Main Galleries

In September 2019, the Royal Academy of Arts will present a solo exhibition of the internationally acclaimed British sculptor Antony Gormley (b. 1950), the most significant in the UK for over a decade. The exhibition will bring together both existing and especially conceived new works for the occasion, from drawings and sculptures to experiential environments, that will take on the RA’s Main Galleries across all 13 rooms.

Main Galleries

Acclaimed British painter, Jock McFadyen RA will be the co-ordinator of the 251st Summer Exhibition. McFadyen, alongside the Summer Exhibition Committee intends to build on the exhibition’s success, recognising that it continues to provide a unique platform for artists at all stages of their career to present recent work.

The Gabrielle Jungels-Winkler Galleries

The Royal Academy of Arts will present a survey of the long and productive career of Finnish artist Helene Schjerfbeck (1862 – 1946). This will be the first solo exhibition of Schjerfbeck’s works to be held in the UK. Celebrated as one of the most famous and highly regarded artists in Finland, it will be a rare opportunity to see Schjerfbeck’s paintings together.

The Jillian and Arthur M. Sackler Wing of Galleries

In June 2019, the Royal Academy of Arts will present a survey of paintings and prints by the Swiss artist Félix Vallotton (1865–1925). This will be the first exhibition of the artist’s work in the UK since 1976. Greatly admired in his native Switzerland, Vallotton remains relatively little known elsewhere. The exhibition will serve as a rare opportunity to discover the highly original and innovative work of this often overlooked artist.

The Sackler Wing of Galleries

In March 2019, the Royal Academy of Arts will present The Renaissance Nude, an exhibition exploring the nude and how it inspired some of the most renowned masterpieces of the western canon. Arranged thematically, The Renaissance Nude will bring together around 90 works in a variety of media and from different regions of Europe, examining the emergence of a dynamic visual tradition that permanently altered the character and values of European art. The exhibition will feature works by artists including Lucas Cranach the Elder, Albrecht Dürer, Jan Gossaert, Michelangelo, Raphael and Leonardo da Vinci.

The Gabrielle Jungels-Winkler Galleries

In February 2019 acclaimed British artist Phyllida Barlow RA will transform the Royal Academy’s Gabrielle Jungels-Winkler Galleries with an exhibition of entirely new work, entitled cul-de-sac. The exhibition has been conceived as a sequential installation running across all three of the interconnected spaces. There will be changes of pace and emphasis across the galleries as Barlow seeks to interrogate and challenge the spaces.

The Royal Academy of Arts has recently undergone a transformative redevelopment, providing 70% more public space across its two-acre campus. This has enabled the Royal Academy to expand its temporary, free displays offer, exploring the RA’s collection, the work of its Royal Academicians, and the activity of the RA Schools, which celebrates its 250th anniversary in 2019.

2019 exhibition programme

Royal Academy of Arts Spring / Summer Events Programme 2019

The Royal Academy of Arts announced today that the Royal Academy Schools, the postgraduate art school at the heart of the Royal Academy, has received a major gift of £10m from Julia and Hans Rausing. This generous donation is the most significant gift in the 250-year history of the RA Schools, enabling a vital renewal project to ensure the future of the world-renowned institution. In recognition of this gift, the RA Schools buildings will be called The Julia and Hans Rausing Campus. Designed by Sir David Chipperfield CBE RA, who recently completed the Royal Academy’s transformative redevelopment, together with Julian Harrap, the project will preserve the heritage of the RA Schools and ensure it remains at the forefront of art education.

The Royal Academy of Arts announced today that Axel Rüger has been appointed as the new Secretary and Chief Executive. He replaces Sir Charles Saumarez Smith who stepped down at the end of 2018. Rüger is currently the Director of the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam.

Elizabeth Diller and Ricardo Scofidio are awarded the 2019 Royal Academy Architecture Prize and the finalists for the Royal Academy Dorfman Award have been announced.

The Royal Academy of Arts has elected Lubaina Himid CBE as a Royal Academician in the category of Painting and the architectural partnership of Adam Caruso and Peter St John, founders of Caruso St John Architects, as a Royal Academician in the category of Architecture, following a recent General Assembly. In addition, Professor Roger Kneebone has been elected as the new Professor of Anatomy and Lord Peter Ricketts as Secretary for Foreign Correspondence.

Acclaimed British painter, Jock McFadyen RA will be the co-ordinator of the 251st Summer Exhibition in 2019. This year’s committee members are Royal Academicians Stephen Chambers, Anne Desmet, Hughie O’Donoghue, Timothy Hyman, Barbara Rae, Bob and Roberta Smith, Jane and Louise Wilson and Richard Wilson. Spencer de Grey will curate the Architecture Gallery. The Summer Exhibition Committee will be chaired by the President of the Royal Academy, Christopher Le Brun.

To demonstrate the Royal Academy of Arts’ ongoing support of art education for young people, the RA is launching a new initiative in 2019 entitled the Young Artists’ Summer Show, supported by philanthropist Robin Hambro. The project, which will be open to all UK primary and secondary students aged 7-19 (key stages 2-5), will comprise an online and on-site exhibition, providing a unique opportunity for students to showcase their work. The project will coincide with the Royal Academy’s Summer Exhibition and the 250th anniversary of the RA Schools in 2019.

