Opinion
10 days ago
Body of evidence: a fresh look at Freud and Bacon’s early careers
The two figurative artists are at the centre of Tate Britain’s ‘All Too Human’ exhibition, but they haven’t always been so favoured. Here we look back to a time when a young Bacon and Freud were much ignored.
Our Collection
10 days ago
How to read it: Frank Bowling’s Wintergreens
Vast and dense, Frank Bowling’s monumental Wintergreens is one of the modern masterpieces in the RA collection. It is currently on display in ‘Mappa Mundi’, a large retrospective of his work at the Irish Museum of Modern Art.
Artists
10 days ago
“Immensely courageous”: a tribute to Gillian Ayres RA
Friends and colleagues remember the exceptional life and career of the painter Gillian Ayres RA, who passed away on 11 April 2018 aged 88.
RA Exhibitions
11 days ago
Video: Tracey Emin RA on her largest-ever text piece
Hanging from the vast Victorian glass roof of St Pancras International, I Want My Time With You is the latest in the Terrace Wires public art series. In this video, Tracey Emin discusses the origins of the work and why she chose these particular words.
Our Collection
19 days ago
The RA Collection in 250 objects: Tales of the unexpected
To celebrate our 250th birthday this year, we’re highlighting 250 beautiful, odd and inspiring objects from the RA Collection across 25 themes. In this edition, curator Annette Wickham talks us through some of the more surprising objects you’ll stumble across down in the depths of the Collection, from a lock of Napoleon’s hair to a rather fancy tea set…
RA Recommends
20 days ago
Feminist futures: event recording round-up
Catch up on our series of events exploring possible feminist futures – from the power of art practice as a catalyst for social change to automation in architecture, moving image as language, and alternative artistic platforms.
RA Recommends
22 days ago
10 art shows to see in April
Take a trip through the major artistic movements of the past 100 years in this month’s top picks, from turn-of-the-century Impressionism and Glasgow Style to contemporary photojournalism and abstract painting.
Artists
25 days ago
Family how-to: colour the RA Collection
Pick up some pencils and colour in Easter eggs, little lambs and spring flowers this holiday, using classic images from the RA Collection!
RA Exhibitions
We need to talk about Charles I’s “pet dwarf”
With a portrait of “The Queen’s Dwarf” on display at the RA, Tom Shakespeare argues we need to look beyond the painting’s spectacle to consider the person it’s depicting – and the uncomfortable truths it still carries today.
1 month ago
RA Exhibitions
1 month ago
Tacita Dean: “I don’t care about the long run. I care about now.”
With three landmark exhibitions in London this year – including the inaugural show of the RA’s new galleries – the artist discusses mysteries of the cosmos, classical mythology and chance encounters at her LA studio.
Our Collection
1 month ago
How to read it: Annie Swynnerton’s The Letter
In 1922, the Royal Academy elected its first female member in over 150 years: Annie Swynnerton. Here’s how to read her enigmatic painting of a young woman, currently on display in Manchester.
Our Collection
1 month ago
Top picks from the Collection: Emma Stibbon RA
When painter and printmaker Emma Stibbon heard that she’d been elected a Royal Academician five years ago, she was in the middle of the Antarctic Ocean on an artist placement, accompanying a research expedition. Here, the intrepid artist picks out her favourite works from the Collection, featuring early photography, postwar painting and fantastical etching.
Our Collection
1 month ago
The RA Collection in 250 objects: Mythical monsters
To celebrate our 250th birthday this year, we’re highlighting 250 beautiful, odd and inspiring objects from the RA Collection across 25 themes. In this edition, we’re looking at the fearsome mythical beasts lurking in the shadows of our archives, from the colossal serpents of Norse legend to hideous hydras from Greek myth.
RA Recommends
1 month ago
The punk feminist icon who found her magic in Cornwall
The artist Linder Sterling went from designing notorious artwork for the Buzzcocks to conjuring mytho-poetic forces on a beach in St Ives. With a new show at Nottingham Contemporary, we explore the pioneering punk’s two very different defining moments.
RA Exhibitions
2 months ago
Henrietta Maria: the queen behind Charles I’s collection
Charles I might have had a keen eye for art, but his queen’s eye was sharper and far more sophisticated. With the couple’s extraordinary art collection currently on display at the RA, the consort’s biographer Erin Griffey explores her life, style and legacy.
RA Exhibitions
2 months ago
Video: Artemisia Gentileschi in 60 seconds
Tim Marlow gives a quick introduction to Artemisia Gentileschi, one of very few women who carved out a career in the 17th-century art world.
RA Recommends
2 months ago
Sondra Perry on blackness, gender and internet culture
The American artist is making waves on both sides of the Atlantic, including a show at London’s Serpentine Galleries this spring. Here, she talks JMW Turner, memes and burying flags.
RA Recommends
2 months ago
10 art shows to see in March
Spring has sprung, and so have many new exhibitions. From an architectural detective agency to a history of cross-dressing, here are some of the best art shows to see this month.
Our Collection
2 months ago
How to read it: Frank Cadogan Cowper’s Vanity
Combining allusions to both Renaissance and Pre-Raphaelite painting, Frank Cadogan Cowper’s Vanity celebrates beauty while cautioning against excessive self-regard. Unravel the painting’s influences in this three-minute read.
RA Exhibitions
2 months ago
Event recording: short stories with Pin Drop and Graham Swift
Catch up on an evening of short stories told by Man Booker Prize-winning author Graham Swift.
Our Collection
2 months ago
The RA Collection in 250 objects: Anatomy
The RA will turn 250 on 10 December this year. To celebrate, we’re highlighting 250 beautiful, odd and inspiring objects from our Collection across 25 themes. We’re starting with the study of human anatomy, once a key part of the artistic training provided at the RA Schools. Here’s our head-to-toe guide to what happens when fresh corpses and fine art meet…
Inside the Academy
2 months ago
RA250 stories: putting Hercules back together again
How do you take decades of dirt off a sculpture without damaging its original surface, or reassemble and attach missing parts of a historic statue? Find out in the latest edition of our behind-the-scenes video series, revealing our preparations for unveiling of The New RA.
RA Exhibitions
2 months ago
Chantal Joffe RA: “If I can paint it, I can deal with it”
With a nude self-portrait currently on show in our From Life exhibition, Chantal Joffe discusses her models, inspiration and artistic process with the show’s curator, Adrian Locke.
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