Articles
Videos
From artist interviews to curator-led tours of our exhibitions, catch up on our latest online videos.
RA Exhibitions
25 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
26 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
1 month 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
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’.
Artists
2 months ago
Making a Japanese woodblock print for the Summer Exhibition
In this video, Rebecca Salter RA explains the traditional tools and techniques used by the Sato Woodblock Workshop in Kyoto when creating her print for the Summer Exhibition 2016.
Opinion
3 months ago
Brexit, London housing and building diverse communities
In the headline debate for the London Festival of Architecture, our panellists and audience discuss how architecture can be used to bring people together at a time when Britain’s relationship to Europe and the rest of the world is the subject of intense discussion.
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.
Inside the Academy
4 months ago
RA250 stories: Digitising the Collection
This video series reveals the ideas and people behind the transformation of the Royal Academy ahead of our 250th anniversary in 2018. In the second episode, we take a look at what’s involved in bringing artworks and documents from the past into the 21st century.
Artists
4 months ago
Sex, death and sculpture: Cathie Pilkington’s Top Shelf
The Royal Academician talks about the “Baccahanalian excess” of her sculptural installation Top Shelf, currently on display above the bar in the Academicians’ Room at the RA.
Artists
6 months ago
Conrad Shawcross RA’s ‘The ADA Project’ in Hong Kong
The Royal Academician’s sculpture inspired by the mathematician Ada Lovelace goes on show at The Peninsula Hotel.
RA Exhibitions
6 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.
Opinion
7 months ago
Re-viewing the past: three new shows of video art
RA Magazine takes a look at three shows of video art that reinvent the documentary form.
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
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
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.
Artists
11 months ago
David Remfry RA on his portraits of people and dogs
In this video, the Royal Academician discusses his new book which brings together portraits of friends and neighbours with their canine companions.
Artists
11 months ago
Lessons in life, love and art from Marina Abramovic
From losing consciousness to sitting motionless every day for three months, the inimitable artist pushes her body to its limits. Watch her in conversation with Bryan Appleyard.
Artists
12 months ago
Bob and Roberta Smith RA at the William Morris Gallery
Bob and Roberta Smith’s exhibition of his recent campaigning art finds a natural home at the London gallery dedicated to designer and radical socialist William Morris.
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.
Artists
12 months 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.
RA Exhibitions
12 months 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.
Artists
1 year ago
Annual Architecture Lecture: Bjarke Ingels
Danish architect Bjarke Ingels delivered the 25th Annual Architecture Lecture in the unique setting of the Summer Exhibition.
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
Inside the show: Joseph Cornell
Take a look inside the exhibition ‘Joseph Cornell: Wanderlust’ in these short video clips with our curators.
Inside the Academy
1 year ago
RA250 stories: The architects
Our new video series goes behind the scenes to reveal the ideas and people behind the transformation of the Royal Academy ahead of our 250th anniversary in 2018. In the first episode, members of the project team from David Chipperfield Architects discuss how they’re taking it from concept to reality.
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.
Artists
> 1 year ago
Postcards from the edge of the Earth: Emma Stibbon’s polar art
A new exhibition showcases the Academician’s artistic response to her Arctic and Antarctic journeys.
Inside the Academy
> 1 year ago
Henry Coleman’s ‘The Greater Order’
Have you noticed something different about our banners? Artist Henry Coleman has co-opted them in a sculptural response to the Academy’s forthcoming architectural transformation.
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
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.
Artists
> 1 year ago
Fiona Rae RA: “I’ve always had an experimental approach to painting”
The Royal Academician explains how turning away from colour has had an invigorating effect on her work.
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.
Artists
> 1 year ago
Hughie O’Donoghue RA: “painting is archaeology in reverse”
The Royal Academician explains how the nature of memory and a sense of place are driving forces in his latest series of paintings.
Artists
> 1 year ago
Bryan Kneale RA at Pangolin London
An exhibition of five decades of Bryan Kneale’s sculpture and works on paper gives the Academician a chance to see his work afresh.
Artists
> 1 year ago
Anish Kapoor’s new paintings at Lisson Gallery
The Royal Academician explains how his new series of paintings in silicone and resin have a close connection to his blockbuster 2009 show at the RA.
Artists
> 1 year ago
Richard Wilson’s ‘Hang On A Minute…’ travels to Hong Kong
The Royal Academician’s sculpture inspired by ‘The Italian Job’ goes on show at The Peninsula Hotel.
Artists
> 1 year ago
Zaha Hadid RA in conversation with Alain Elkann
The eminent architect discusses her approach to her work and her thoughts on the past, present and future of architecture.
Artists
> 1 year ago
Cornelia Parker’s poppies at the Whitworth
A survey of work by Cornelia Parker RA is the opening show at Manchester’s newly renovated Whitworth Gallery – featuring a room hung with the negatives from a poppy factory.
Our Collection
> 1 year ago
On the Reynolds trail in the RA archive
On the eve of a major exhibition London dedicated to Sir Joshua Reynolds, we delve into the RA’s archive to learn more about the Academy’s founding president.
Inside the Academy
> 1 year ago
Behind the scenes of ‘Premiums: Interim Projects’
We went behind the scenes in the RA Schools to follow the progress of second-year students putting together their interim exhibition.
Opinion
> 1 year ago
Podcast and video: Rubens and body image in art
Professor Germaine Greer, Dr Tom Shakespeare, Grayson Perry RA and Professor Mary Beard discuss the role art plays in creating and communicating body image.
Artists
> 1 year ago
Chantal Joffe RA at Jerwood Gallery
We speak to painter Chantal Joffe RA in her new exhibition at Jerwood Gallery in Hastings.
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.
