Articles
Royal Academicians
Artists
15 days ago
Studio life: tips from the Summer Exhibition artists
As part of our season exploring artists’ studios, we asked the artists of the Summer Exhibition – from Royal Academicians to first-time exhibitors – to give us a peep inside their working space, and to share their secrets for a successful studio practice.
Artists
3 months ago
Academicians to spot in Venice: Phyllida Barlow’s British pavilion and more
From David Hockney’s portraits in palazzi to Phyllida Barlow’s swollen sculptures in the British Pavilion, here’s the must-see work by Royal Academicians in this year’s biennale.
RA Recommends
3 months ago
10 to see at the 2017 Venice Biennale
Phyllida Barlow RA’s bulbous sculptures, Robert Cuoghi’s messiah machines and Damien Hirst’s demons – here are ten highlights of this year’s contemporary art spectacular.
Inside the Academy
3 months ago
RA250 stories: hidden treasures of the RA Collection
In 2018 we’re unveiling new spaces to display the Royal Academy’s Collection. In this video, we take a look at some of the treasures that will be on show, including the UK’s only sculpture by Michelangelo.
Artists
9 months ago
Antony Gormley: “We need art more than ever”
In our new series, artists reflect on art, life and lessons learnt. Here, Antony Gormley RA explains how he first found his subject, why the arts are vital in education and why he’s ashamed of Brexit.
Artists
10 months ago
Olwyn Bowey RA on painting, prizes and botanics
Working from her garden studio in Sussex, painter Olwyn Bowey RA has tenaciously pursued her interest in the natural world over many decades, and the results are continuing to bear fruit.
Artists
11 months ago
Cities of dreams: Peter Cook RA on the importance of imagination
As the Academy stages a show of Peter Cook RA’s drawings to mark his 80th birthday, Kate Goodwin asks the architect about his vision for urban ways of life.
Our Collection
1 year ago
Artist of the month: July 2016
A French-born painter famed for his detailed naval scenes, the artist had an adventurous early life, before returning to England in the 1750s to embark upon a successful artistic career and become a founding member of the Royal Academy in 1768.
RA Exhibitions
1 year ago
Summer Exhibition 2016 prizes announced
David Nash RA announced as winner of the Charles Wollaston award.
RA Exhibitions
1 year 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.
Opinion
1 year ago
Hidden from history: the Royal Academy’s female founders
While the past decade has seen more female artists becoming Academicians, they have been a rare sight for much of the RA’s existence, and were even excluded from Zoffany’s famed painting of the Academy’s founders. Historian Amanda Vickery delves into the archives to discover the pioneering women who wielded the brush.
Artists
1 year ago
Book extract: Anthony Whishaw RA is celebrated in a new monograph
Richard Davey celebrates the independent spirit that characterises Anthony Whishaw RA’s paintings in this extract from a new monograph.
Our Collection
1 year ago
Object of the month: June 2016
As we celebrate Leonard Manasseh RA’s 100th birthday, we take a look at the architect’s design for Radipole Lake pumping station.
Our Collection
1 year ago
Artist of the month: June 2016
This month sees the opening of the first retrospective of Bill Jacklin RA’s graphic work, tracing his career from his student days at Walthamstow School of Art in the early 1960s to his latest monotypes, created at the beginning of this year.
RA Exhibitions
1 year 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.
Artists
1 year ago
Architect Leonard Manasseh at age 100
As Leonard Manasseh becomes our first centenarian Royal Academician, his cousin, the architectural historian Timothy Brittain-Catlin, takes a look at a career of over 80 years.
Artists
> 1 year ago
10 minutes with… Barbara Rae RA
The artist tells us why she is inspired by Arctic explorations and the Scottish coastline in winter light.
Artists
> 1 year ago
Painting their life: Diana Armfield and Bernard Dunstan
Royal Academician Diana Armfield tells us about a creative partnership that has stood the test of time.
