Tour of the Royal Academy’s offsite hidden collection
Friends 40th anniversary
Thursday 26 January 2017 6.15 - 7.45pm
Meet at Lea Bridge Station. Further details will be emailed to you prior to the event.
£75. Includes collections tour and a gift bag.
Friends of the RA book first
Join Senior Curator Helen Valentine to explore items from the Royal Academy’s permanent collection, hidden behind closed doors in our temporary storage facility in East London. Friends of the RA can enjoy an intimate tour showcasing fascinating items from the collection each visitor will receive a special gift bag commemorating the Friends 40th anniversary.
In January 2017, we will celebrate 40 years of the Friends of the Royal Academy scheme. Founded in 1977 to support the RA Schools and exhibitions, our Friends have been instrumental to the running of the Academy ever since. As a part of the Friends 40th anniversary, we are running a series of events to reflect on the successes of the past 40 years and to look forward to the future of the Academy in 2018 and beyond.
The Royal Academy has always had a permanent collection, to use for teaching art and to represent the work of Royal Academicians. Since 1768, every artist elected Academician must select a work to submit to the Academy’s Collection. As a result, it represents an unparalleled visual timeline of the history of British art.
The RA Collection is wide-ranging, embracing antique sculpture, Renaissance Old Masters, contemporary art, historic books and archives. It covers artists from Michelangelo to Grayson Perry, from Angelica Kauffman to Tracey Emin, and architects from William Chambers to the late Zaha Hadid. In 2018, for the first time since the Second World War, the RA will display highlights from its collection in a dedicated gallery.
Tickets to this event include a donation to support the redevelopment of the Royal Academy. For nearly 250 years, the RA has been a place where art is made, exhibited and debated. Thank you for supporting the future of the Royal Academy by participating in this event. Please note that large bags and photography are not permitted, there is no disabled access to the store room. Please contact friendsevents@royalacademy.org.uk if you have any questions.
Booking is essential for this event; if you wish to bring a guest please book one ticket for each person.
This event will also be held between 3pm and 4.30pm on the same day.
Limited-edition products and prints, designed by you
To commemorate the Friends 40th anniversary, we asked Friends to create "art on A4", inspired by the question: what does the RA mean to you? Explore the new range of limited-edition products and prints designed using the artwork of the competition winner and five runners up.