Led by artists since 1768. Step inside a home for art, architecture and ideas!
Operating as usual
Spring has officially sprung! 🌸
We're celebrating with Mark Fisher RA's blossom-tastic 'An Orchard in the Spring'. The American painter worked in the open air to capture the joys of the warm countryside.
Mark Fisher RA, 'An Orchard in the Spring', ca. 1920. Oil on canvas. 457 mm x 612 mm. © Photo: Royal Academy of Arts, London. Photographer: John Hammond.
Happy Mothers Day!
This tender scene was captured by figure and landscape painter Rodney Burn RA 💐
Rodney Burn RA, 'Mother and Child', ca. 1962. Oil on canvas. 760 mm x 865 mm. © Royal Academy of Arts. © Photo: Royal Academy of Arts, London. Photographer: Photo Studios.
What unusual things do you collect?
Dame Elizabeth Blackadder RA described herself as a "collector of everything" and often painted still-life subjects featuring flowers and an eclectic range of items she had collected in her home and studio.
Dame Elizabeth Blackadder RA, 'Saddle Bag and Peruvian Birds', 1977. Watercolour. 667 mm x 997 mm. © Royal Academy of Arts. © Photo: Royal Academy of Arts, London.
Now open 'Souls Grown Deep like the Rivers: Black Artists from the American South'!
A floral offering of love for a grandmother, created from tin, nails and enamel; a geometric quilt of blue denim and red corduroy; an animal skull with a hollow-eyed stare, mounted on chipped vinyl, this exhibition is full of striking masterpieces, often assembled from unexpected materials. Discover the artists who created some of the most spectacular and ingenious works of the last century.
Book your tickets – & if you're 25 or under, tickets are half price: https://roy.ac/kzfifr
Ronald Lockett, 'Sarah Lockett's Roses', 1997. Tin, nails, and enamel on wood, 129.5 x 123.2 x 3.8 cm. Souls Grown Deep Foundation, Atlanta. © ARS, NY and DACS, London 2023. Photo: Stephen Pitkin/Pitkin Studio
Souls Grown Deep Foundation
Discover a piece of the Alhambra of Granada in London ⭐️
The large and luxurious ‘Alhambra Silk’, probably served as a wall hanging or curtain and its inscriptions refer to prosperity, good fortune, and happiness.
Visit our 'Spain and the Hispanic World' exhibition – book your tickets: https://roy.ac/Spain
Unknown artist, ‘Alhambra Silk’ (detail), c. 1400. Silk, 237.5 x 152.3 cm. On loan from The Hispanic Society of America, New York, NY
Behind the scenes at the RA: Unboxing 'Souls Grown Deep like the Rivers: Black Artists from the American South' 📦🛠
Watch our team unpack and install these amazing works of art, as we prepare for our latest exhibition, which opens on Friday (17 March).
See them for yourself - book your tickets now: https://roy.ac/kzfifr
Souls Grown Deep Foundation
What do you see in the face of this artist?
The title of the work translates as “And I never cry, and I never laugh”. This self-portrait was painted as Jean Cooke’s marriage to fellow artist John Bratby was falling apart.
Cooke used the medium of self-portraiture throughout her career as a means of self-expression and self-examination.
Jean Cooke RA, 'Et jamais je ne pleure et jamais je ne ris', ca. 1972. Oil on canvas. 457 mm x 457 mm. © Royal Academy of Arts. © Royal Academy of Arts, London. Photographer: John Hammond.
Does feasting your eyes on this painting count as one of your five a day? 🍐
William Scott RA was a British artist best known for his still life paintings, like this one filled with pears. He tried to achieve "beauty in plainness", a satisfying simplicity that gives the viewer pleasure.
William Scott RA, 'Still Life with Pears', 1957. Oil on canvas. 460 mm x 610 mm x 40 mm. © Royal Academy of Arts. © Photo: Royal Academy of Arts, London. Photographer: John Hammond.
Spain’s painter of light, Joaquín Sorolla is best known for his images of beach scenes 🏖
Capturing a moment of apparent spontaneity, Sorolla seems to pay homage to Sandro Botticelli’s 'Birth of Venus' or to the Roman statue 'Venus Genetrix', which the Spanish artist owned a cast of.
Lose yourself in this serene painting and other works by Sorolla in our 'Spain and the Hispanic World' exhibition: https://roy.ac/Spain
Joaquín Sorolla, ‘After the Bath’ (detail), 1908. Oil on canvas, 176 x 111.5 cm. On loan from The Hispanic Society of America, New York, NY
The Hispanic Society Museum & Library
Opening next week 📆
Immerse yourself in 'Souls Grown Deep like the Rivers'. Discover the unique art tradition forged by Black artists from the American South, with works ranging from sculpture, paintings, reliefs, drawings, and quilts.
