The Jillian and Arthur M. Sackler Wing of Galleries

In February 2020, the Royal Academy of Arts will present the first major exhibition of Belgian artist Léon Spilliaert (1881–1946) to be held in the UK. Bringing together around 80 works drawn from public and private collections across Belgium, France, Great Britain and the USA, the exhibition will offer a rare opportunity to discover this intriguing, singular artist who left an indelible mark on the twentieth century art of Belgium.

Main Galleries

In January 2020, the Royal Academy of Arts will present Picasso and Paper, the most comprehensive exhibition devoted to Picasso’s imaginative and original uses of paper ever to be held. Bringing together over 300 works and encompassing Picasso’s entire prolific 80-year career, this ground-breaking exhibition will focus on the myriad ways in which the artist worked both on and with paper, and will offer new insights into his creative spirit and working methods. One

2020 Exhibition Programme

The Gabrielle Jungels-Winkler Galleries

In November 2019 the Royal Academy of Arts will present an exhibition examining humankind’s ecological impact on the planet. As early as the 1950s, scientists started raising serious concerns about the damaging effects of modern life on the environment. Since then, experts have been joined by creative practitioners in an effort to draw wider attention to the fragility of the planet and to stabilise its endangered ecosystems for future generations. Tackling issues from climate change to food shortage, species extinction and resource depletion, Eco-Visionaries will bring together artists, designers and architects from across the globe who are confronting these environmental issues through their practice. At a critical moment in the history of the planet, the exhibition will present innovative works that reconsider the relationship between humans and nature and offer alternative visions for the future.

The Jillian and Arthur M. Sackler Wing of Galleries

Lucian Freud: The Self-portraits will be the first exhibition to focus on the celebrated artist’s visceral and unflinching self-portraits. Executed over almost seven decades on canvas and paper, the exhibition will bring together around 50 works that chart Freud’s (1922-2011) artistic development: from his early, more linear and graphic works to the fleshier painterly style that became the hallmark of his later work. The majority of the works are from private collections and a number have not been seen publicly for several decades.

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.