Events
Courses And Classes
Did you know all our courses can be purchased as a gift?
To arrange a personalised gift voucher, please get in touch with our team - 020 7300 5641 academic.programmes@royalacademy.org.uk
Our varied programme of courses provides an exceptional experience to develop your practical art skills and explore the history, theory and business of art.
Whether you wish to learn something new or are seeking to further your professional knowledge, we offer courses designed for learners of all-levels. Benefit from tuition by expert practitioners, leading academics and international art-world scholars, taught within the RA’s historic spaces.
Short course
The self-portrait: historical highlights
Ten-week art history and theory lecture series
● Fully booked
● Cancelled
16 September — 18 November 2019
Next session: 18 November 2019
The Life Room, Royal Academy Schools
In this 10-week lecture series you’ll explore the medium of self-portraiture and how artists chose to depict themselves throughout art history.
£540 for full course or £320 for five weeks. Includes all materials, light refreshments and a wine reception at the end of the fifth and tenth sessions.
Short course
Fakes! How, when and why?
Ten-week art history and theory lecture series
● Fully booked
● Cancelled
8 October — 17 December 2019
Next session: 19 November 2019
The Benjamin West Lecture Theatre, Burlington Gardens, Royal Academy of Arts
Join a distinguished line-up of scholars, artists and art-world professionals as they investigate the rationale behind forgeries and the impact of fake paintings on public institutions and the private market.
£540 for full course or £320 for five weeks. Includes all materials, light refreshments and a wine reception at the end of the fifth and tenth sessions.
Short course
From cast to life: life drawing in the RA Schools
Five-week practical evening course
● Fully booked
● Cancelled
6 November — 4 December 2019
Next session: 20 November 2019
The Life Room, Royal Academy Schools
This five-week course invites participants to take a step back in time to when drawing from casts and life models was essential training for any aspiring artist and a keystone of the RA Schools.
£480. Includes all materials, light refreshments and a wine reception at the end of the final session.
Short course
Retelling the Greek myths in Western art
Weekend-long art history and theory course
● Fully booked
● Cancelled
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16 November 2019, 10am — 5pm
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17 November 2019, 10am — 5pm
The Life Room, Royal Academy of Arts
Join the RA’s Professor of Ancient Literature, Dame Mary Beard, and a lineup of experts and scholars as they explore how Greek myths have been retold in Western Europe through art, visual cultural and art history.
£420. Includes all materials, light refreshments and a wine reception at the end of day one.
Short course
Oil painting: the expressive portrait
Weekend-long practical course
● Fully booked
● Cancelled
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16 November 2019, 10.30am — 5.30pm
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17 November 2019, 10.30am — 5.30pm
The Clore Learning Centre, Burlington Gardens, Royal Academy of Arts
With special focus on the philosophy behind the creative process, this two-day portrait painting course in oils will explore the idea that the portrait is more than a copy of the face.
£520. Includes all materials, light refreshments and a wine reception at the end of day one.
Short course
Executive Master in Cultural Leadership
Open evening
● Fully booked
● Cancelled
Thursday 21 November 2019
6.30 — 8pm
Wolfson British Academy Room, Burlington Gardens, Royal Academy of Arts
Meet the faculty for the Executive Master in Cultural Leadership for an informal evening, and learn more about the RA’s exciting new MA programme.
Free, booking required.
Short course
Friends and Academicians’ Room Members life drawing
Evening session
● Fully booked
● Cancelled
Tuesday 26 November 2019
6.15 — 9.15pm
The Sir Hugh Casson Room for Friends, The Keeper's House, Royal Academy of Arts
Enjoy an exclusive life-drawing session for Friends and Academicians’ Room members in the historic Sir Hugh Casson Room, concentrating on gesture drawing using a limited number of marks.
£50. Includes a drinks reception and all practical materials. Friends and Academicians’ Room members only.
Short course
Life painting in oils: figure and space
Weekend-long practical course
● Fully booked
● Cancelled
-
30 November 2019, 10.30am — 5.30pm
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1 December 2019, 10.30am — 5.30pm
The Clore Learning Centre, Burlington Gardens, Royal Academy of Arts
Join us for a weekend of painting from life in oils, focusing on how to represent the figure in context. Strengthen your skills in painting the human form while learning how to create a convincing sense of space in painting.
£520. Includes all materials, light refreshments and a wine reception at the end of day one.
