5 years ago
Seeing double: artist duos in the Summer Exhibition
Artist duos are challenging the concept of individual authorship. Now they are celebrated at this year’s Summer Exhibition. Fiona Maddocks asks four pairs of artists how they collaborate.
RA Exhibitions
5 years ago
In the Age of Giorgione: podcast round-up
From a discussion on the issues of attribution to a debate on portrayals of age and beauty, catch up on all our discussions surrounding the exhibition, In the Age of Giorgione.
RA Exhibitions
5 years ago
Mavericks: podcast round-up
Catch up on our recent event series on the mavericks of architecture – those who have pushed the genre’s boundaries and defied its conventions.
RA Exhibitions
5 years ago
The masters of Renaissance Venice
With In the Age of Giorgione in our galleries, curator Per Rumberg heads to Venice to track down its elusive masters in the golden age of painting.
RA Exhibitions
5 years ago
How to read a Renaissance painting
Renaissance painters combined technical innovation with a richly symbolic visual language. But what did it all mean? The RA’s Lucy Chiswell zooms in on an example from our exhibition In the Age of Giorgione.
RA Exhibitions
5 years ago
Britain’s top 10 maverick buildings
To celebrate the end of our Mavericks season, we asked you to nominate your favourite boundary-pushing buildings in the UK. Here’s what you came up with.
RA Exhibitions
5 years ago
The director who designs blockbuster exhibitions
Meet Robert Carsen, the leading opera and theatre director who designed our exhibition Painting the Modern Garden.
RA Exhibitions
5 years ago
Video: Kandinsky and the avant-gardeners
For Matisse, Kandinsky and Munch, the garden provided inspiration as they worked towards new styles of painting.
RA Exhibitions
5 years ago
11 beautiful art gardens to see before you die
From Frida Kahlo’s courtyard to a tropical sculpture park in Brazil, art and the outdoors meet to spectacular effect across the world. With Monet’s paintings of Giverny in our galleries, here are 11 more must-see gardens for art-lovers.
RA Exhibitions
5 years ago
The enigma of Giorgione
Giorgione left few clues to his life, yet he was at the heart of a creative explosion in 16th-century Venetian painting that changed the course of European art. Ali Smith brings to life the fusion of originality and poetry in his work.
RA Exhibitions
5 years ago
Going for gold: Venice in the 16th century
The first decade of the 16th century saw Venice become a creative cauldron, as a glittering array of painters put the city on the cusp of an artistic golden age. Sarah Dunant celebrates some of the most influential figures.
RA Exhibitions
5 years ago
The portrait debate: Giorgione or Titian?
Who painted this young Venetian nobleman? When it comes to Giorgione, questions of attribution have divided opinion for centuries. We invited two experts to argue it out – read both sides then cast your vote.
RA Exhibitions
5 years ago
Natural affinity: six gardeners pick their favourite painters
Garden historian Tim Richardson explores the relationship between artists and garden-makers, and selects six of the world’s most celebrated garden designers to shed new light on the artists in Painting the Modern Garden.
RA Exhibitions
5 years ago
Video: a visit to two artist gardens in Germany
While Monet was painting his famous waterlily pond at Giverny, artists across Europe were also finding symbiosis between art and their gardens. The curator of Painting the Modern Garden takes you on a trip to Germany.
RA Exhibitions
> 5 years ago
12 mavericks of architecture
From championing ground-breaking styles of architecture to famously abandoning commissions before completion, these British architects broke the mould. Meet the mavericks, as our new architecture display goes on show.
RA Exhibitions
> 5 years ago
Video: a visit to three artist gardens in northern France
Take a tour of three beautiful gardens which inspired paintings in our forthcoming exhibition on the garden in art.
RA Exhibitions
> 5 years ago
Liotard: podcast round-up
From a curator’s introduction to the work of Liotard, to experts discussing the artist’s use of pastel and his depiction of costume, we present a round-up of podcasts on this eccentric and skilful artist.
RA Exhibitions
> 5 years ago
Working in pure pigment: artists’ tips on using pastel
Inspired by Jean-Etienne Liotard’s pastel virtuosity? Find out more about this versatile medium with some tips from the experts.
RA Exhibitions
> 5 years ago
Art history 101: what is trompe l’oeil?
Liotard was a skilled portrait painter – but he also liked a joke, and was a key exponent of trompe l’oeil. Here’s a quick introduction to this strange phenomenon in art history.
RA Exhibitions
> 5 years ago
Our pick of this week’s art events: 27 November – 3 December
From a meditation on the image and idea of superstar Bill Murray to a restorative art apothecary, we bring you the must-see shows opening this week.
RA Exhibitions
> 5 years ago
Between the Land and the Sea: inside the show
Barbara Rae RA introduces our latest Art Sales range, currently on display in the Keepers’ House.
RA Exhibitions
> 5 years ago
Ai Weiwei: podcast round-up
From a curator’s introduction to the work of Ai Weiwei, to Cornelia Parker RA discussing the artist’s destructive techniques, we present a round-up of podcasts on our blockbuster exhibition.
RA Exhibitions
> 5 years ago
Wartime water lilies: how Monet created his garden at Giverny
Curator Ann Dumas sets the scene for our major exhibition of garden painters, revealing how Monet’s passion for plants pushed the boundaries of his art.