The Royal Academy of Arts announced today that Charles Saumarez Smith, Secretary and Chief Executive of the Royal Academy of Arts, has decided to step down after serving the organisation for 11 years.

This Executive Master is designed to foster a new generation of leaders who want to bring a deep understanding of culture and creativity to their industries and organisations. Its ambition is to positively shape the arts and cultural sectors by nurturing world-class leaders who can then apply their knowledge and skills to enable long-term, sustainable, ethical and innovative business practices.

The prestigious £25,000 Charles Wollaston Award has been won by Royal Academician Mike Nelson for Untitled (public sculpture for a redundant space) in the Royal Academy’s 250th Summer Exhibition. Established in 1978 and presented to the ‘most distinguished work’ in the exhibition, it is one of the most significant art prizes awarded in the UK.

On Monday 16 October 2017, the Royal Academy of Arts will welcome Her Royal Highness The Duchess of Cornwall for the first time since her appointment as the new Patron of the Royal Academy Friends. The Duke of Edinburgh passed on the patronage in 2016 after almost forty years, having been patron since the scheme was founded in 1977.

The Royal Academy of Arts, the world’s foremost artist and architect-led institution, will have its 250th birthday on Monday 10 December 2018, exactly 250 years after the ‘Instrument of Foundation’ was signed by King George III in 1768.

The Royal Academy of Arts has received a major gift of £2.5m from Julia and Hans Rausing towards The Vaults, the new public route linking Burlington House to Burlington Gardens. This generous donation is the closing gift for the RA’s recent redevelopment. The Vaults will be named The Julia and Hans Rausing Hall.

The Royal Academy of Arts, the world’s foremost artist and architect-led institution, will open its new campus to the public on Saturday 19 May 2018 as part of the celebrations of its 250th anniversary year.

Following a transformational redevelopment, designed by internationally-acclaimed architect Sir David Chipperfield CBE RA and supported by the National Lottery, the new Royal Academy will open up and reveal more of the elements that make the RA unique – sharing with the public historic treasures from its Collection, the work of its Royal Academicians and the Royal Academy Schools, and its role as a centre for debate about art and architecture – alongside its world-class exhibitions programme.

The Royal Academy of Arts announces a new and expanded public programme of events for 2018, ahead of the unveiling of its transformed campus on Saturday 19 May 2018 and as part of the celebrations of its 250th anniversary year. The new 250-seat double-height Benjamin West Lecture Theatre will become a hub for conversation and lively debate, while the Clore Learning Centre will provide a permanent home for the RA’s ambitious Learning Programme of talks and workshops for schools, families and community groups, as well as courses and classes for adult learners.

The Royal Academy of Arts in collaboration with London’s Bond Street unveil an array of art inspired windows across world-leading fashion and fine jewellery brands this summer, as part of the Royal Academy’s 250th anniversary celebrations.

For the first time, Bond Street’s windows are transformed into a series of rich and diverse art installations, celebrating the theme 250 Years of Art from 22 June - 8 July 2018, coinciding with the Royal Academy’s 250th Summer Exhibition and the Mayfair Art Weekend 29 June - 1 July 2018. Alongside the installations, Royal Academician Rose Wylie has been commissioned to create rows of flags suspended above Bond Street throughout the summer, as part of the broader celebration of 250 Years of Art in London’s West End.

The Royal Academy of Arts today announced that Itsuko Hasegawa has been awarded the 2018 Royal Academy Architecture Prize, honouring her inspiring and enduring contribution to the culture of architecture.

The first in the annual awards, supported by the Dorfman Foundation, forms part of the RA’s increased commitment to architecture and was decided by a distinguished international jury, chaired by the architect and Royal Academician Louisa Hutton. Jury members included architect Richard Rogers RA, Dean of Harvard Graduate School of Design Mohsen Mostafavi, BBC broadcaster Razia Iqbal, artist Conrad Shawcross RA and critic and curator Joseph Grima.

The Royal Academy of Arts and John Sisk & Son today revealed the newly restored 19th century façade of Burlington Gardens in a special event to celebrate a significant milestone in the RA’s transformative redevelopment. Christopher Le Brun, President of the Royal Academy and Stephen Bowcott, Chief Executive Officer of John Sisk & Son, were joined by Royal Academician sculptors Cornelia Parker and Gilbert and George, along with Blondel Cluff, Chair of the London Committee for the National Lottery, to unveil the final four statues to be restored on the building’s façade above the main entrance.

The Royal Academy of Arts today announced a generous gift from the Dorfman Foundation which will significantly transform the future of architecture at the Royal Academy. As the RA prepares to celebrate its 250th anniversary in 2018, the support from the Dorfman Foundation will enable the RA to launch two new international architecture awards, together with the restoration of the majestic Senate Rooms in Burlington Gardens to house a new architecture space and cafe. Coupled with the Royal Academy’s new commitment to host a yearly architecture exhibition, the gift will realise the RA’s mission to garner a wider appreciation and understanding of architecture, bringing to the fore its vital relationship to culture and society.