RA Recommends
19 hours ago
10 artist movies and docs to watch on Netflix, Amazon Prime and more
When you can’t go to the art, let the art come to you. Here’s our pick of the best artist biopics and documentaries available to stream in April.
RA Exhibitions
6 days ago
In 60 seconds: Gauguin and the Impressionists
On 29 March 2020, we were due to open our new exhibition ‘Gauguin and the Impressionists: Masterpieces from the Ordrupgaard Collection’. Since you can’t come to us, we thought we would bring a taste of it to you. In this video series, see a bite-sized biography of Gauguin, and take a deep dive into Renoir’s ‘Le Moulin de la Galette’ and Manet’s ‘Woman with a Jug’.
Opinion
7 days ago
Debate: is there such a thing as artistic genius?
You have it or you don’t have it, right? Well, maybe. Our writers weigh up whether genius is innate or nonsense – but the final word lies with you. Cast your vote below.
Opinion
“Who knows how many new talents will pick up a pencil, brush or iPad in isolation?”
These are difficult times for everyone – but art thrives in a crisis, says Rebecca Salter PRA, as we launch a new series of artists and architects documenting their creativity in isolation.
12 days ago
RA Exhibitions
14 days ago
Video: virtual tour of ‘Léon Spilliaert’
While the RA doors are temporarily closed, you can still experience our exhibition on Belgian artist Léon Spilliaert in this video tour of the galleries.
RA Exhibitions
15 days ago
Léon Spilliaert: an artist that embraced the dark
Insomniac artist Léon Spilliaert wandered Ostend at night, finding in its empty streets and endless beach the exterior equivalent of his inner isolation. Matthew Beaumont explores the solitude at the heart of his paintings.
Our Collection
16 days ago
The RA Collection in 250 Objects: Doodles
Doodling is not a modern phenomenon. Artists throughout time have let their minds wander, distracted in meetings or at dinners, filling pages with odds and ends of experimental creativity. As the coronavirus keeps many of us in our homes, we’ve uncovered 10 of our favourite doodles from the RA Collection for use as inspiration for the daily doodle challenges on our Twitter.
Opinion
“While our front doors will close, we plan to stay open to you”
A message from President of the Royal Academy, Rebecca Salter, and our Secretary and Chief Executive, Axel Rüger, as we temporarily close the Royal Academy of Arts until further notice.
18 days ago
RA Recommends
22 days ago
Aubrey Beardsley: a lifetime of art in a five year career
Aubrey Beardsley’s masterly experimentation with different styles and disregard for Victorian taboo are the focus of a new exhibition at Tate Britain. Columnist Simon Wilson looks at the originator of Art Nouveau and his powerful vision of the world.
Artists
26 days ago
In the studio with Michael Armitage
Tristan McConnell reports from the Nairobi studio of Michael Armitage ahead of his group exhibition, ‘Radical Figures’, at the Whitechapel Gallery in London.
Our Collection
29 days ago
The RA Collection in 250 Objects: Dogs
This one’s for dog and art-lovers everywhere, as well as the cat people yet to be converted. We went for walkies through our Collection and found a pack of misfit mutts, and perfect pooches depicted by artists across the centuries. Here is a selection showing that today’s obsession with cute dog pics has its roots in art history.
RA Recommends
1 month ago
Eileen Gray: an architect and designer you should know
A designer of decorative furniture and Modernist architecture, Eileen Gray found recognition aged 94. As part of our International Women’s Day programme, here’s our guide to the life of this overlooked master, and her infamous seaside villa, E-1027.
RA Recommends
1 month ago
10 art exhibitions to see in March
From Titian to photos of Thatcher-era Gateshead, here’s our pick of the exhibitions across the UK we think you should see in March. And don’t you dare say you’re too busy.
RA Exhibitions
1 month ago
The visionary collector behind the Ordrupgaard Collection
Not every collector’s story ends happily. Novelist Sarah Dunant charts the bumpy tale behind Wilhelm Hansen’s treasured collection of Impressionist paintings, which go on display at the RA this spring.
RA Exhibitions
1 month ago
Four artists on their favourite Impressionist paintings in the Ordrupgaard Collection
The Impressionists are renowned for their enduring scenes of people and places, whether energetic seascapes or portraits of young women. Four artists – Hughie O‘Donoghue RA, Maggi Hambling, Ishbel Myerscough and Mali Morris RA – describe works that resonate with them in our upcoming exhibition ‘Gauguin and the Impressionists’.
RA Exhibitions
1 month ago
Video: watch Picasso make a masterpiece
Filmed in 1956, ‘Le Mystère Picasso’ is a documentary capturing Picasso in full creative flow. Three of the works he’s seen making in the film are now the walls of the RA, in ‘Picasso and Paper’ – watch how one of them came to be, in this short film…
RA Exhibitions
2 months ago
Video: meet insomniac artist Léon Spilliaert
Belgian artist Léon Spilliaert was an insomniac. He wandered the streets of Brussels at night in search of inspiration. In this video, delve into the solitude and mystery that encompasses the artist’s evocative paintings.
Inside the Academy
2 months ago
12 books to influence creativity, picked by RA Schools students
Ahead of their mid-course show, ‘Premiums’, the Academy’s second-year post-graduate students reflect on the writing that has informed their practice.
RA Recommends
2 months ago
10 art exhibitions to see in February
From Linder’s radical feminist collages and Grayson Perry’s early pots, to the Barbican’s blockbuster survey of masculinity, here are 10 exhibitions you won’t want to miss.
Our Collection
2 months ago
The RA Collection in 250 Objects: Self-Portraits
Inspired by our exhibition ‘Lucian Freud: The Self-Portraits’, we looked through the RA Collection to find self-portraits by our own Academicians. From conventional portrayals of the artist at work to some more unusual manifestations of the self – here are the 10 top self-portraits from the RA Collection.
RA Exhibitions
2 months ago
Quiz: How Picasso are you?
Sure, Picasso was a master of everything from papier maché to poetry – but you’re a creative too. Perhaps you even have a touch of the Pablo personality. As our ‘Picasso and Paper’ exhibition opens, let’s find out just how Picasso you are…
Artists
3 months ago
In the early hours with Léon Spilliaert
Léon Spilliaert’s strange nocturnal atmospheres are pregnant with mystery and silence. Novelist Alan Hollinghurst explores the Belgian artist’s shadowy interiors, shelterless landscapes and probing self-portraits.
RA Exhibitions
3 months ago
On the paper trail of Pablo Picasso
Antique drawing sheets, Paris metro tickets and lavish wallpapers – the medium of paper was a living ground for the unassailable creative genius of Pablo Picasso. Julian Bell previews our groundbreaking exhibition, Picasso and Paper.
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