RA Exhibitions
> 5 years ago
Jean-Etienne Liotard: inside the show
In this video series, curator MaryAnne Stevens takes us inside the Sackler Wing exhibition devoted to the 18th century Swiss master, Jean-Etienne Liotard, and picks out a few highlights.
RA Exhibitions
> 5 years ago
Extract: The White Road by Edmund de Waal
His last bestseller, The Hare with Amber Eyes, traced his family history through the journey of a small Japanese carving. Now, in a new book coinciding with a display at the RA, Edmund de Waal turns to the history of porcelain.
RA Exhibitions
> 5 years ago
Bring your Lego to RA courtyard, says Ai Weiwei
In response to the toy company’s refusal to sell him a bulk order of Lego, Ai Weiwei is crowd-sourcing the bricks for a new installation.
RA Exhibitions
> 5 years ago
Ai Weiwei’s rules for life and art
With a promise never to be silenced, China’s most famous artist has become known for his pithy, poetic words on freedom and creativity. We share 21 Weiwei-isms.
RA Exhibitions
> 5 years ago
Art and activism: can it change the world?
Performance and protest is key to the work of Ai Weiwei, as it is to many of his contemporaries. But in the face of global crisis, can art really effect change? Professor Jen Harvie explores the role of the artist-activist.
RA Exhibitions
> 5 years ago
Jean-Etienne Liotard: a beginner’s guide
Who was Jean-Etienne Liotard? We introduce one of the most idiosyncratic figures of the 18th century, a master portrait-painter whose works are characterised by their warts-and-all realism and technical virtuosity.
RA Exhibitions
> 5 years ago
Joseph Cornell: podcast round-up
From a curatorial introduction to the work of Joseph Cornell, to in-depth discussions of the artist’s relationship to Surrealism, here are three essential podcasts.
RA Exhibitions
> 5 years ago
Edmund de Waal: video highlights of ‘white’
Artist and writer Edmund de Waal gives a tour of his new project in the RA Library and Print Room.
RA Exhibitions
> 5 years ago
James Ensor: a beginner’s guide
In 2016 the RA celebrates the life and work of James Ensor, whose macabre paintings of crowds and carnivals made him one of Belgium’s most prominent artists of the early twentieth century.
RA Exhibitions
> 5 years ago
Giorgione’s Venice: a beginner’s guide
Coming to the RA this spring are iconic works by Giorgione, Dürer, Bellini, Titian and more, in a celebration of Venetian painting in the early 16th century. Here are six key insights into one of the most influential moments in art history.
RA Exhibitions
> 5 years ago
Abstract Expressionism: a beginner’s guide
Autumn 2016 sees a landmark exhibition of Abstract Expressionism taking place in the main galleries at the Royal Academy.
RA Exhibitions
> 5 years ago
Six of the best: artist-gardeners
In 2016, the Royal Academy explores the influence that gardens exerted on the evolution of art from the 1860s to the 1920s. Here we pick out six of the greatest artist-gardeners from ‘Painting the Modern Garden: Monet to Matisse’.
RA Exhibitions
> 5 years ago
From Monet to Hockney: 2016 at the Royal Academy
The Royal Academy’s Artistic Director explains what’s in store in for the next year as we launch our 2016 exhibition programme.
RA Exhibitions
> 5 years ago
My studio life: Edmund de Waal
We visited Edmund de Waal in his south London studio, where he told us about creating a space for both making and writing.
RA Exhibitions
> 5 years ago
Jean-Etienne Liotard: pastel pioneer
The Swiss artist Jean-Etienne Liotard was one of the great portraitists of the Enlightenment. Christopher Baker introduces the idiosyncratic Orientalist whose travels through the courts of Europe and beyond resulted in works of exceptional delicacy.
RA Exhibitions
> 5 years ago
Ai Weiwei: 13 works to know
Ai Weiwei has worked in everything from paint to readymades. As our landmark exhibition examines work from 1993 up to the present day, we take a look at some of the key works to know from across Ai’s career.
RA Exhibitions
> 5 years ago
Make an Ai Weiwei artwork
In an exclusive extract from a new book of DIY projects by artists and designers, we share one by Ai Weiwei, as this provocative artist takes over our main galleries.
RA Exhibitions
> 5 years ago
Ai Weiwei: a beginner’s guide
From surveillance cameras to smashed ceramics, Ai Weiwei is uncompromising in his fight for the freedom of expression. Here’s what you need to know about China’s most famous artist.
RA Exhibitions
> 5 years ago
Podcast: Joseph Cornell, Surrealism and time
Listen to a discussion exploring Joseph Cornell’s relationship with Surrealism, his engagement with the concept of time and the ongoing dialogue in his work between the ephemeral and the eternal.
RA Exhibitions
> 5 years ago
Edmund de Waal on his new project ‘white’
This autumn, the RA Library and Print Room will host a project by Edmund de Waal: an exploration of the colour white. Here, he takes us through some of the objects on display.
RA Exhibitions
> 5 years ago
Ai of the tiger: Sam Phillips meets Ai Weiwei in his Beijing studio
Fearless and uncompromising, Ai Weiwei’s art challenges cultural values, confronts injustices and pushes materials to their limit. Sam Phillips talks to the artist about his show at the RA, which he was not expecting to be able to attend.
RA Exhibitions
> 5 years ago
Art history 101: what is a cartoon?
As the extraordinary 13 metre-wide Waterloo cartoon goes on display at the RA, our curator of works on paper offers a quick introduction to the technique used by the likes of Maclise and Raphael.
