Our Collection
10 days ago
How to Read It: The Exhibition of the Royal Academy in Pall Mall, 1771
How much has the Summer Exhibition changed in 250 years? As the Great Spectacle exhibition looks back at the masterpieces from its history, we head back to 1771 to explore a work that documented the exhibition itself.
Our Collection
15 days ago
The RA Collection in 250 objects: The Summer Exhibition
To celebrate our 250th birthday, we’re highlighting 250 beautiful, odd and inspiring objects from the RA Collection in 25 themes. In this edition, with the Summer Exhibition on display, and another RA exhibition – The Great Spectacle – looking back at its history, we explore some works in the Collection from Summers gone by.
RA Exhibitions
15 days ago
10 art exhibitions to see in August
From a translucent sculpture offering a portrait of a city, to an exploration of humans and the cosmos, here’s our top 10 art exhibitions to help you escape the August heat.
Our Collection
1 month ago
The RA Collection in 250 objects: Learning to draw
To celebrate our 250th birthday, we’re highlighting 250 beautiful, odd and inspiring objects from the RA Collection in 25 themes. With a free display exploring how artists have traditionally learnt to draw, in this edition we head into the Royal Academy’s historic schools…
Artists
1 month ago
Remembering Leonard McComb RA
Colleagues, friends and family pay tribute to artist and teacher Leonard McComb, who died on 19 June 2018 aged 87.
RA Exhibitions
1 month ago
Inside the show: The Great Spectacle
From the work of “friendly rivals” Reynolds and Gainsborough to the rebellious Pre-Raphaelites, our exhibition The Great Spectacle brings together some of the highlights of 250 years of the Royal Academy’s Summer Exhibition. Take a look inside in these videos.
RA Recommends
2 months ago
10 art exhibitions to see in July
From a pairing of master printmakers Goya and Hogarth, to a comprehensive survey of the painter Yves Klein, here’s our pick of 10 new art exhibitions to check out this July.
RA Exhibitions
2 months ago
Summer Exhibition 2018 prizes announced
Sculptor and installation artist Mike Nelson RA has won the 2018 Charles Wollaston award for the “most distinguished work” in the Summer Exhibition.
Our Collection
2 months ago
‘Deeds not words’: Suffragettes and the Summer Exhibition
The Great Spectacle charts 250 years of Summer Exhibitions – including 1914, when Suffragette Mary Wood attacked a John Singer Sargent portrait with a meat cleaver. We delve into the Royal Academy’s archive to find out how the Academy, and the public, reacted.
Inside the Academy
2 months ago
249 years of teaching artists in the RA Schools
At the heart of the Royal Academy, you can find Britain’s longest-running art school, which has been training artists since 1769. As soon-to-be graduates present their final year show, Skye Sherwin speaks to students and tutors to find out what’s changed in the last quarter millennia.
RA Exhibitions
2 months ago
Tracing British art through 250 years of the Summer Exhibition
The Summer Exhibition has filled the RA’s galleries every year since 1769 – it’s been a witness (and a player) in many of British art history’s biggest moments. Jenny Uglow takes a look at the art that’s caused drama, changes, protests and celebration over the past quarter millennium.
Our Collection
2 months ago
The RA Collection in 250 objects: Dance
To celebrate our 250th birthday, we’re highlighting 250 beautiful, odd and inspiring objects from the RA Collection in 25 themes. In this edition we put on our dancing shoes to tap, twirl and stomp our way from antiquity to today.
RA Exhibitions
2 months ago
Did Banksy get into the Summer Exhibition?
As the 250th Summer Exhibition opens, Banksy has revealed that he entered the public submission exhibition under a pseudonym… Here’s the inside story.
RA Exhibitions
2 months ago
Seven tips for starting your own art collection
There are over 1,300 works in the 2018 Summer Exhibition – and most of them are for sale. So how do you choose? Here are our top tips for buying your first pieces of original art.
RA Exhibitions
2 months ago
Video: Grayson Perry inside the Summer Exhibition
Take a look inside the 250th Summer Exhibition in this video with coordinator Grayson Perry RA, as he shows us some of his highlights of this year’s show.
Our Collection
2 months ago
How to read it: Thomas Lawrence’s Satan Summoning his Legions
As you enter the RA’s new Collection Gallery, a very large (and slightly absurd) figure of Satan towers over you – in what looks suspiciously like the Tory “power stance”. Here’s the story behind the painting…
RA Exhibitions
2 months ago
Bombs, dots and rockstars: seven stories of the Summer Exhibition
From frenemy feuds to a bomb through the roof, the storylines of the Summer Exhibition could make a TV drama – so no wonder it’s so often featured on screen. As ‘The Great Spectacle’ charts 250 years of this annual celebration of contemporary art, here are just a few of our favourite episodes…
RA Recommends
3 months ago
10 art exhibitions to see in June
From giant hammocks to swollen balloons to cyborg limbs, zeppelins, dancers and animals – the UK’s art galleries are filled with some exciting stuff this month. Here’s what we recommend seeing.
RA Exhibitions
3 months ago
Podcast catch-up: Technology is the answer, but what was the question?
A series of events in the Benjamin West Lecture Theatre considered the title’s provocation, by architect Cedric Price. Catch up on all the events here…
Our Collection
3 months ago
The RA Collection in 250 objects: Clouds
To celebrate our 250th birthday, we’re highlighting 250 beautiful, odd and inspiring objects from the RA Collection in 25 themes. In this edition – inspired by the beautiful cloud drawings of Tacita Dean, currently on display in her ‘LANDSCAPE’ exhibition – take a few minutes to drift through the clouds that have been etched, sketched, printed and painted throughout history.
RA Exhibitions
3 months ago
Behind the scenes at the 250th Summer Exhibition
What’s it like to put together the Summer Exhibition? We spoke to this year’s coordinator, Grayson Perry RA, and his band of fellow artists in charge of selecting and hanging the world’s largest open-submission art show.
Inside the Academy
3 months ago
How royal is the Royal Academy?
Now we didn’t exactly plan to open the new Royal Academy on the same day as Meghan and Harry’s royal wedding, but since it’s happening…
Our Collection
3 months ago
Quiz: which great British artwork are you?
To celebrate our 250th birthday, we’re finally putting the treasures of our Collection on free display all across the RA. Each artwork has its own unique character, so which one matches yours?
Inside the Academy
3 months ago
Video: behind the scenes at the new RA
Artistic director Tim Marlow gives a behind-the-scenes tour of the new Royal Academy of Arts.
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