Don't miss your chance to see them from 17 March – book tickets now: https://roy.ac/kzfifr
Souls Grown Deep Foundation
Discover the Black artists from the Southeastern United States who created some of the most spectacular and ingenious works of the last century.
Currently losing ourselves in the amazing textures of this painting 😮
When Frank Bowling RA painted 'Wintergreens', he had abandoned easel painting and instead either pinned his canvases to the wall to work on them, or spread them out on the floor. The surfaces became harder and less fluid, and Bowling started using strips of styrofoam to create a geometric framework to his paintings.
Sir Frank Bowling RA, 'Wintergreens', 1986. Acrylic on canvas. 1740 mm x 3480 mm x 100 mm. ©Royal Academy of Arts, London; Photographer: Prudence Cuming Associates Limited
For five generations, the women of Gee’s Bend have passed down their skills and knowledge in creating quilts that are both functional objects and masterful works of art. These women would quilt together scraps of fabric to keep themselves and their families warm at night. Over time, quilting became a vehicle toward their own economic and social liberation. And these pieces, and the generations of women who created them, are now getting the recognition they deserve.
This quilt, called 'Triangles', is by Marlene Bennett Jones, one of legendary quilters of Gee’s Bend, Alabama. The denim pockets proudly show the origin of the materials used. Look closely and you’ll see different types of corduroy, too. This corduroy is recycled from a quilt made by Bennett’s mother. Materials given new life, they act as extended family portraits or family trees, history visible in faded patches.
Quilts of Gee's Bend will be featured in our upcoming 'Souls Grown Deep like the Rivers: Black Artists from the American South' exhibition. Find out more: https://roy.ac/kzfifr
Marlene Bennett Jones, 'Triangles', 2021. Denim, corduroy, and cotton, 205.7 x 157.5 cm. Souls Grown Deep Foundation, Atlanta. © 2023 Marlene Bennett Jones / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York / DACS, London. Photo: Stephen Pitkin/Pitkin Studio
Is that spring tapping us on the shoulder? 🌺
In a garden during winter, Betty Swanwick RA depicts a gardener asleep on the ground dreaming of spring, who is scattering him flowers from a basket.
Betty Swanwick RA, 'Primavera and the Sleeping Gardener', 1978. Pencil on wove paper. 560 mm. © Royal Academy of Arts. © Photo: Royal Academy of Arts, London. Photographer: Prudence Cuming Associates Limited.
Reality or illusion? 🔍
This trompe l’oeil painting, made by Spanish artist Marcos Fernández Correa, comes from The Hispanic Society Museum & Library's collection and is one of a pair featuring drawing and painting supplies. Come see it in our 'Spain and the Hispanic World' exhibition – book your tickets: https://roy.ac/Spain
Marcos Fernández Correa, ‘Trompe l’oeil with Drawing Supplies and a Print’, c. 1670. Oil on canvas, 99.5 x 55 cm. On loan from The Hispanic Society of America, New York, NY
This gorgeous green scene from Kew Gardens is giving us all the feels! Will inspire you to take a walk in your local park? 🍃
Christopher Sanders RA, 'Sunlight through a Willow Tree at Kew', ca. 1958. Oil on canvas. 101.6 cm x 127 cm. © Royal Academy of Arts. © Photo: Royal Academy of Arts, London. Photographer: John Hammond.
Lose yourself in a page turner this 📕
In this atmospheric depiction of one of Colin Hayes RA's daughters, she is reading in their kitchen at home. Unaware of being painted, completely absorbed by her book, which leaves us wondering what she's reading?
Colin Hayes RA, 'Interior', ca. 1961. Oil on canvas. 61.5 cm x 92.5 cm. © Royal Academy of Arts. © Photo: Royal Academy of Arts, London.
The ultimate selfie, there are as many interpretations of the self-portrait as there are artists. In 'Image of the Artist' 👩🏼🎨 a free display in our Collections Gallery, we bring together self-portraits by Royal Academicians from the last 50 years. Portraits include these striking and very different images by Chantal Joffe RA, and Anthony Green RA, who sadly passed away recently.
Chantal Joffe RA, 'Looking Towards Bexhill', 2016. Oil on canvas. 213 cm x 152 cm. © Chantal Joffe RA. Photo: Royal Academy of Arts, London
Anthony Green RA, 'The Artist', 1976. Oil on board. 265 cm x 370 cm. ©Royal Academy of Arts, London
One month left to apply for the 2023 Young Artists’ Summer Show!