RA Exhibitions
> 5 years ago
Fun for kids: make a box like Cornell
We invited families to create their own shadow boxes inspired by the work of Cornell. Here’s how to do it…
RA Exhibitions
> 5 years ago
Artist of the month: September 2015
As the extraordinary Waterloo cartoon goes on display at the RA, we take a look at the other works of Daniel Maclise in the RA Collection.
RA Exhibitions
> 5 years ago
A beginner’s guide to Daniel Maclise
His prestigious wall-painting commission is still in the Houses of Parliament and Dickens’s last public appearance was a tribute to him. So why don’t we know Daniel Maclise? As his epic cartoon goes on show, here’s a quick guide.
RA Exhibitions
> 5 years ago
Thoughts on paper: the sketchbooks of Chris Wilkinson RA
Chris Wilkinson RA has continued to value hand drawing in an age where digital software prevails in architectural offices. Hugh Pearman meets him as a show opens at the RA to accompany the publication of his sketchbooks.
RA Exhibitions
> 5 years ago
Inside Joseph Cornell’s studio
Packed full with “sketchboxes” and folders, carefully arranged in his own unique filing system, Joseph Cornell’s studio was like a laboratory for his art experiments. The curator of our show takes us inside.
RA Exhibitions
> 5 years ago
Listening to Cornell’s record collection
In the first of a new Spotify series sharing the music that inspired major artists, listen to some of the tracks owned by Joseph Cornell.
RA Exhibitions
> 5 years ago
Podcast: Sir Peter Blake in conversation with Tim Marlow
Celebrated British artist Sir Peter Blake tells Tim Marlow why the work of Joseph Cornell has fascinated him throughout his career.
RA Exhibitions
< 6 years ago
Richard E Grant at the Summer Exhibition 2015
A long-time fan of the Royal Academy’s annual Summer Exhibition, actor Richard E Grant takes us on a whistle-stop tour of his favourite works of art in this year’s show.
RA Exhibitions
< 6 years ago
Royal Academy welcomes Ai Weiwei visa decision
The artist has now been granted a full six-month UK visa by the Home Office.
RA Exhibitions
< 6 years ago
From Dalí to Warhol: Joseph Cornell’s artist friends
Often misunderstood as an outsider, Cornell’s contacts read like a Who’s Who of the New York art scene. The curator of our exhibition introduces the gang.
RA Exhibitions
< 6 years ago
Inside the show: Joseph Cornell
Take a look inside the exhibition ‘Joseph Cornell: Wanderlust’ in these short video clips with our curators.
RA Exhibitions
< 6 years ago
Ai Weiwei is refused a UK business visa
RA Artistic Director Tim Marlow comments on the news – which could affect the artist’s attendance at his upcoming exhibition.
RA Exhibitions
< 6 years ago
Podcast: Conrad Shawcross RA in conversation
The Royal Academician discusses the way in which his sculptures explore geometry, philosophy, physics and metaphysics.
RA Exhibitions
< 6 years ago
Ai Weiwei will travel to the UK for RA exhibition
After four years without travel, the artist has had his passport returned and will attend his landmark exhibition in our galleries.
RA Exhibitions
< 6 years ago
Podcast: Michael Craig-Martin RA in conversation
Celebrated artist and this year’s Summer Exhibition Coordinator, Michael Craig-Martin RA discusses some of the ideas and events that have shaped his achievements as an artist and teacher.
RA Exhibitions
< 6 years ago
Introducing Ai Weiwei’s ‘Tree’
Curator Adrian Locke on the monumental installation that will be coming to the RA’s courtyard alongside our Ai Weiwei exhibition.
RA Exhibitions
< 6 years ago
Was Joseph Cornell an outsider artist?
An avid collector who defied categorisation and never spent a night away from home, Cornell also exhibited with the biggest names of his day. So what makes an artist an outsider artist? Five experts discuss.
RA Exhibitions
< 6 years ago
Ai Weiwei at the RA: Sharing our vision for the show
Our collaboration with Ai Weiwei has extended to producing the exhibition’s poster image, catalogue and multimedia guide, explains curator Adrian Locke.
RA Exhibitions
< 6 years ago
Video: How Joseph Cornell became an artist
The curator of our Cornell exhibition describes how this singular artist’s life in early 20th century New York shaped his first forays into the art world.
RA Exhibitions
< 6 years ago
Joseph Cornell: a beginner’s guide
This July, the Royal Academy opens a landmark exhibition devoted to the beguiling works of Joseph Cornell – one of the most original artists of the 20th century.
RA Exhibitions
< 6 years ago
How to be an armchair voyager like Cornell
A unique figure in American art, Joseph Cornell worked in his own, extraordinary medium – the shadow box. Now we’re inviting you to capture your dreams in boxes too, in our Instagram challenge.
RA Exhibitions
< 6 years ago
Rebecca Salter RA on the tradition of Japanese woodblock printing
The Academician has spent her career studying and promoting the threatened art of Japanese woodblock printing. Here, she tells us about her new prints, commissioned for the Summer Exhibition.
RA Exhibitions
< 6 years ago
Joseph Cornell and his poets
The Ted Hughes Poetry Prize-nominated author and leader of our Joseph Cornell-inspired short course explores the poets whose writings had a profound effect on the artist.