Short course
Executive Master in Cultural Leadership
Open evening
● Fully booked
● Cancelled
Wednesday 11 December 2019
6.30 — 8pm
Wolfson British Academy Room, Burlington Gardens, Royal Academy of Arts
Meet the faculty for the Executive Master in Cultural Leadership for an informal evening, and learn more about the RA’s exciting new MA programme.
Free, booking required.
Short course
Revolution! Art and change
Ten-week art history and theory course
● Fully booked
● Cancelled
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14 January 2020, 6.30 — 8pm
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21 January 2020, 6.30 — 8pm
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28 January 2020, 6.30 — 8pm
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4 February 2020, 6.30 — 8pm
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11 February 2020, 6.30 — 8pm
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18 February 2020, 6.30 — 8pm
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25 February 2020, 6.30 — 8pm
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3 March 2020, 6.30 — 8pm
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10 March 2020, 6.30 — 8pm
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17 March 2020, 6.30 — 8pm
The Life Room, Royal Academy Schools
Join us for this ten-week lecture series as we explore the world’s major revolutions through the prism of art.
£540 for full course, £320 for weeks 1-5 OR weeks 6-10. Includes all materials, light refreshments and a wine reception at the end of weeks 5 and 10.
Short course
Friends and Academicians’ Room Members life drawing
Evening session
● Fully booked
● Cancelled
Tuesday 14 January 2020
6.15 — 9.15pm
The Clore Learning Centre, Burlington Gardens, Royal Academy of Arts
Enjoy an exclusive life-drawing session for Friends and Academicians’ Room members concentrating on developing a spatial scaffold.
£50. Includes a drinks reception and all practical materials. Friends and Academicians’ Room members only.
Short course
Bottoms up: a history of art through drinks and drinking
Ten-week art history and theory course
● Fully booked
● Cancelled
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20 January 2020, 6.30 — 8pm
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27 January 2020, 6.30 — 8pm
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3 February 2020, 6.30 — 8pm
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10 February 2020, 6.30 — 8pm
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17 February 2020, 6.30 — 8pm
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24 February 2020, 6.30 — 8pm
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2 March 2020, 6.30 — 8pm
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9 March 2020, 6.30 — 8pm
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16 March 2020, 6.30 — 8pm
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23 March 2020, 6.30 — 8pm
The Life Room, Royal Academy Schools
Following on from the success of our lecture series on gastronomy, this course delves into the different portrayals and symbolism of drink in art over the centuries.
£540 for full course, £320 for weeks 1-5 OR weeks 6-10. Includes all materials, light refreshments and a wine reception at the end of weeks 5 and 10.
Short course
Oil painting: the painted portrait sketch
Weekend-long practical course
● Fully booked
● Cancelled
-
25 January 2020, 10.30am — 5.30pm
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26 January 2020, 10.30am — 5.30pm
The Clore Learning Centre, Burlington Gardens, Royal Academy of Arts
In this weekend course explore the descriptive and expressive possibilities of the oil portrait sketch.
£520. Includes all materials, light refreshments and a wine reception at the end of day one.
Short course
Friends and Academicians’ Room Members life drawing
Evening session
● Fully booked
● Cancelled
Tuesday 4 February 2020
6.15 — 9.15pm
The Clore Learning Centre, Burlington Gardens, Royal Academy of Arts
Enjoy an exclusive life drawing session for Friends and Academicians’ Room members concentrating on expressing depth.
£50. Includes a drinks reception and all practical materials. Friends and Academicians’ Room members only.
Short course
Picasso and his processes
Five-week practical evening course
● Fully booked
● Cancelled
-
10 February 2020, 6.30 — 9.30pm
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17 February 2020, 6.30 — 9.30pm
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24 February 2020, 6.30 — 9.30pm
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2 March 2020, 6.30 — 9.30pm
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9 March 2020, 6.30 — 9.30pm
The Clore Learning Centre, Burlington Gardens, Royal Academy of Arts
Inspired by the RA’s exhibition of works by Pablo Picasso, this course explores expressiveness in art through the use of a variety of materials.
£520. Includes all materials, light refreshments and a drinks reception at the end of the final session.
Short course
Painting with egg tempera
Weekend-long practical course
● Fully booked
● Cancelled
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15 February 2020, 10.30am — 5.30pm
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16 February 2020, 10.30am — 5.30pm
The Clore Learning Centre, Burlington Gardens, Royal Academy of Arts
Artist and former President of the Royal Society of Portrait Painters, Robin-Lee Hall, leads an exciting course examining how to both make and paint with egg tempera.
£480. Includes all materials, light refreshments and a wine reception at the end of day one.