Inside the Academy
< 2 years ago
Video: a multi-sensory tour of the Royal Academy
A recent event for blind and visually impaired visitors engaged the senses of smell, touch, taste and hearing to explore our building’s architecture and history.
Our Collection
< 2 years ago
Video: how we made Mr. Turner
Who was Mr. Turner? A contradiction, Timothy Spall told us at a recent panel discussion on Mike Leigh’s biopic. Watch the event and a behind-the-scenes video about the film here.
Artists
< 2 years ago
Kiefer and Chipperfield talk space and creativity
In a discussion chaired by the RA’s Tim Marlow, Anselm Kiefer and David Chipperfield RA explore the ways art and architecture interact in Kiefer’s practice.
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’.
Artists
< 2 years ago
Anthony Eyton RA and the bell ringers of Spitalfields
The Academician’s lifelong artistic engagement with the East End neighbourhood now includes the bell ringers of its iconic Hawksmoor church.
Inside the Academy
< 2 years ago
Who’s who in ‘Mr. Turner’?
Mike Leigh’s new film brings to life one of British art’s brightest stars and features several scenes set at the RA. We take a look at the supporting cast of Turner’s friends and rivals at the Academy.
Artists
< 2 years ago
Tess Jaray RA reads from ‘The Blue Cupboard’
The Royal Academician shares a chapter from her new memoir.
Artists
< 2 years ago
Interview: William Tucker RA
As a new exhibition of his work opens in London, the US-based Academician reflects on an artistic discovery that moulded his approach to sculpture.
Inside the Academy
< 2 years ago
Q&A: Cultural historian Robert Hewison on Effie Gray
Ahead of a special event at the RA, one of our panellists tells us about the figures behind a 19th-century love triangle that scandalised the art world.
Artists
< 2 years ago
Conrad Shawcross RA on ‘The ADA Project’
The Royal Academician discusses his robot installation inspired by Ada Lovelace.
Artists
< 2 years ago
Tracey Emin RA: “It’s like being at art school again”
The Royal Academician describes tackling the medium of bronze as her major new exhibition opens in London.
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.
Artists
2 years ago
Art Party: coming to a cinema near you
A new film by Bob and Roberta Smith RA and Tim Newton has its first screening at the RA.
Artists
2 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
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
Our Collection
2 years ago
RA Collection acquires first film work
The film ‘Love has no reason’ by RA Schools graduate Julie Born Schwartz has been added to the Royal Academy’s historic Collection.
Artists
2 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.
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
Varnishing Day at the Summer Exhibition 2014
Celebrating with the artists in this year’s Summer Exhibition.
Artists
> 2 years ago
Paint inspiration: Ken Howard RA
Ken Howard RA’s range of interior paints created specially for the Royal Academy is inspired by his beloved Venice, a city where he has had a studio for the past 10 years.
Artists
> 2 years ago
Paint inspiration: David Mach RA
The artist’s new paint range for the RA draws inspiration from his life and work.
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.
Opinion
> 2 years ago
Wandering Words
‘Sensing Spaces’ was a transformative exhibition for the RA in lots of ways and from the beginning we wanted to break new ground in the types of events we organised for it.
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
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
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.
Inside the Academy
> 2 years ago
Vanessa Jackson: Curvature and Common Sense
Artist Vanessa Jackson presents the RA Schools Annual Lecture 2014.
RA Recommends
> 2 years ago
Charlie Billingham, Sarah Lucas and Ann Christopher RA
From contemporary maritime art to disemboweled books: everything worth seeing this week.
RA Recommends
> 2 years ago
Gifted, Victor Burgin, and Sean Scully RA
From 100 works on paper to Asian art in London: everything worth seeing this week.
Artists
> 2 years ago
Meet the architects: Álvaro Siza and Eduardo Souto de Moura
More than any other architects, Álvaro Siza and Eduardo Souto de Moura have made me look with a fresh eye at the Royal Academy’s galleries and architecture.
Artists
> 2 years ago
Meet the architects: Kengo Kuma
It may seem a strange term for an architect to coin, but Japanese architect Kengo Kuma has been developing an idea of what he calls “weak architecture”.
Artists
< 3 years ago
Meet the architects: Diébédo Francis Kéré
When putting together this group of architects I purposefully sought out those who would bring a variety of perspectives on how we think about architecture and the spaces around us.
Artists
< 3 years ago
Meet the architects: Li Xiaodong
It was when sitting with Li Xiaodong in a courtyard garden in the Huairou district, a mountainous area near the Great Wall, an hour north of Beijing, that many of his observations of Chinese culture and sensibilities became much clearer for me.
Inside the Academy
< 3 years ago
A taste of Sensing Spaces
Sensing Spaces will transform the RA’s Main Galleries with structures, light, sounds and smells. Hear from behind the scenes as the exhibition installation gets underway.
Artists
< 3 years ago
Meet the architects: Sofia von Ellrichshausen and Mauricio Pezo
Spending some time with the Chilean architects who ‘consider’ rather than ‘design’.
Artists
< 3 years ago
Meet the architects: Grafton
“Buildings tell the stories of our lives in built form… We walk through and feel spaces with our whole bodies and our senses, not just with our eyes and with our minds. We are fully involved in the experience; this is what makes us human.”
RA Exhibitions
< 3 years ago
Who’s who in Sensing Spaces
Introducing the architects taking part in ‘Sensing Spaces: Architecture Reimagined’.
Inside the Academy
> 3 years ago
Reading in the Life Drawing Room
A one-day symposium concerned with the management of reading, with Lucy Skaer, Angie Keefer, Nina Power, Cally Spooner and Natasha Soobramanien.
Inside the Academy
> 3 years ago
Chris Kraus: A Very Literary Confession
Theory, fiction, criticism, confession?