RA Exhibitions
< 6 years ago
Podcast: curator Robert Meyrick on printmaker Stanley Anderson RA
Professor Robert Meyrick, co-curator of the RA’s Stanley Anderson exhibition, introduces the artist, best known for his series of prints memorialising England’s vanishing rural crafts.
RA Exhibitions
< 6 years ago
Summer Exhibition 2015 prizes announced
Rose Wylie RA announced as winner of the Charles Wollaston award.
RA Exhibitions
< 6 years ago
In pictures: Summer Exhibition Preview Party
The Summer Exhibition Preview Party is one of the most glamorous events in the London calendar – and a major fundraiser for the RA.
RA Exhibitions
< 6 years ago
Video: the making of Conrad Shawcross’s courtyard installation
Take a look behind the scenes at the making of ‘The Dappled Light of the Sun’.
RA Exhibitions
< 6 years ago
Joseph Cornell: Pioneer of assemblage art
Joseph Cornell created curious worlds of long ago and far away in his boxes of found objects. We examine the work of this American trailblazer ahead of his RA exhibition.
RA Exhibitions
< 6 years ago
Eileen Cooper RA on her secrets of drawing
Eileen Cooper RA’s figures exude a fluid spontaneity. Laura Gascoigne meets the artist, ahead of her show of drawings at the Academy.
RA Exhibitions
< 6 years ago
Video: Stanley Anderson’s scenes of rural life
The curators of our Stanley Anderson exhibition discuss his portrayals of the traditional crafts of the English countryside.
RA Exhibitions
6 years ago
An introduction to Richard Diebenkorn
Curator Edith Devaney explores the life and work of Richard Diebenkorn.
RA Exhibitions
6 years ago
Richard Diebenkorn: inside the show
Take a look inside our Richard Diebenkorn exhibition in these short videos presented by the exhibition’s curators.
RA Exhibitions
6 years ago
Podcast: Gretchen Diebenkorn Grant on Richard Diebenkorn
The daughter of Richard Diebenkorn discusses the life and work of the artist.
RA Exhibitions
6 years ago
Video: exploring Stanley Anderson’s London
Stanley Anderson’s etchings of London in the 1920s show a city in the throes of dramatic change.
RA Exhibitions
6 years ago
Podcast: Rubens and the Impressionists
Art historian and curator MaryAnne Stevens explores the impact of Rubens on the Impressionists.
RA Exhibitions
6 years ago
In the neighbourhood: Ai Weiwei’s ‘village’ in Beijing
A vibrant arts quarter has grown up around Ai Weiwei’s home and studio in Beijing. Our curator Adrian Locke explores the area, and finds himself on a journey into the city’s past.
RA Exhibitions
6 years ago
Podcast: Rubens, Rembrandt and Watteau
Nico Van Hout, curator at the Royal Museum of Fine Arts Antwerp, explores the thread of Rubens’s influence through art history.
RA Exhibitions
6 years ago
Podcast: short stories with Sebastian Faulks
Award-winning and best-selling novelist Sebastian Faulks CBE reads a short story selected in response to our ‘Rubens and His Legacy’ exhibition.
RA Exhibitions
6 years ago
A conversation with Rubens: Tim Marlow interviews Jenny Saville RA
Rubens’s influence on painting extends right up to today, as a room curated by Jenny Saville RA for ‘Rubens and His Legacy’ reveals. Tim Marlow asks the painter about her response to the Flemish master as both artist and curator.
RA Exhibitions
6 years ago
Five masters who looked to Rubens
Rubens was one of the most influential artists of all time. Here, we profile his relationship with five major artists that came after him.
RA Exhibitions
6 years ago
Podcast: Allen Jones, ‘Chair’
This intimate salon explores Allen Jones’s controversial work ‘Chair’ and its changing status as a piece of fine art, an erotic sculpture and an object of attack.
RA Exhibitions
6 years ago
Notes to myself: Diebenkorn’s 10 rules for painting
Sometime in his later career, Diebenkorn wrote down ten points of artistic intention. Sharing them here, we also begin a new series of notes, asking artists to share their own creative wisdom.
RA Exhibitions
6 years ago
Podcast: Richard Diebenkorn, A Riotous Calm
Exhibition curator Sarah C. Bancroft explores Richard Diebenkorn’s consuming attention to detail and improvisational process that led to his magnificent compositions.
RA Exhibitions
6 years ago
Painting on the threshold: Ian McKeever RA on Diebenkorn and abstraction
As the Academy celebrates the American master, painter Ian McKeever RA explores Richard Diebenkorn’s profound inquiry into the nature of abstraction.
RA Exhibitions
6 years ago
Barbara Rae RA on Richard Diebenkorn
Richard Diebenkorn has long been hailed as a ‘painter’s painter’. Here, Barbara Rae RA reflects on the impression he made upon her when they met.
RA Exhibitions
6 years ago
Podcast: An introduction to ‘Rubens and His Legacy’
Curator Arturo Galansino considers the artistic legacy of Peter Paul Rubens in this introductory lecture.
RA Exhibitions
6 years ago
Podcast: Charles Stewart lunchtime lecture
Curator Amanda Doran, in conversation with Sue Bradbury, former editorial director of the Folio Society, discusses the illustrator Charles Stewart.
RA Exhibitions
6 years ago
Richard Diebenkorn: a beginner’s guide
This March the RA celebrates the fascinating career of Richard Diebenkorn, one of the great twentieth-century masters of American painting.