It’s free to enter, and chosen artworks will be exhibited online and onsite at the RA this summer. To enter you need to be aged 4-19 and studying in the UK. All artworks will be judged by a panel of passionate and award-winning artists and art professionals.
This is such an exciting opportunity for all young artists 🎨 Apply by 29 March: https://roy.ac/5j3a6z
Us, staring out the window, putting off getting round to our Sunday to do list...
This painting is called 'Omnia vanitas', which means 'All is vanity' by the painter William Dyce RA.
William Dyce RA, 'Omnia vanitas', 1848. Oil on canvas. 627 mm x 750 mm. © Photo: Royal Academy of Arts, London. Photographer: John Hammond.
Anyone else fill the house with plants during the pandemic and are now fighting to keep them alive?
Ben Levene RA's 'Mother-in-law's Tongue', aka Snake Plant, is looking pretty good 🪴
Ben Levene RA, 'Mother-in-law's Tongue', ca. 1987. Oil on canvas. 840 mm x 641 mm x 23 mm. ©Royal Academy of Arts, London; photographer: John Hammond
COMING SOON! ‘Souls Grown Deep like the Rivers’ – discover the Black artists from the Southeastern United States who have created some of the most spectacular and ingenious works of the last century.
Find out everything you need to know about this exhibition: https://roy.ac/ifmh83
Souls Grown Deep Foundation
Before you visit our latest exhibition, find out about the unique artistic traditions the artists in ‘Souls Grown Deep like the Rivers’ forged and the enormous social and economic challenges they confronted.
Is all graffiti art?
Jock McFadyen RA paints the unnoticed sites of London and the traces its inhabitants leave behind.
This work was on view last year in our free exhibition ‘Jock McFadyen RA: Tourist without a Guidebook'.
Jock McFadyen RA, 'K.M.B.', 2007-2008. Oil on canvas. 1230 mm x 1830 mm. © Royal Academy of Arts. © Photo: Royal Academy of Arts, London. Photographer: Prudence Cuming Associates.
Sundays are for gardening 🌿👩🏻🌾
This painting was made in Jean Cooke RA’s home in Blackheath. At the time, Cooke had a passion for flowers, particularly pansies. She “painted each like a portrait” and could not resist including a small depiction of herself reflected in the mirror through the foliage.
The tortoise in the foreground belonged to a neighbour but had strolled into Cooke’s garden!
Jean Cooke RA, 'Through the Looking Glass', 1960. Oil on canvas. 608 mm x 508 mm x 20 mm. © Royal Academy of Arts. © Photo: Royal Academy of Arts, London. Photographer: John Hammond.
John Everett Millais PRA was inspired by Velazquez’s portraits of the Infanta Maria Margarita.
Our current exhibition 'Spain and the Hispanic World' also has a portrait of a girl by Velazquez. Come and be inspired by it – book tickets here: https://roy.ac/Spain
Sir John Everett Millais Bt. PRA, 'A Souvenir of Velazquez', 1868. Oil on canvas. 1027 mm x 824 mm. © Photo: Royal Academy of Arts, London. Photographer: John Hammond.
Apocalypse on Deception Island! 🌋
Emma Stibbon RA talks about how she produced her woodcut 'Collapsed Whaling Station, Deception Island, Antarctica' and the themes of desolation that run through her display in the Collections Gallery Cabinet. Come and see for yourself, it's on view until 11 June.
When you're done for the week but it's only Wednesday.
This poor tortured soul is part of a set of four called 'The Four Fates of Man: Death; Soul in Hell; Soul in Purgatory; Soul in Heaven' attributed to Manuel Chili. Also known as Caspicara, he was the leading sculptor in Quito at the end of the 18th century.
These amazing figures are unique, with no comparable works known today. Come meet them in our 'Spain and the Hispanic World' exhibition - book your tickets: https://roy.ac/Spain
Attributed to Manuel Chili, called Caspicara, ‘The Four Fates of Man: Death, Soul in Hell, Soul in Purgatory, Soul in Heaven’ (detail), c. 1775. Polychrome wood, glass and metal, 17.9 x 14.5 x 8 cm. On loan from The Hispanic Society of America, New York, NY
The Hispanic Society Museum & Library
On Valentine's Day, nothing beats a hand-made card. This one is by Haydn Reynolds Mackey in the ❤️
Haydn Reynolds Mackey, ''St. Valentine's Day, 1953': card for the artist's wife Florence', February 1953. Pencil, black biro, watercolour and gouache. 130 mm x 150 mm. © The Artist's Estate. © Photo: Royal Academy of Arts, London. Photographer: John Hammond.