Inside the Academy
> 1 year ago
Meet the designer of the new-look Academicians’ Room
Less salon, more living room – that’s the ambience of the new-look Academicians’ Room, where club members can relax along with Royal Academicians.
Artists
< 2 years ago
Fred Cuming RA: portrait of an artist
Fred Cuming RA reflects on his long career as a painter in this short film, shot in and around his East Sussex home.
Artists
< 2 years ago
My studio life: Piers Gough RA
As Piers Gough RA guides us round his practice in Clerkenwell, he tells us what it was like to work with Paul Smith, and what it really takes to be an architect.
RA Exhibitions
2 years ago
Summer Exhibition 2015 prizes announced
Rose Wylie RA announced as winner of the Charles Wollaston award.
RA Exhibitions
2 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.
Opinion
2 years ago
Jackson Pollock: pouring his art out
Leading abstract painter Frank Bowling RA welcomes a major show that reassesses Jackson Pollock’s black pourings.
Artists
2 years ago
Michael Craig-Martin, man for all seasons
As Michael Craig-Martin RA co-ordinates this year’s Summer Exhibition, the Curator and Head of the RA Schools Eliza Bonham Carter discovers in a new book what makes this leading artist and teacher tick.
Artists
2 years ago
In the studio with Louisa Hutton RA
Behind redbrick walls in an old Berlin factory Fiona Maddocks finds architect Louisa Hutton RA in a calm and spacious haven.
RA Exhibitions
2 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 Recommends
2 years ago
Our pick of this week’s art events: 8 – 15 May
From Sarah Lucas’s erotic sculptures at the Venice Biennale to Jeff Koons at Norwich Castle Museum & Art Gallery, we guide you through the week’s top art events.
RA Recommends
2 years ago
Our pick of this week’s art events: 1 – 7 May
From Fiona Tan’s representational films to Idris Khan’s abstract paintings and drawings, here are five top shows to see this week.
RA Recommends
> 2 years ago
Our pick of this week’s art events: 23 – 30 April
This week, RA Magazine travels to Oxford to take a look at a cluster of art events opening in the city, from the Ashmolean to the Bodleian Library.
Artists
> 2 years ago
Remembering Albert Irvin RA
Basil Beattie remembers his friend and fellow Academician, the painter Albert Irvin RA, who has died at the age of 92.
Artists
> 2 years ago
Remembering Robert Clatworthy
A key figure in a group of sculptors who emerged in the 1950s, we look back on the career of Robert Clatworthy, who has passed away aged 87.
Artists
> 2 years ago
House of curiosities: in the studio with Tom Phillips RA
When Tom Phillips RA rented a room in a south London house 50 years ago, little did he know the entire house would become his studio.
Our Collection
> 2 years ago
Mary Moser and Angelica Kauffman: the RA’s founding women
Amy Bluett discovers how women at the Royal Academy have fought for equality from 1768 up to the present, beginning with a closer look at founding Members Angelica Kauffman and Mary Moser.
Artists
> 2 years ago
10 minutes with… Rebecca Salter RA
Each month, we have a quick chat with one of our Academicians to find out what they’re up to and what the RA means to them.
Artists
> 2 years ago
The story behind John Singer Sargent RA’s ‘Carnation, Lily, Lily, Rose’
With an exhibition of paintings by John Singer Sargent at the National Portrait Gallery, we take a look at one of this Royal Academician’s most famous works.
Artists
> 2 years ago
10 minutes with… Alan Stanton RA
Each month, we have a quick chat with one of our Academicians to find out what they’re up to and what the RA means to them.
Artists
> 2 years ago
10 minutes with… Richard Wilson RA
Each month, we have a quick chat with one of our Academicians to find out what they’re up to and what the RA means to them.
Artists
> 2 years ago
Kept up with your culture? Take the 2014 quiz
Here at the RA, we’re keen to make sure you’re getting your recommended annual intake of art. Find out now!
Artists
> 2 years ago
10 minutes with… Phillip King PPRA
Each month, we have a quick chat with one of our Academicians to find out what they’re up to and what the RA means to them.