RA Exhibitions
6 years ago
A dating guide to Rubens
Date this weekend? Rubens is open on Friday and Saturday evenings. Here are the works not to miss – and what (not) to say about them.
RA Exhibitions
> 6 years ago
How well do you know Rubens? Take the quiz
Rubens and His Legacy explores the artist’s influence across art history. Let’s see what you know about this Baroque master…
RA Exhibitions
> 6 years ago
The extraordinary life of Charles Stewart
Charles Stewart’s illustrations to the Gothic novel Uncle Silas hint at an unusual life. Here are five surprising facts.
RA Exhibitions
> 6 years ago
The story of Uncle Silas
A young girl is trapped in a mansion with her mysterious uncle and a sinister governess. With Charles Stewart’s illustrations to this Gothic novel in our Tennant Gallery, the curator walks us through the story.
RA Exhibitions
> 6 years ago
Peter Paul Rubens: a beginner’s guide
The influence of the Flemish Baroque master can be seen across art history, from the portraits of Van Dyck to the prints of Picasso. Here’s a quick intro to “the prince of painters”.
RA Exhibitions
> 6 years ago
Video: dressing an Italian countess
What was it like to wear the elaborate clothes of a Renaissance aristocrat, as seen in the portraits of Giovanni Battista Moroni? Award winning actor Mark Rylance reveals all.
RA Exhibitions
> 6 years ago
Baroque ‘n’ roll: Rubens and his enduring artistic legacy
From his battle scenes to royal portraits, landscapes and altarpieces, Rubens’s extraordinary output occupies a uniquely heroic position in the history of art. Waldemar Januszczak argues that art was one thing before him – and another thing after.
RA Exhibitions
> 6 years ago
Podcast: Art critic Jonathan Jones discusses Moroni’s portrait ‘The Tailor’
Jonathan Jones of The Guardian explores the reasons why Giovanni Battista Moroni’s portrait ‘The Tailor’ is one of the greatest paintings in London.
RA Exhibitions
> 6 years ago
Podcast: Anselm Kiefer’s Heroic Symbols
A panel discussion reconsiders Anselm Kiefer’s 1969 book ‘Heroic Symbols’ which documented his provocative performance art project known as ‘Occupations’.
RA Exhibitions
> 6 years ago
From Mayfair to Beijing: planning an exhibition with Ai Weiwei
How to put a major exhibition together when the artist in question can’t leave his home country? Ai Weiwei has a virtual tour of our galleries before curator Adrian Locke visits him (and his cats) in Beijing.
RA Exhibitions
> 6 years ago
Podcast: An introduction to Moroni by curator Arturo Galansino
From the small northern Italian town of Bergamo emerged one of the greatest portraitists of the 16th-century. Who was Giovanni Battista Moroni?
RA Exhibitions
> 6 years ago
How to read an Anselm Kiefer
Rich in both material and meaning, the powerful paintings of the German artist reward repeated viewing. We take a deeper look at ‘Black Flakes’, one of the works in the show.
RA Exhibitions
> 6 years ago
Curator’s picks: Anselm Kiefer
Kathleen Soriano, curator of our Anselm Kiefer exhibition, introduces five key works from the show.
RA Exhibitions
> 6 years ago
Why Moroni should be as famous as Titian
As visitors to the RA discover the work of Giovanni Battista Moroni, James Hall looks at the particular genius of this overlooked Renaissance portraitist – and why he lost out to the likes of Titian.
RA Exhibitions
> 6 years ago
A tailor meets ‘The Tailor’
We ask a Savile Row tailor to give us an insider’s perspective on Moroni’s iconic portrait ‘The Tailor’.
RA Exhibitions
> 6 years ago
Curator’s picks: Giovanni Battista Moroni
Curator Arturo Galansino chooses his favourite five works from the critically-acclaimed exhibition.
RA Exhibitions
> 6 years ago
Podcast: Curator Kathleen Soriano on Kiefer’s iconography
How does artist Anselm Kiefer use mythology, history, literature, philosophy and science in his work? What meanings do lead, straw, fire, earth, and water hold for him?
RA Exhibitions
> 6 years ago
Jean-Etienne Liotard: the story so far
As we prepare for an exhibition of this eccentric and distinctive portraitist, we caught up with co-curator MaryAnne Stevens to learn about the genesis of the show.
RA Exhibitions
> 6 years ago
Richard Diebenkorn: the story so far
The works of one of America’s finest abstract painters, Richard Diebenkorn, come to the RA next spring. We caught up with Royal Academy curator Edith Devaney to learn about the genesis of the show.
RA Exhibitions
> 6 years ago
Joseph Cornell: the story so far
Next year’s exhibition of Joseph Cornell will give a unique opportunity to view the magical works of this incomparable artist. We caught up with curator Sarah Lea to learn about the genesis of the show.
RA Exhibitions
> 6 years ago
Giovanni Battista Moroni: a beginner’s guide
In October, the RA opens an exhibition of work by one of the greatest portrait painters of all time, Giovanni Battista Moroni. But he is comparatively little known – certainly when compared to the giants of Italian painting like Titian, Veronese and Tintoretto. We spoke to exhibition curator Arturo Galansino to find out more about what sets Moroni apart.
RA Exhibitions
> 6 years ago
Rubens and His Legacy: the story so far
Our upcoming Rubens show is the first major exhibition to look at the Flemish master’s influence on four centuries of art history. We caught up with curator Arturo Galansino to learn about the genesis of the show.
