Barbara Rae, Devon Island Beach (detail)

Talk

Artist in conversation: Barbara Rae RA

Friday 30 November 2018 6.30 - 7.30pm

The Benjamin West Lecture Theatre, Burlington Gardens, Royal Academy of Arts

£15, £9

Sold out

Internationally renowned artist Barbara Rae RA discusses her career and practice, and her new exhibition ‘The Northwest Passage’ inspired by her recent journeys to the Arctic with the RA's Artistic Director, Tim Marlow.

Barbara Rae CBE RA RSA is a painter and master printmaker who is recognised internationally as an outstanding colourist. Her studies are of a socio-political nature, starting with the history of a place and its people, highlighting the traces of human existence and artefacts weathered by time and fortune.

The recipient of numerous awards, scholarships and honorary degrees, her work is exhibited in national museums and public and private collections internationally. Her solo exhibitions across the world have included London, Edinburgh, New York, Oslo, Chicago and Mexico. Predominantly working with acrylics and collage for her canvases, her output also includes portraits, tapestries, ceramics, jewellery, and most recently a Royal Mail stamp.

Rae travels the world in search of inspiration, and in 2013 she began a series of journeys of discovery into the Arctic, following in the footsteps of her namesake, the Orcadian explorer Dr John Rae. The resulting new body of paintings, monotypes and intaglio prints featured in the exhibition The Northwest Passage, represents Rae’s deep-rooted fascination with the topography and history of place.

The Northwest Passage premiered at the Royal Scottish Academy (RSA), during the Edinburgh International Festival and it will be at Canada House, London from 30 November 2018 –16 February 2019. The exhibition will also be shown at the Pier Art Centre in Orkney throughout October. The end of this year sees two books on Rae's Arctic images published by the Royal Academy, one on the main artwork and one on the sketchbook studies.

Book launch and signing

After the talk, join Barbara Rae RA for a signing of her new book Barbara Rae: Arctic Sketchbooks and her exclusive collection at the RA Shop, Burlington House.

Friday 30 November, 7:30pm (free, drop in event) RA Shop, Burlington House

The exhibition is a collaborative partnership between the RSA, Canada House and the Royal Academy in celebration of the RA’s 250th Anniversary year.

£15, £9

Sold out