Today is the last day of our exhibition.
It brought together 65 works of pioneering women working in 20th-century Germany. They shed new light on self-portraiture, still-life, the female body, depictions of childhood, landscapes, and urban scenes.
Did you come along? Tell us about your visit in the comments ⬇️
Supported by BNP Paribas with additional support from the Huo Family Foundation, The Tavolozza Foundation, and the International Music and Art Foundation
Gallery view of ‘Making Modernism: Paula Modersohn-Becker, Käthe Kollwitz, Gabriele Münter and Marianne Werefkin’ at the Royal Academy of Arts, London, 12 November 2022 — 12 February 2023. Photo: Royal Academy of Arts, London / David Parry
Daydreaming of warmer days and exploring beautiful islands ☀️
Frederick Gore RA's passion for light and colour is clearly revealed in his Mediterranean landscapes, particularly those painted in Majorca.
Frederick Gore RA, 'Near Soller, Majorca', ca. 1960. Oil on canvas. 718 mm x 918 mm x 20 mm. © Royal Academy of Arts. © Photo: Royal Academy of Arts, London. Photographer: Prudence Cuming Associates Limited.
Named after the Italian navigator Amerigo Vespucci, America first emerged as a geographic term in 1507. Keeping it in the family, Vespucci's nephew Giovanni later drew this important (yet incomplete) world map.
Incomplete, as even though areas like the Caribbean and Mexico were starting to be understood, others like South America are still largely unfinished.
Come see this map and others by indigenous artists in our 'Spain and the Hispanic World' exhibition – book your tickets: https://roy.ac/Spain
Giovanni Vespucci, ‘World Map’ (detail), 1526. Ink and colour on four sheets of parchment, 85 x 262 cm. On loan from The Hispanic Society of America, New York, NY
The Hispanic Society Museum & Library
Happy Birthday Paula Modersohn-Becker, born in 1876 🎂
Born into a middle-class family with an interest in culture, Modersohn-Becker began private art lessons in Bremen, Germany.
A ground-breaking artist she captured many images of female nudes and challenged the male modernist treatment of the “idealised” female body.
Come see her works in our exhibition before it closes on Sunday – book your tickets: https://roy.ac/0de1iq
Paula Modersohn-Becker, 'Mother with Child on her Arm, N**e II' (detail), autumn 1906. Oil on canvas, 80 x 59 cm. Museum Ostwall im Dortmunder U. Photo: Jürgen Spiler, Dortmund
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Are you 25 or under? Go halves with us ✨ See great art for less with half-price tickets to all RA exhibitions. All you need to do is sign up online ⬇️ roy.ac/ecc60i
Immerse yourself in the floor-to-ceiling drawings, theatrical film projections and large-scale animation of William Kentridge. Opens 24 September. roy.ac/RAWilliamKentridge #RAWilliamKentridge
Get ready to immerse yourself in the theatrical film projections, floor-to-ceiling drawings and large-scale animations of South Africa’s most celebrated artist. William Kentridge opens at the Royal Academy of Arts on September 24. Book tickets here: roy.ac/kentridge #RAWilliamKentridge
“I love bright colours. All the art that I have in my home I bought with the intention to put a smile on my face.” Our trustee Clara Amfo is here at the #RASummer Exhibition to share her top tips on art buying. In this year’s Summer Exhibition, artwork prices started at £20, and you can pick up an RA Edition for under £100. Browse and buy work from the #RASummer Exhibition here: roy.ac/explore #RoyalAcademy #artcollecting #art #curating #gallery #exhibition
Discover what we have in store for 2021! From Hockney’s joyful celebration of spring to the reigning queen of performance art, Marina Abramović, there’s something for everyone to look forward to: https://roy.ac/lkd48 Become a Friend for free priority access to all these exhibitions, and support the future of the RA.