RA Exhibitions
> 6 years ago
A visit to Ai Weiwei’s Beijing studio
As the RA prepares for a major Ai Weiwei exhibition in 2015, we visited the honorary Royal Academician at his studio in China.
RA Exhibitions
> 6 years ago
Anselm Kiefer and the German Forest
Art Historian Christian Weikop leads us into the ‘deep dark wood’ of Anselm Kiefer’s paintings to learn why representations of trees and forests feature so often in his work.
RA Exhibitions
> 6 years ago
Giovanni Battista Moroni: Cut from a different cloth
One of the greatest of all portraitists, Giovanni Battista Moroni captured his sitters’ psychology with exceptional honesty and insight. As the Academy stages the biggest survey in Britain of the Renaissance painter’s work, novelist Sarah Dunant evokes the many characters who emerged from his canvases.
RA Exhibitions
> 6 years ago
Anselm Kiefer: a beginner’s guide
This week the RA welcomes the works of German artist Anselm Kiefer: from intimate watercolours and artist’s books, to vast paintings, complex sculpture, and installations on a monumental scale.
RA Exhibitions
> 6 years ago
Anselm’s alchemy
Throughout his career, the German artist Anselm Kiefer has confronted the weight of the past and the power of myth on a monumental scale. As the RA stages a major retrospective, Martin Gayford chronicles the extraordinary vision and transformative force of this colossus of contemporary art.
RA Exhibitions
> 6 years ago
Allen Jones RA on display at the RA: Step this way
One of the key moments in modern British art occurred one day in 1965, when Allen Jones RA, then in his late 20s, first stepped inside an American casino. Kelly Grovier spotlights the Pop artist’s first step towards iconic status, as the Academy mounts a major show of his work.
RA Exhibitions
> 6 years ago
Curator’s picks: Dennis Hopper
The exhibition curator highlights four moments of 1960s America immortalised through Hopper’s unique photographs.
RA Exhibitions
> 6 years ago
Summer Exhibition Edit: Amber Jane Butchart
We’ve challenged three guest speakers to choose the five works in this year’s Summer Exhibition that intrigue them the most. Fashion historian and DJ Amber Jane Butchart guides us through her favourite works.
RA Exhibitions
> 6 years ago
Summer Exhibition Edit: Will Gompertz
We’ve challenged three guest speakers to choose the five works in this year’s Summer Exhibition that intrigue them the most. BBC’s Arts Editor Will Gompertz attempts to narrow down his top picks from the plethora of works on display.
RA Exhibitions
> 6 years ago
Summer Exhibition Edit: Susie Allen
We’ve challenged three guest speakers to choose the five works in this year’s Summer Exhibition that intrigue them the most. Curator Susie Allen guides us through her picks, which all relate to the concept of space.
RA Exhibitions
< 7 years ago
Curator’s picks: Radical Geometry
‘Radical Geometry’ is now in full swing and with such a wealth of inspiring works on view, we asked co-curator Adrian Locke to choose his favourites.
RA Exhibitions
< 7 years ago
Summer Exhibition 2014: First time exhibitors
Six of the artists from this year’s Summer Exhibitions share their thoughts on being selected for the first time.
RA Exhibitions
< 7 years ago
Peter Fonda in Conversation
In celebration of the RA’s exhibition ‘Dennis Hopper: The Lost Album’, the BFI hosted a special event with Peter Fonda.
RA Exhibitions
< 7 years ago
Carlos Cruz-Diez in conversation
The legendary Venezuelan artist Carlos Cruz-Diez discusses his experiments with colour and movement, and how he engages viewers with his art.
RA Exhibitions
< 7 years ago
A look inside ‘Radical Geometry’
Explore some of the highlights in our exhibition of groundbreaking abstract art from 20th-century South America
RA Exhibitions
< 7 years ago
Intercontinental connections
Artist John Carter RA explains how his work resonates with Buenos Aires artists in ‘Radical Geometry’.
RA Exhibitions
< 7 years ago
Dennis Hopper’s photography comes to the RA
Dennis Hopper was the epitome of 1960s American counter-culture. As an exhibition of the actor and director’s photographs comes to the RA, Jonathan Romney assesses this diverse body of work to reveal an astute chronicler of the art, celebrity and tense American politics of the period.
RA Exhibitions
< 7 years ago
Modern Art of South America comes to the RA
How does an art movement travel to a new continent? As the RA’s ‘Radical Geometry’ opens, Gabriel Pérez-Barreiro maps the cultural and political changes that were crucial to the development of abstraction in South America.
RA Exhibitions
< 7 years ago
Dennis Hopper: Icon of Oblivion
In celebration of the RA’s forthcoming exhibition ‘Dennis Hopper: The Lost Album’ the BFI is launching a Dennis Hopper retrospective in July, showcasing a selection of Hopper’s finest films.
RA Exhibitions
< 7 years ago
Judging the A-level Summer Exhibition Online
The judging panel of this year’s A-level Summer Exhibition Online discusses their selection process.
RA Exhibitions
< 7 years ago
Summer Exhibition 2014 prizes announced
Wolfgang Tillmans RA announced as winner of the Charles Wollaston award.
RA Exhibitions
< 7 years ago
RA Schools students discuss their upcoming final show
As students from the RA Schools prepare for their final show, what are their feelings about leaving after three intensive years of study? Some of them discuss the issues they face with Schools tutor Brian Griffiths and Phyllida Barlow RA, who has been involved in art education for 45 years.
