Articles

Mary Moser RA

Angelica Kauffman RA, Design (detail)

Inside the Academy

> 6 years ago

A “female invasion” 250 years in the making

The RA started out with two female Academicians, then took over a century to elect any more. As we celebrate our 250th anniversary, we take a look back at the women who fought the odds to be a part of our history – and the ones helping to secure our future.

Johann Zoffany RA, The Academicians of the Royal Academy

Opinion

> 8 years ago

Hidden from history: the Royal Academy’s female founders

While the past decade has seen more female artists becoming Academicians, they have been a rare sight for much of the RA’s existence, and were even excluded from Zoffany’s famed painting of the Academy’s founders. Historian Amanda Vickery delves into the archives to discover the pioneering women who wielded the brush.