Short course
The art of the copy: replication and the arts
Weekend-long art history and theory course
● Fully booked
● Cancelled
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15 February 2020, 10am — 5pm
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16 February 2020, 10am — 5pm
Wolfson British Academy Room, Burlington Gardens, Royal Academy of Arts
We are used to thinking of art as ‘original’ works by artists and craftsmen, when in fact copying was standard practice for many centuries. This course will look at this process of copying works of art from the Renaissance period to the present day.
£420. Includes all materials, light refreshments and a wine reception at the end of day one.
Short course
The art of life painting
Weekend-long practical course
● Fully booked
● Cancelled
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22 February 2020, 10.30am — 5.30pm
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23 February 2020, 10.30am — 5.30pm
The Life Room, Royal Academy Schools
In this weekend-long course, figurative artist Andy Pankhurst will help students to improve their life painting by exploring conceptual ideas that have challenged artists for centuries.
£480. Includes all materials, light refreshments and a wine reception at the end of the final session.
Short course
Friends and Academicians’ Room Members life drawing
Evening session
● Fully booked
● Cancelled
Tuesday 25 February 2020
6.15 — 9.15pm
The Clore Learning Centre, Burlington Gardens, Royal Academy of Arts
Enjoy an exclusive life-drawing session for Friends and Academicians’ Room members concentrating on measuring.
£50. Includes a drinks reception and all practical materials. Friends and Academicians’ Room members only.
Short course
Drawing the human form
Four-week practical evening course
● Fully booked
● Cancelled
-
26 February 2020, 6.30 — 9.30pm
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4 March 2020, 6.30 — 9.30pm
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11 March 2020, 6.30 — 9.30pm
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18 March 2020, 6.30 — 9.30pm
The Life Room, Royal Academy Schools
Explore how line, tone, anatomy and proportion can help push your life drawing further in the Royal Academy’s historic Life Room.
£420. Includes all materials, light refreshments and a wine reception at the end of day one.
Short course
Executive Master in Cultural Leadership
Open evening
● Fully booked
● Cancelled
Thursday 27 February 2020
6.30 — 8pm
Wolfson British Academy Room, Burlington Gardens, Royal Academy of Arts
Meet the team behind our Executive Master in Cultural Leadership for an informal evening to learn more about the RA’s exciting new MA programme.
Free, booking required.
Short course
Figure in context: a mixed media approach
Weekend-long practical course
● Fully booked
● Cancelled
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29 February 2020, 10.30am — 5.30pm
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1 March 2020, 10.30am — 5.30pm
The Life Room, Royal Academy Schools
Join us for a weekend-long life drawing course in the RA’s historic Life Room to explore how mixed media can enhance your depictions of the human form.
£480. Includes all materials, light refreshments and a wine reception at the end of day one.
Short course
Women and patronage: an overlooked art history
Weekend-long art history and theory course
● Fully booked
● Cancelled
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29 February 2020, 10am — 5pm
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1 March 2020, 10am — 5pm
Wolfson British Academy Room, Burlington Gardens, Royal Academy of Arts
This weekend course will look at the significant contribution of women patrons in the arts, highlighting their enormous, oft-overlooked, impact in shaping our approach and appreciation of art.
£420. Includes all materials, light refreshments and a wine reception at the end of day one.
Short course
Executive Master in Cultural Leadership
Open evening
● Fully booked
● Cancelled
Tuesday 3 March 2020
6.30 — 9.30pm
Wolfson British Academy Room, Burlington Gardens, Royal Academy of Arts
Meet the team behind our Executive Master in Cultural Leadership for an informal evening to learn more about the RA’s exciting new MA programme.
Free, booking required.
Short course
A buyer’s guide to print
Weekend-long art business course
● Fully booked
● Cancelled
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7 March 2020, 10.30am — 5.30pm
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8 March 2020, 10.30am — 5.30pm
Wolfson British Academy Room, Burlington Gardens, Royal Academy of Arts
London Original Print Fair director, Helen Rosslyn, introduces the world of prints and printmaking, considering how they are made and offering tips on building a print collection.
£420. Includes all materials, light refreshments, a wine reception at the end of day one and a complementary ticket for The London Original Print Fair 2020
Short course
Drawing to discover
Weekend-long practical course
● Fully booked
● Cancelled
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14 March 2020, 10.30am — 5.30pm
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15 March 2020, 10.30am — 5.30pm
The Life Room, Royal Academy Schools
In this intensive and enjoyable weekend course, discover the potential of materials, tools and techniques to improve your drawing skills and see familiar things anew.