Art is hope, but not everyone can visit art galleries right now. So we partnered with WeTransfer to host every single artwork in the Summer Exhibition as a digital gallery: https://wetransfer.com/wallpaper/20782636 #SummerNotSummer
Well, organising the 252nd Summer Exhibition over Zoom was definitely a challenge, but coordinators Jane and Louise Wilson RA more than rose to it! Hear how they put the show together during a pandemic. Book now for the #SummerNotSummer Exhibition: https://roy.ac/pvj6j
It's Varnishing Day! Traditionally this is the day artists put finishing touches to their Summer Exhibition artworks — the name comes from the layer of protective varnish used on paintings. It's also an opportunity for Royal Academicians to meet up, chew the fat and admire what everyone else has been up to. To mark the original Varnishing Day being postponed, each of our Academicians made an artwork for a unique portfolio called Varnishing Day: A Moment in Time. The Portfolio contains prints from artists including Yinka Shonibare RA, Grayson Perry RA, Wolfgang Tillmans RA and Emma Stibbon RA, and it's available exclusively to those who become Friends of the Royal Academy. Become a Friend today and own a piece of history: https://roy.ac/f63zv
As a working class lad himself, Renoir focuses here on the carefree and joyful atmosphere of the working-class haunt of the restaurant Le Moulin de la Galette. There's no main character — the figures represent Renoir’s circle of friends and models among the other revellers. The group in front attract our attention first, but they're also bound into the flowing rhythm of figures by the soft light and stippled glints that fall through the foliage. The figures themselves form the landscape, and Renoir clearly intended their absorption in the dance as well as the surroundings to embody the carefree and joyful atmosphere.⠀ While 'Gauguin and the Impressionists: Masterpieces from the Ordrupgaard Collection' may be sold out, you can still explore the exhibition through our virtual tour — find it in our Facebook videos!
Our latest exhibition, Gauguin and the Impressionists: Masterpieces of the Ordrupgaard Collection, has humble roots in the home of Wilhelm and Henny Hansen. In this video, discover how the Hansens transformed their private home into a jewel in the crown of the Danish art scene. Video courtesy of Ordrupgaard, Copenhagen
Here’s the final edition of #LifeDrawingShorts, however this one isn’t so short. We’ve given you 20 minutes with professional life model Andrew Crayford – so grab a pencil, take your time and most importantly, have fun!
This painting by Manet is so rarely shown you'd normally have to go to Denmark to see it. It shows the artist's wife, Suzanne, holding a jug (obviously). But note the tenderness with which Manet has painted the softness of her hair, the delicacy of her face. The classical composition and motifs of this painting (a woman pouring from a jug is often used to signify moderation) is broken by how her right hand disappears into frantic energy.
Before Marvel and DC Comics, there was Flaxman. Find out how this artist laid the foundations for the modern comic book industry by popularising the telling of stories through successive line drawings:
Revel in a treasure trove of Impressionist artworks with our curator, Anna Ferrari, as she walks you through our exhibition 'Gauguin and the Impressionists: Masterpieces of the Ordrupgaard Collection'. Until 18 October 2020 we're showcasing 60 works from Denmark’s Ordrupgaard Collection by painters such as Manet, Monet, Renoir, Pissarro, Morisot, Degas and Gauguin – many of which have never been seen in the UK. Due to the coronavirus pandemic we have extremely limited capacity for this exhibition, so make sure to sign up to our emails to hear about newly released tickets.
This is FAR easier than you'd expect, and perfect for both kids and adults! You can either sketch your own creations to tell a fantastic tale, or copy/trace your favourite illustrations to help you along. We were inspired by the forest scene in Robert Austin RA's 'The World’s Justice'. Now, what kind of story could you weave around the lion, the mouse and the jackal?
Practise your life drawing at home! Crack out the pencils, biros or whatever you have to hand, transport yourself inside the historic RA Life Drawing Room and sketch this 10-minute pose by professional life model Andrew Crayford. Join us again in two weeks for a new pose in this regular series created from our original #LifeDrawingLive sessions filmed in 2018.
What on earth is in that letter? This mysterious, narrow and claustrophobic painting keeps us guessing. We're here to help with a 60 second guide on how to read this enigmatic painting by Annie Swynnerton, who was elected the Royal Academy's first female member in over 150 years in 1922.
Practise your life drawing at home! We'll bring the professional life model Andrew Crayford and our historic Life Drawing Room, all you need to bring are your pencils and some paper. Join us again in two weeks for a new pose in this regular series created from our original #LifeDrawingLive sessions filmed in 2018. And don't forget to share your sketches with us using #LifeDrawingShorts!
After the longest closure in our 252 years of history, the Royal Academy reopens today! We wouldn't have survived this period without the support of our Friends, and we're all so happy to see you again.
Make your own mini loom at home and have a go at weaving with recycled plastic bags! Ghanaian sculptor El Anatsui Hon RA makes large cloth-like installation pieces that reference African traditional craft techniques. He is interested in what we consume day-to-day and uses recycled materials such as aluminium packaging and bottle tops, transforming them into precious artworks. As well as plastic bags, what other discarded materials could you use to create your weaving? Have a look around the house and get experimenting!
The Last Tuesday Society & The Viktor Wynd Mu
Mare Street