RA Exhibitions
< 7 years ago
Opening the Summer Exhibition in style
The Summer Exhibition Preview Party is one of the most glamorous events in the London calendar - and a major fundraiser for the RA.
RA Exhibitions
< 7 years ago
An introduction to the 246th Summer Exhibition by Cornelia Parker RA
Cornelia Parker RA explains what’s different about this year’s Summer Exhibition and the inspiration behind her ‘Black and White’ themed room.
RA Exhibitions
< 7 years ago
Varnishing Day at the Summer Exhibition 2014
Celebrating with the artists in this year’s Summer Exhibition.
RA Exhibitions
< 7 years ago
Curator’s picks: Renaissance Impressions
As the exhibition comes to an end this weekend, curator Arturo Galansino selects his favourite works in the show.
RA Exhibitions
< 7 years ago
Looking good on paper
How does the RA ensure the works of art it borrows remain in exemplary condition? Eleanor Mills charts the conservation challenges of bringing the woodcut prints in ‘Renaissance Impressions’ to the UK.
RA Exhibitions
< 7 years ago
Tasting architectural drawings
Neil Bingham, curator of the RA exhibition ‘Dream Draw Work: Architectural Drawings of Norman Shaw RA’ confesses to a curatorial crime.
RA Exhibitions
< 7 years ago
Summer Exhibition 2014: Turning the tables
Can an establishment institution like the Royal Academy be a radical force? As this year’s Summer Exhibition focuses on an influx of newly elected Royal Academicians, Ben Luke puts the question to Members old and new.
RA Exhibitions
< 7 years ago
Experimentations in Chiaroscuro: Beccafumi’s Prints, Oil Sketches and Marble Intarsia
National Gallery curator, Dr. Jennifer Sliwka, discusses the works of Domenico Beccafumi.
RA Exhibitions
< 7 years ago
An introduction to ‘Radical Geometry’
This summer the RA presents an exhibition of some of the most exciting geometric abstract art ever made.
RA Exhibitions
7 years ago
Summer Exhibition 2014: Judging
In the second of our behind-the-scenes videos about the RA Summer Exhibition 2014, we take a look at the judging process and speak to the exhibition’s coordinator Hughie O‘Donoghue RA.
RA Exhibitions
7 years ago
Artists submit their work for the Summer Exhibition
In the first of our behind-the-scenes videos about the RA Summer Exhibition 2014, we speak to some of the artists submitting their work.
RA Exhibitions
7 years ago
Lynn Chadwick sculptures go on display
A group of sculptures by Lynn Chadwick RA (1914 - 2003) has been installed in the Royal Academy’s Annenberg Courtyard, as part of celebrations to make the centenary of his birth.
RA Exhibitions
7 years ago
Lundahl & Seitl introduce ‘Symphony of a Missing Room’
Swedish-born artists Lundahl & Seitl are bringing their experiential artwork ‘Symphony of a Missing Room: Archive of the Forgotten and Remembered’ to the RA this summer.
RA Exhibitions
7 years ago
Renaissance Impressions: An Introduction
Exhibition curator Arturo Galansino introduces ‘Renaissance Impressions’.
RA Exhibitions
7 years ago
Anselm Kiefer in conversation with Tim Marlow
Watch our video of Anselm Kiefer Hon RA discussing his work with broadcaster and art historian Tim Marlow ahead of his major UK retrospective this autumn.
RA Exhibitions
7 years ago
Announcing Anselm Kiefer at the RA
Today is an exciting day for the Royal Academy. We launched our next single artist show to the press: Anselm Kiefer.
RA Exhibitions
7 years ago
Celestine’s castle
Elodie Biegman is eight years old. Her mother is one of our Patrons, and they recently attended the Patrons family morning of the Sensing Spaces exhibition. Here’s what Elodie made of it…
RA Exhibitions
7 years ago
Short stories with William Boyd and Ed Stoppard
William Boyd and Ed Stoppard read short stories in the galleries of ‘Sensing Spaces’.
RA Exhibitions
7 years ago
Take home a taste of ‘Sensing Spaces’
What happens to the works in our exhibitions once the final visitor has departed? In the case of ‘Sensing Spaces’ we’re offering the exclusive opportunity to take home your favourite pieces.
RA Exhibitions
7 years ago
Creating ‘Sensing Spaces’
Curator Kate Goodwin explains the process behind the development and creation of this exhibition.
RA Exhibitions
7 years ago
Premiums: Meet the artists
Meet some of the RA Schools students exhibiting in this year’s ‘Premiums: Interim Projects’
RA Exhibitions
7 years ago
Making verses
The third Friday in February saw us host a multi-sensory experience in the spectacular setting of ‘Sensing Spaces’.
RA Exhibitions
7 years ago
Out of the shadows
As exceptional examples go on display in ‘Renaissance Impressions’, printmaker Anne Desmet RA reveals the story behind this pivotal development and discusses why these rare prints continue to dazzle us today.
RA Exhibitions
7 years ago
New prints on the block
There is a fresh spirit of experimentation at this year’s London Original Print Fair, which takes place in the RA’s Main Galleries. Mark Hampson, the RA Schools’ Head of Fine Art Processes, picks the printmakers to watch.
