Articles
Artists
Everything we do is driven by artists: from the Royal Academicians who lead us, to the thousands who enter the Summer Exhibition each year and the students in the RA Schools creating exciting new work.
RA Exhibitions
< 2 years ago
Which artist are you?
A late night with the arty crowd or painting alone into the small hours – with four female pioneers of Modernism in our galleries, it’s time to find out which one you are…
Inside the Academy
2 years ago
Fanny Eaton at the Royal Academy
Get to know Fanny Eaton, a Jamaican woman who became a popular artist’s model in Victorian England and featured in many Pre-Raphaelite masterpieces.
RA Exhibitions
2 years ago
Meet the artist: Marianne Werefkin
A dynamic influence in artistic circles, the Russian-born painter devised a haunting idiosyncratic style of her own
Inside the Academy
> 2 years ago
Fact-checking Bridgerton: The Royal Academy Schools and the Summer Exhibition
If you spotted the Royal Academy’s starring role in Netflix’s biggest series, you might be wondering what was fact and what was fiction. Thankfully, our Librarian Adam Waterton is here to debunk some myths and answer our Bridgerton questions.
RA Exhibitions
> 2 years ago
Nine eyebrow-raising moments from the Summer Exhibition
From the time we rejected Banksy to Turner’s “gunshot in the gallery”, the Summer Exhibition has regularly ruffled the feathers of British art in its 254 years. Here are some of our favourite moments!
RA Exhibitions
< 3 years ago
John Constable’s struggle to become a Royal Academician
If you have ever struggled for the acceptance and glory you obviously deserve, take heart from this story of John Constable RA’s decades-long struggle to become a member of the Royal Academy of Arts.
Artists
> 4 years ago
Digital premiere: watch the PHYLLIDA documentary
Enjoy this exclusive digital premiere of the film ‘PHYLLIDA’, a documentary portrait of the artist Phyllida Barlow RA. Released on her birthday, this film celebrates her pioneering contribution to the field of sculpture.
RA Exhibitions
> 4 years 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
< 5 years 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.
RA Exhibitions
5 years ago
Some thoughts on painting, by Lucian Freud
“The painter’s obsession with his subject is all that he needs to drive him to work…” As his self-portraits go on show at the RA, we share Lucian Freud’s only published statement on his creative process. It reveals the uncompromising intensity behind his approach to painting.
RA Exhibitions
> 6 years 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.
Inside the Academy
> 6 years ago
David Chipperfield: “Architecture is the background”
As the Royal Academy opens its doors after a major redevelopment to mark our 250th birthday, we caught up with its architect, David Chipperfield RA, to hear about his vision for the new RA.
Artists
> 7 years ago
Studio life: tips from the Summer Exhibition artists
As part of our season exploring artists’ studios, we asked the artists of the 2017 Summer Exhibition – from Royal Academicians to first-time exhibitors – to give us a peep inside their working space, and to share their secrets for a successful studio practice.
RA Exhibitions
> 8 years ago
Summer Exhibition 2016 prizes announced
David Nash RA announced as winner of the Charles Wollaston award.
Artists
> 9 years ago
My studio life: Piers Gough RA
As Piers Gough RA guides us round his practice in Clerkenwell, he tells us what it was like to work with Paul Smith, and what it really takes to be an architect.
RA Exhibitions
> 9 years ago
Summer Exhibition 2015 prizes announced
Rose Wylie RA announced as winner of the Charles Wollaston award.
Artists
> 9 years ago
Michael Craig-Martin, man for all seasons
As Michael Craig-Martin RA co-ordinates this year’s Summer Exhibition, the Curator and Head of the RA Schools Eliza Bonham Carter discovers in a new book what makes this leading artist and teacher tick.
Artists
> 9 years ago
Preview: Lynette Yiadom-Boakye at the Serpentine
The imagined portraits by this RA Schools alumna and Turner Prize nominee are revelations from another world, says Kelly Grovier.
Opinion
10 years ago
Is beauty an essential consideration in architecture?
Ron Arad RA and Sam Jacob discuss whether considerations of beauty are valuable in architecture, or whether they detract from more important issues.
Artists
> 10 years ago
Ed Ruscha remembers Dennis Hopper
As the RA prepares for ‘Dennis Hopper: The Lost Album’, Honorary Royal Academician Ed Ruscha reflects on his friendship with the legendary actor, director and photographer in 1960s Los Angeles and beyond.
RA Exhibitions
> 10 years ago
Varnishing Day at the Summer Exhibition 2014
Celebrating with the artists in this year’s Summer Exhibition.
Opinion
> 10 years ago
Should there be positive discrimination towards female artists?
Eileen Cooper RA and Helena Morrissey discuss whether art institutions need to prioritise women to achieve gender equality or whether positive discrimination is counter-productive.