In pictures: 40 years of exhibition posters
In pictures: 40 years of exhibition posters
By RA team
Published 15 May 2017
This year marks 40 years of our Friends of the RA scheme, and 40 years of the exhibitions they’ve visited. As a display of posters goes on show as part of Friends Week, here’s a reminder of just a few – and an invitation to vote for your favourites!
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The idea of having “Friends” – RA supporters who subscribe each year and get in free to all exhibitions – was introduced in 1977 by then President, Sir Hugh Casson. Now, as the scheme celebrates its 40th anniversary, founding supporters like Lynne Nesbit have had access to an impressive 868 exhibitions. Alongside the 39 Summer Exhibitions (40 in June!), there have been surveys on leading living artists, odes to forgotten masters, landmark retrospectives and many, many more. Do you remember them? Here’s a reminder of just some of the shows you might have seen since 1977 – and underneath, a full list of major exhibitions from the past 10 years, where we’d love to see you vote for your favourites.
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'Leonardo da Vinci: Anatomical Drawings from the Royal Collection', 1977
'The Genius of Venice 1500-1600', 1983-1984
'Chagall', 1985
'Age of Chivalry: Art in Plantagenet England 1200-1400', 1987-1988
'Monet in the '90s', 1990
'The Pop Art Show', 1991
'Africa: the Art of a Continent', 1996
'Sensation: Young British Artists from the Saatchi Collection', 1997
'Van Dyck 1599-1641', 1999
'Aztecs', 2002-2003
'China: The Three Emperors 1662-1795', 2005-2006
'From Russia: French and Russian Master Paintings 1870-1925 from Moscow and St Petersburg', 2008
'Anish Kapoor', 2009
'Van Gogh: The Artist and his Letters', 2010
'David Hockney RA: A Bigger Picture', 2012
'America after the Fall: Painting in the 1930s', 2017
Read more
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