RA Exhibitions
7 years ago
Under the influence
What is in the minds of art students today? We find out what’s feeding the imaginations of RA Schools’ second-year students – and what direction their work is taking – ahead of their group exhibition in the Royal Academy’s galleries.
RA Exhibitions
7 years ago
Seeing scents
Fragrance designer Jo Malone has a nose for architecture as well as scent, as we discovered on a visit Kengo Kuma’s aromatic installation in our ‘Sensing Spaces’ exhibition.
RA Exhibitions
7 years ago
Hide and seek
Certain exhibitions are especially rewarding to put together, and ‘Norman Stevens ARA: Selected Prints’ is definitely one of them. Not only has the project had close input from the artist’s family and friends, but it also feels long overdue.
RA Exhibitions
> 7 years ago
Becoming an architect
Ivan Harbour and Tracy Meller of Rogers Stirk Harbour + Partners discuss what attracted them to architecture as a career
RA Exhibitions
> 7 years ago
A serendipitous moment and a hint of what’s to come
Shortly after I had been sent the initial ideas by Siza and Souto de Moura I headed into the Main Galleries to consider how they would work.
RA Exhibitions
> 7 years ago
Honoré Daumier and Quentin Blake
Illustrator Quentin Blake is in conversation with arts educator Ghislaine Kenyon to discuss Daumier’s journalism.
RA Exhibitions
> 7 years ago
Pezo Von Ellrichshausen: to the Pacific edge
Curator Kate Goodwin visits a “heroic” house perched high, overlooking the ocean in Chile.
RA Exhibitions
> 7 years ago
The Antipodean dream
Catch up on our fascinating event with ‘Australia’ exhibition artist Imants Tillers.
RA Exhibitions
> 7 years ago
Land and landscape: the colonial encounter
A lecture by Ron Radford, Director of the National Gallery of Australia.
RA Exhibitions
> 7 years ago
Grafton: from Chandigarh to Cordoba
In my last post, I discussed how Grafton Architects wanted to explore what ‘being present’ in an architectural space means. But what spaces have been in their minds as they design their interventions to our galleries? Which spaces have awakened their senses?
RA Exhibitions
> 7 years ago
A tale of two countries
Catch up with the podcast of our lecture with Dr Sarah Scott, from the Australian National University.
RA Exhibitions
> 7 years ago
Doors of perception
How do buildings make us feel? In the RA’s ‘Sensing Spaces’ exhibition, leading international architects build extraordinary new structures in the Academy’s galleries for visitors to explore. Jay Merrick responds to the ideas behind this groundbreaking project.
RA Exhibitions
> 7 years ago
Who’s who in Sensing Spaces
Introducing the architects taking part in ‘Sensing Spaces: Architecture Reimagined’.
RA Exhibitions
< 8 years ago
Summer Exhibition 2013
Behind the scenes with this year’s co-ordinators Norman Ackroyd RA and Eva Jiricna RA.
RA Exhibitions
< 8 years ago
Mexico: A Revolution in Art, 1910-1940
The only thing matching the political turmoil of the Mexican Revolution was the creative outpouring that would inspire artists far beyond Mexico’s borders.
RA Exhibitions
8 years ago
Manet and Bellows: Two painters of modern life
From 19th-Century Paris to 20th-Century New York, capturing the modern was key to these two virtuosos.
RA Exhibitions
8 years ago
RA Schools students discuss Premiums 2013
The 2013 ‘Premiums: Interim Projects’ exhibition is an opportunity to see the work of RA Schools students at the midway point of their three-year course.
RA Exhibitions
8 years ago
George Bellows: New York knock-out
New York at the start of the 20th century was a hotbed of explosive urbanisation. The RA’s exhibition of Bellow’s work explores the idea of painting from raw experience.
RA Exhibitions
> 8 years ago
Manet: Portraying Life
Known as a rebel, and a thorn in the side of the French Academy, Manet challenged the status quo through his portraiture, painting friends, family, and Parisian society.
RA Exhibitions
> 8 years ago
Constable, Gainsborough, Turner and the Making of Landscape
Tracing the emergence of landscape painting as a distinct genre in its own right.
RA Exhibitions
> 8 years ago
Mariko Mori: Rebirth
This Japanese artist is re-imagining ancient myths, creating mesmerising installations using state-of-the-art technology.
RA Exhibitions
> 8 years ago
The Age of Bronze
Spanning over five millenia, the RA’s ambitious survey show places contemporary artists’ works alongside works dating back to the Bronze Age.
RA Exhibitions
< 9 years ago
Summer Exhibition 2012
Now in its 244th year, the Summer Exhibition is the world’s biggest open submission show. Co-ordinator and painter Tess Jaray RA explains why she thinks small is beautiful.
RA Exhibitions
< 9 years ago
From Paris: A Taste For Impressionism
Our exhibition ‘An American in Paris’ includes some of the finest Impressionist paintings from the extraordinary collection of Robert Sterling Clark.
RA Exhibitions
9 years ago
Johan Zoffany: One to watch
A founding member of the RA as well as a wry observer and commentator on Georgian life, this is a first look at our exhibition of the work of Johan Zoffany.
RA Exhibitions
9 years ago
David Hockney RA: A Bigger Picture
By using the latest technology to present nature on a vast scale, the Academician breaks new ground yet again.
RA Exhibitions
> 9 years ago
Degas and the Ballet
Discover how photographic inventions helped Degas animate his figures in pastel and paint.