Articles
RA Exhibitions
Find out more about our current and upcoming world-leading exhibitions in Piccadilly.
RA Exhibitions
2 days 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
8 days 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
22 days 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
28 days ago
Odd couples: Artists you never knew were friends
As we announce a show on the little-known relationship between two of modern art’s greatest masters, we take a look at the friendship between Dali and Duchamp, and five other artist pairs you would never have guessed.
RA Exhibitions
28 days 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
28 days 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
28 days 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
29 days 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
29 days 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
2 months 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
2 months ago
Video: Zatorski + Zatorski’s skeletal self-portrait
Artist duo Zatorski + Zatorski discuss their unusual self-portrait created from carbonised human skeletons.
RA Exhibitions
2 months 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
2 months 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
2 months 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
2 months 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
2 months 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
3 months 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 the artists who were selected this year to share their creative secrets.
RA Exhibitions
3 months ago
Summer Exhibition 2016 prizes announced
David Nash RA announced as winner of the Charles Wollaston award.
RA Exhibitions
4 months ago
Seven tips for starting your own art collection
There are over 1000 works in the Summer Exhibition – and even better, 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
4 months 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
4 months ago
Nine things to know about the 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.
RA Exhibitions
4 months 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
4 months 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
4 months 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 months 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 months 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
6 months 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
6 months 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
6 months 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
6 months 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
7 months 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
7 months 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
7 months 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
7 months 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
8 months 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
8 months 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
8 months 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
8 months 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
9 months 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
10 months 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
10 months 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
10 months 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
10 months 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
10 months 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
10 months 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
11 months 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
11 months 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
11 months 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
11 months 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
11 months 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
11 months 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
12 months 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
12 months 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
12 months 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
1 year 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
1 year 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
1 year 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
1 year 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
1 year 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
1 year 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
1 year 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
1 year 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
1 year 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
1 year 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
1 year 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
1 year 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
1 year 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
1 year 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
1 year 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
1 year 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
1 year 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
1 year 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
1 year 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
1 year 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
1 year 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
1 year 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
1 year 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
1 year 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
1 year 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
1 year 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
1 year 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
1 year 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
1 year 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
1 year 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
1 year 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
1 year 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
1 year 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
1 year 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
1 year 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
> 1 year 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
> 1 year 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
> 1 year 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
> 1 year ago
Summer Exhibition 2015 prizes announced
Rose Wylie RA announced as winner of the Charles Wollaston award.
RA Exhibitions
> 1 year 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
> 1 year 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
> 1 year 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
> 1 year 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
> 1 year 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
> 1 year ago
An introduction to Richard Diebenkorn
Curator Edith Devaney explores the life and work of Richard Diebenkorn.
RA Exhibitions
> 1 year 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
> 1 year ago
Podcast: Gretchen Diebenkorn Grant on Richard Diebenkorn
The daughter of Richard Diebenkorn discusses the life and work of the artist.
RA Exhibitions
> 1 year 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
> 1 year ago
Podcast: Rubens and the Impressionists
Art historian and curator MaryAnne Stevens explores the impact of Rubens on the Impressionists.
RA Exhibitions
> 1 year 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
> 1 year 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
> 1 year 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
> 1 year 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
> 1 year 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
> 1 year 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
> 1 year 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
> 1 year 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
> 1 year 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
> 1 year 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
> 1 year 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
> 1 year 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
> 1 year 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
> 1 year 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
> 1 year 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
< 2 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
< 2 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
< 2 years ago
Rubens: A beginner’s guide
In January the RA opens a groundbreaking exhibition dedicated to Peter Paul Rubens – not only his great paintings, but his lasting legacy too.
RA Exhibitions
< 2 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
< 2 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
< 2 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
< 2 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
< 2 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
< 2 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
< 2 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
< 2 years ago
Curator’s picks: Anselm Kiefer
Kathleen Soriano, curator of our Anselm Kiefer exhibition, introduces five key works from the show.
RA Exhibitions
< 2 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
< 2 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
< 2 years ago
Curator’s picks: Giovanni Battista Moroni
Curator Arturo Galansino chooses his favourite five works from the critically-acclaimed exhibition.
RA Exhibitions
< 2 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
< 2 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
< 2 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
< 2 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
< 2 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
< 2 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
< 2 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
< 2 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
< 2 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
2 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
2 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
2 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
2 years ago
Curator’s picks: Dennis Hopper
The exhibition curator highlights four moments of 1960s America immortalised through Hopper’s unique photographs.
RA Exhibitions
2 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
2 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
2 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
2 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
2 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
2 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
2 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
2 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
> 2 years ago
Intercontinental connections
Artist John Carter RA explains how his work resonates with Buenos Aires artists in ‘Radical Geometry’.
RA Exhibitions
> 2 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
> 2 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
> 2 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
> 2 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
> 2 years ago
Summer Exhibition 2014 prizes announced
Wolfgang Tillmans RA announced as winner of the Charles Wollaston award.
RA Exhibitions
> 2 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
> 2 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
> 2 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
> 2 years ago
Varnishing Day at the Summer Exhibition 2014
Celebrating with the artists in this year’s Summer Exhibition.
RA Exhibitions
> 2 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
> 2 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
> 2 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
> 2 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
> 2 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
> 2 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
> 2 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
> 2 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
> 2 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
> 2 years ago
Renaissance Impressions: An Introduction
Exhibition curator Arturo Galansino introduces ‘Renaissance Impressions’.
RA Exhibitions
> 2 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
> 2 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
> 2 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
> 2 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
> 2 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
> 2 years ago
Creating ‘Sensing Spaces’
Curator Kate Goodwin explains the process behind the development and creation of this exhibition.
RA Exhibitions
> 2 years ago
Premiums: Meet the artists
Meet some of the RA Schools students exhibiting in this year’s ‘Premiums: Interim Projects’
RA Exhibitions
> 2 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
> 2 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
> 2 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 Material Processes, picks the printmakers to watch.
RA Exhibitions
> 2 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
> 2 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
> 2 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
> 2 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
> 2 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
> 2 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
< 3 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
< 3 years ago
The Antipodean dream
Catch up on our fascinating event with ‘Australia’ exhibition artist Imants Tillers.
RA Exhibitions
< 3 years ago
Land and landscape: the colonial encounter
A lecture by Ron Radford, Director of the National Gallery of Australia.
RA Exhibitions
< 3 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
< 3 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
< 3 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
< 3 years ago
Who’s who in Sensing Spaces
Introducing the architects taking part in ‘Sensing Spaces: Architecture Reimagined’.