Artists
> 2 years ago
‘In Tangier’: an extract from Tess Jaray’s new book
This short memoir is taken from painter Tess Jaray RA’s new book, ‘The Blue Cupboard: Inspirations and Recollections’.
Artists
> 2 years ago
The wizard of Oxfordshire: in the studio with Mick Rooney RA
Behind garage doors at his Cotswolds home, Mick Rooney RA conjures a magical world on canvas.
Artists
> 2 years ago
From the archive: The iconography of Allen Jones RA
Revisit this exploration of the meaning of Jones’s works, ahead of his first major retrospective in Burlington Gardens.
Artists
> 2 years ago
In conversation with Frank Bowling RA
Royal Academician Frank Bowling discusses his working practices, his desire to make “pure painting” and the changing reactions to his work throughout his lifetime.
Artists
< 3 years ago
Tess Jaray RA reads from ‘The Blue Cupboard’
The Royal Academician shares a chapter from her new memoir.
Artists
< 3 years ago
Behind the mask: Gillian Wearing RA
Shortlisted for a major European art award, the Royal Academician tells us about her recent work on show in The Hague.
Artists
< 3 years ago
10 minutes with… Frank Bowling RA
Each month, we have a quick chat with one of our Academicians to find out what they’re up to and what the RA means to them.
RA Exhibitions
< 3 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.
Opinion
< 3 years ago
A breath of fresh air: Fred Cuming RA on Constable
Ahead of an exhibition at the Victoria and Albert Museum, Fred Cuming RA pays tribute to his work, and his lasting influence.
Artists
< 3 years ago
David Remfry RA on the major turning point in his practice
A remarkable look into how a chance encounter in 1988 liberated the Academician’s painting practice.
Artists
< 3 years ago
A look inside the studio of Sandra Blow RA
As abstract art pioneer Sandra Blow RA is celebrated by two Cornwall shows, Jonathan Grimble and Denny Long from her Estate give us a tour of her atmospheric studio space in St Ives.
Opinion
< 3 years ago
Painting the mystery
We take a look at the latest work from the President of the RA, whose paintings embrace the transcendent powers of abstraction.
Artists
< 3 years ago
In Memoriam: Alan Davie RA
The Academician’s art dealer and lifelong friend remembers a life well lived.
Artists
< 3 years ago
Remembering Sir Philip Dowson PRA
A few personal notes on a fellow architect and mentor by Sir Michael Hopkins RA.
Artists
< 3 years ago
Michael Sandle RA on William Dalrymple’s book ‘Return of a King: The Battle for Afghanistan’
The Academician and sculptor finds history repeating itself on reading an illuminating analysis of Britain’s first Afghan war.
Artists
< 3 years ago
Behind the scenes: Anselm Kiefer’s studio at Barjac
In the lead-up to his major RA exhibition this autumn, we take a look inside the artist’s huge “gesamtkunstwerk” in the south of France.
RA Exhibitions
< 3 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.
Artists
< 3 years ago
Richard MacCormac RA remembered
People from around the RA pay tribute to leading architect Sir Richard MacCormac, who has died aged 75 following a long illness.
Artists
3 years ago
10 minutes with… Cathie Pilkington RA
Each month, we have a quick chat with one of our Academicians to find out what they’re up to and what the RA means to them.
Artists
3 years ago
Zaha Hadid RA on the influence of Malevich in her work
As a major Malevich show goes on view, Zaha Hadid RA reveals how her use of painting and drawing to develop buildings was inspired by the artist.
Artists
3 years ago
David Remfry RA’s watercolours at Fortnum & Mason
Painter Mick Rooney RA gives his own inimitable take on David Remfry RA’s witty watercolours, a new installation in the department store’s Diamond Jubilee Tea Salon.
Artists
3 years ago
10 minutes with… Tim Shaw RA
Each month, we have a quick chat with one of our Academicians to find out what they’re up to and what the RA means to them.
