"As with previous years, the prestigious Royal Academy Schools show is sure to be a crowd-puller as it showcases the final projects of 17 art stars of the future."
Time Out
With its roots in RA heritage but its focus firmly fixed on the here and now, the RA Schools Show is a highlight of the contemporary art calendar, offering a cutting-edge counterpoint to the Summer Exhibition.
This is the annual exhibition of works by final year students at the Royal Academy Schools. Each year the RA Schools accepts no more than 17 students, representing some of the exceptional emerging artists working today. This free exhibition is the culmination of their time here. In a rare opportunity for visitors, we open up our historic studios – normally hidden from public view – to exhibit painting, sculpture, video, installation and live events.
The RA Schools offers a free postgraduate programme in contemporary art. Former students include J. M. W. Turner, William Blake and John Everett Millais, all the way to Turner Prize nominee Lynette Yiadom-Boakye, Eddie Peake, Catherine Story and Matthew Darbyshire. Established in 1769 and still independent, it is the longest-running art school in Britain and continues to fulfil its founding aim to support and train the next generation of artists.
Download the RA Schools Show 2016 catalogue
Join in with the hashtag #RASchools on Twitter and Instagram
Saturday – Thursday 10am – 6pm Friday 10am – 10pm
We regret that there is no level access to the exhibition due to ongoing building works that will improve our site in time for our 250th anniversary. Access is via Keeper’s House.
Free
RA Schools Studios
This year, the RA Schools students have collaborated with digital arts commissioning organisation Opening Times and artist Paul Flannery on a project to stage an intervention of artwork into the fabric of the RA website. You encounter the take-over by clicking a button in the bottom-left of your screen, where you’ll be able to explore the work of each of the 17 students in the show. The website will be animated with imagery and audio, becoming a work itself. The work will be live on the website for the duration of the exhibition.