Articles
Ra250
Artists
> 4 years ago
Gilbert & George’s advice to today’s art students
Visiting the students of Wolverhampton School of Art, the Turner Prize-winning duo had some wisdom to bestow on today’s “baby artists”…
RA Exhibitions
< 5 years ago
Behind the scenes at the 250th Summer Exhibition
What’s it like to put together the Summer Exhibition? We spoke to this year’s coordinator, Grayson Perry RA, and his band of fellow artists in charge of selecting and hanging the world’s largest open-submission art show.
Our Collection
< 5 years ago
Quiz: which great British artwork are you?
To celebrate our 250th birthday, we’re finally putting the treasures of our Collection on free display all across the RA. Each artwork has its own unique character, so which one matches yours?
Inside the Academy
< 5 years ago
Video: behind the scenes at the new RA
Artistic director Tim Marlow gives a behind-the-scenes tour of the new Royal Academy of Arts.
Inside the Academy
< 5 years ago
9 things to know about the new RA
We don’t know if we’ve mentioned it, but the Royal Academy has had a major transformation – welcome to the new RA! Here are nine things you can expect from London’s new home for art and ideas.
Inside the Academy
< 5 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.
Inside the Academy
< 5 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.
RA Exhibitions
< 5 years ago
Monet, Hockney, Van Gogh: remember these RA blockbusters?
As our transformed campus lays the foundations for another 250 years of blockbuster art exhibitions, Artistic Director Tim Marlow takes stock of some of the RA’s most popular shows since 1768.
RA Recommends
< 5 years ago
7 new art galleries to visit in 2018
With the new RA now open, we’re also celebrating other exciting art gallery unveilings this year – some brand new, some renovated, some finding new homes in unlikely places from swimming baths to an observatory. Here are a few to visit while you can still smell the fresh paint.
RA Exhibitions
< 5 years ago
Tacita Dean: “I don’t care about the long run. I care about now.”
With three landmark exhibitions in London this year – including the inaugural show of the RA’s new galleries – the artist discusses mysteries of the cosmos, classical mythology and chance encounters at her LA studio.
Inside the Academy
5 years ago
RA250 stories: putting Hercules back together again
How do you take decades of dirt off a sculpture without damaging its original surface, or reassemble and attach missing parts of a historic statue? Find out in the latest edition of our behind-the-scenes video series, revealing our preparations for unveiling of The New RA.
RA Recommends
5 years ago
11 art events to look forward to in 2018
Exhibitions, commissions, transformations and brand spanking new galleries – there’s a lot to look forward to in 2018. Here are some art highlights to mark in that new diary your grandma gave you for Christmas.
Inside the Academy
> 5 years ago
RA250 stories: Look up! The six-metre ceiling painting back at the RA
Before we unveil the New RA for our 250th anniversary in 2018, we’re restoring some of the original features of our 18th-century home on Piccadilly. This video shows the reinstallation of a vast ceiling painting by William Kent.
Opinion
> 5 years ago
“Architecture impacts everyone. We need to inspire greater visual and spatial literacy for all”
Architecture is part of our culture and society, and the conversation about it should be accessible to everyone. That’s why the RA pledged to champion architecture 250 years ago, and why we’re renewing that commitment now, says Head of Architecture Kate Goodwin.
Inside the Academy
> 5 years ago
New architecture space and prizes announced for 2018
The future of architecture at the Royal Academy is set to be transformed through a dedicated architecture space, the launch of a pair of international awards and an annual architecture exhibition.
Inside the Academy
> 5 years ago
RA250 stories: building a bridge that’s a sculpture
In 2018, our two historic sites at Burlington House and Burlington Gardens will be linked together for the first time. In this video, we look at the complex process of connecting two listed buildings, with a sculptural bridge that traces the line of an original garden path from 350 years ago.
Inside the Academy
< 6 years ago
RA250 stories: hidden treasures of the RA Collection
In 2018 we’re unveiling new spaces to display the Royal Academy’s Collection. In this video, we take a look at some of the treasures that will be on show, including the UK’s only sculpture by Michelangelo.
Inside the Academy
< 6 years ago
Behind the scenes: a new home for the RA Collections
While it’s business as usual in the galleries, elsewhere at the RA major building work is transforming the Academy for 2018. Exhibition designer Adrien Gardère and RA President Christopher Le Brun explore how the plans will reveal the historic RA Collections to the public.
Inside the Academy
6 years ago
RA250 stories: how to restore a façade
How do you repair historic stone when that stone is no longer quarried? This video series reveals the ideas, people and challenges behind transforming the RA ahead of our 250th anniversary in 2018, and in this episode we come to the restoration of 6 Burlington Gardens and its historic statues.
Inside the Academy
< 7 years ago
Art on the streets: students create designs for the hoardings of the RA
Students have created a giant collage to greet passers-by while restoration work takes place at the RA’s Burlington Gardens building. Harriet Baker finds out how they made it.
Inside the Academy
< 7 years ago
RA250 stories: Digitising the Collection
This video series reveals the ideas and people behind the transformation of the Royal Academy ahead of our 250th anniversary in 2018. In the second episode, we take a look at what’s involved in bringing artworks and documents from the past into the 21st century.
Artists
7 years ago
In the studio with Yinka Shonibare RA
As Yinka Shonibare RA prepares to wrap the Academy’s Burlington Gardens façade in his bold designs, Fiona Maddocks visits the sculptor at his warehouse studio in east London.
Inside the Academy
7 years ago
The new art wrapped round our buildings
As building works start on our RA250 renovations, look out for new works of art surrounding Burlington Gardens – designed by artists of the future.
Inside the Academy
> 7 years ago
History uncovered: Britain’s first arts organisation
A review of the RA Collection has turned up a vital historical document, the Royal charter of the Society of Artists. RA archivist Mark Pomeroy explains.
Inside the Academy
> 7 years ago
RA250 stories: The architects
Our new video series goes behind the scenes to reveal the ideas and people behind the transformation of the Royal Academy ahead of our 250th anniversary in 2018. In the first episode, members of the project team from David Chipperfield Architects discuss how they’re taking it from concept to reality.
Inside the Academy
> 7 years ago
Henry Coleman’s ‘The Greater Order’
Have you noticed something different about our banners? Artist Henry Coleman has co-opted them in a sculptural response to the Academy’s forthcoming architectural transformation.
Inside the Academy
< 8 years ago
David Chipperfield RA on transforming the Royal Academy
In this video, architect David Chipperfield RA discusses his plans for opening up the Royal Academy ahead of our 250th anniversary in 2018.
Inside the Academy
< 8 years ago
Grand union: an in-depth look at the RA’s redevelopment
Burlington Gardens, the stately building behind Burlington House, is the RA’s second home. As the Academy prepares for its 250th anniversary, John Tusa reveals the plans to unite and revitalise the two buildings, transforming this artist-led institution
Inside the Academy
< 8 years ago
Four views on the Royal Academy’s future
Four key figures connected to the RA look forward to a major transformation at the Academy in 2018.