Artists
3 years ago
Tracey Emin talks about ‘My Bed’
Tracey Emin RA’s ‘My Bed’ (1998), one of the seminal works of the Young British Artist generation, goes up for sale at Christie’s on Tuesday 1 July.
Artists
3 years ago
Bob and Roberta Smith’s guide to the Summer Exhibition
Art now is more popular than it ever has been. We are in an era where art is at the centre of a public conversation about who we are, and where we want to go.
RA Exhibitions
3 years ago
Summer Exhibition 2014 prizes announced
Wolfgang Tillmans RA announced as winner of the Charles Wollaston award.
RA Exhibitions
3 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
3 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.
Artists
3 years ago
10 minutes with… Emma Stibbon RA
Each month, we have a quick chat with one of our Academicians to find out what they’re up to and what the RA means to them.
Artists
3 years ago
Paint inspiration: Ken Howard RA
Ken Howard RA’s range of interior paints created specially for the Royal Academy is inspired by his beloved Venice, a city where he has had a studio for the past 10 years.
Opinion
3 years ago
Body and Void at The Henry Moore Foundation
A new exhibition juxtaposing the works of Henry Moore with those of Antony Gormley RA, Richard Deacon RA and Anish Kapoor RA, among others, shows the enduring influence of one of Britain’s most iconic sculptors.
Artists
3 years ago
Paint inspiration: David Mach RA
The artist’s new paint range for the RA draws inspiration from his life and work.
Artists
3 years ago
Red Alan’s Manifesto
A new artwork by Grayson Perry RA presents a special manifesto for the Royal Academy.
Artists
> 3 years ago
10 minutes with… Mike Nelson RA Elect
Each month, we have a quick chat with one of our Academicians to find out what they’re up to and what the RA means to them.
Inside the Academy
> 3 years ago
Introducing our new website
As you might have noticed, our website has changed. This is the first stage of ambitious plans to open up the Academy and provide new ways to engage with art and artists.
Artists
> 3 years ago
10 minutes with… Conrad Shawcross RA Elect
Each month, we have a quick chat with one of our Academicians to find out what they’re up to and what the RA means to them.
Inside the Academy
> 3 years ago
How do Academicians get elected?
Recent years have seen a host of new innovations here at the RA, but the election process for new Academicians has hardly changed in almost 250 years. Here is how it all works.
RA Exhibitions
> 3 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.
Opinion
> 3 years ago
Will there be fewer fine artists in the future?
We put the question to Jennifer Zielinska, part of the RA’s attRAct programme, and Royal Academician and fine artist Cornelia Parker
Our Collection
> 3 years ago
A chance discovery
A recently discovered drawing turns out to be a design by Richard Norman Shaw RA for the biscuit barrel that he presented to the Academy in 1883.
Artists
> 3 years ago
Living colour
We visit the converted stable where the nonagenarian artist Alan Davie RA creates his jewel-like paintings.
Artists
> 3 years ago
Between the lines
In the first of a new series on artists’ epiphanies, Tess Jaray RA reveals three turning points in her understanding of art.
RA Recommends
> 3 years ago
Sofas, science, and Richard Deacon RA
From found objects to Neo-Gothic interiors: everything worth seeing this week.
RA Recommends
> 3 years ago
Charlie Billingham, Sarah Lucas and Ann Christopher RA
From contemporary maritime art to disemboweled books: everything worth seeing this week.
RA Recommends
> 3 years ago
Liu Wei, van Gogh, and Maurice Cockrill RA
From iconic sunflowers to architectural installations: everything worth seeing this week.
RA Recommends
> 3 years ago
Warhol, Burroughs and Lynch, Jeremy Deller and Basil Beattie RA
‘Hiker Meat’, Venice in Walthamstow and collage at the Whitechapel: everything worth seeing this week.
RA Recommends
> 3 years ago
Gifted, Victor Burgin, and Sean Scully RA
From 100 works on paper to Asian art in London: everything worth seeing this week.