£420. Includes all materials, light refreshments and a wine reception at the end of day one.
Short course
Modern art and the French Riviera
Weekend-long art history course
● Fully booked
● Cancelled
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14 March 2020, 10am — 5pm
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15 March 2020, 10am — 5pm
Wolfson British Academy Room, Burlington Gardens, Royal Academy of Arts
Among the high-end tourists that flocked to the South of France in the first half of the 20th century, were some of modern art’s greatest painters, sculptors, designers and architects. This course will look at the French Riviera’s role as a breeding ground for European modern art.
£420. Includes all materials, light refreshments and a wine reception at the end of day one.
Short course
Friends and Academicians’ Room Members life drawing: energised tone
Evening session
● Fully booked
● Cancelled
Tuesday 17 March 2020
6.15 — 9.15pm
The Clore Learning Centre, Burlington Gardens, Royal Academy of Arts
Enjoy an exclusive life-drawing session for Friends and Academicians’ Room members concentrating on energetic, free-flowing drawings.
£50. Includes a drinks reception and all practical materials. Friends and Academicians’ Room members only.
Short course
Spanish art from the Golden Age to ‘Guernica’
Weekend-long art history and theory course
● Fully booked
● Cancelled
-
21 March 2020, 10am — 5pm
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22 March 2020, 10am — 5pm
Wolfson British Academy Room, Burlington Gardens, Royal Academy of Arts
As the Royal Academy displays an exhibition of works by Picasso, we take a weekend to trace 300 years of fascinating Spanish art that lead up to the artist’s classic work, ‘Guernica’.
£420. Includes all materials, light refreshments and wine reception at the end of day one.
Short course
Art crime: the myth vs the reality
Weekend-long art history and theory course
● Fully booked
● Cancelled
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28 March 2020, 10am — 5pm
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29 March 2020, 10am — 5pm
Wolfson British Academy Room, Burlington Gardens, Royal Academy of Arts
Join us for a weekend-long course delving into the gripping world of art crime from looting and theft to forgery and vandalism, and learn from experts what really goes on beyond the media.
£420. Includes all materials, light refreshments and wine reception at the end of day one.
Short course
Life Drawing is dead! Long live Life Drawing!
Five-week practical evening course
● Fully booked
● Cancelled
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1 April 2020, 6.30 — 9.30pm
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8 April 2020, 6.30 — 9.30pm
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15 April 2020, 6.30 — 9.30pm
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22 April 2020, 6.30 — 9.30pm
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29 April 2020, 6.30 — 9.30pm
The Life Room, Royal Academy Schools
This practical course will guide participants to make new, dynamic self-confident drawings, through both technical demonstrations and personal experimentation, providing a space to develop individual self-expression.
£480. Includes all materials, light refreshments and a wine reception at the end of the final session.
Short course
Wood engraving with Anne Desmet RA
Weekend-long masterclass
● Fully booked
● Cancelled
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4 April 2020, 10.30am — 5.30pm
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5 April 2020, 10.30am — 5.30pm
The Clore Learning Centre, Burlington Gardens, Royal Academy of Arts
Join Anne Desmet RA, an internationally renowned printmaker and collage artist, for this two-day practical workshop introducing the art and craft of wood engraving in an intimate, small group setting.
£540. Includes all materials, light refreshments and a wine reception at the end of day one.
Short course
Executive Master in Cultural Leadership
Open evening
● Fully booked
● Cancelled
Thursday 9 April 2020
6.30 — 8pm
Wolfson British Academy Room, Burlington Gardens, Royal Academy of Arts
Meet the team behind our Executive Master in Cultural Leadership for an informal evening to learn more about the RA’s exciting new MA programme.
Free, booking required.
Short course
Friends and Academicians’ Room Members life drawing
Evening session
● Fully booked
● Cancelled
Tuesday 14 April 2020
6.15 — 9.15pm
The Clore Learning Centre, Burlington Gardens, Royal Academy of Arts
Enjoy an exclusive life drawing session for Friends and Academicians’ Room members concentrating on drawing movement.
£50. Includes a drinks reception and all practical materials. Friends and Academicians’ Room members only.
Short course
Painting modern life
Weekend-long practical course
● Fully booked
● Cancelled
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25 April 2020, 9.30am — 5.30pm
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26 April 2020, 9.30am — 5.30pm
The Clore Learning Centre, Burlington Gardens, Royal Academy of Arts
This two-day oil painting course inspired by the impressionists will explore the relationship between our everyday lives and surroundings.
£520. Includes all materials, light refreshments and a wine reception at the end of day one.