RA Recommends
> 3 years ago
Stanley Spencer, Frank Gehry, and Alison Wilding RA
From Tate Liverpool’s new Duveen commission to the World Press Photo Exhibition: everything worth seeing this week.
RA Recommends
> 3 years ago
Kevin Francis Gray, Taylor Wessing, and Antony Gormley RA
From photographic portraits to artists’ museums: everything worth seeing this week.
Opinion
> 3 years ago
The hottest tickets for 2014
London plays host to some giants of the art world over the next year. The Chairman of the RA’s Exhibition Committee, Stephen Farthing RA, picks his top five upcoming shows and celebrates innovations born of great skill and maturity.
Artists
< 4 years ago
In the studio with Sean Scully RA
Sam Phillips meets Sean Scully RA in his Barcelona studio.
Artists
< 4 years ago
Out to lunch with David Mach RA
The RA speaks about how his love of large numbers influences his sculptures over a steak at Hawksmoor.
Artists
4 years ago
In the studio with Phyllida Barlow RA
Meet the sculptor who chooses materials for their rawness and authenticity to create her haunting art.
Artists
4 years ago
Out to lunch with Cornelia Parker RA
The Academician talks about the mix of violence and poetry in her work, as her often explosive art takes her across the globe.
Artists
> 4 years ago
Out to lunch with Chris Wilkinson RA
The architect and Academician talks over lunch about searching for “the beautiful idea” when he designs a building.
Artists
> 4 years ago
In the studio with Joe Tilson RA
Fiona Maddocks meets painter and Academician Joe Tilson at his studio in a workers’ cottage in Chelsea.
Artists
> 4 years ago
Out to lunch with Richard Wilson RA
Over a sushi lunch, the sculptor and Academician talks about “getting away with” art that challenges our preconceptions of the world around us.
Artists
> 4 years ago
In the studio with Peter Cook RA
The architect and Academician fills his London studio with a sense of fun, as Fiona Maddocks discovers.
Artists
< 5 years ago
Out to lunch with Mali Morris RA
Redefining the best of British cuisine with the Academician, who herself is as a conjuror in the world of colour.
Artists
< 5 years ago
In the studio with Anne Desmet RA
Printmaker and Academician Anne Desmet discusses juggling work and family life in a studio at her east London house.
Artists
< 5 years ago
In conversation with Timothy Hyman RA
As artist in residence at Maggie’s Cancer Caring Centre, the Academician is a healing presence.
Artists
5 years ago
In the studio with Jenny Saville RA
The Academician talks with us from her current studio in Oxford.
Artists
> 5 years ago
In the studio with Gillian Wearing RA
We speak to the painter in her minimalist studio in London’s East End, which is filled with an unexpected riot of colour.
Artists
> 5 years ago
In the studio with Gary Hume RA
The Academician’s Clerkenwell studio is cool, white and ordered - but in it Hume is a warm, unpretentious presence.
Artists
6 years ago
In the studio with Stephen Cox RA
The Academician has built his studio in a converted granary, in the Shropshire landscape made famous by A.E Housman.
Artists
> 6 years ago
In the studio with Albert Irvin RA
Evidence of Albert Irvin’s thirst for adventure on canvas can be seen in the east London studio he has occupied for over 30 years.
Artists
> 6 years ago
Out to lunch with Will Alsop RA
The architect and Academician enthuses over a dish called Heaven and Earth, and tells us why fun is important in architecture.
Artists
< 7 years ago
Out to lunch with Eric Parry RA
Over an Italian lunch, the architect and Academician discusses the influence of art and history on his designs.
Artists
< 7 years ago
In the studio with John Carter RA
The quiet minimalist aesthetic of the Academician’s London studio has survived an extraordinary intrusion, he tells us.
Artists
7 years ago
In the studio with Antony Gormley RA
Get the vital statistics on the Academician’s studio, his work, and his relationship to the planet.
Artists
7 years ago
Out to lunch with Anthony Green RA
A classic French bistro delights the Academician, who tells us why the future of the RA belongs to its Friends.