Britain’s oldest fine arts institution, the Royal Academy of Arts, will celebrate its 260th Anniversary in 2028.

The RA has an illustrious history that spans from the mid 18th century through to the 21st-century.  We contemplate its architectural past and review its various homes before its settling on the current Mayfair location in Burlington House. Expanded in time for its 250th anniversary, the 17th-century mansion on Piccadilly was connected by a contemporary 21st-century link, to the grand 19th-century former university building. 

This fully illustrated talk explores a selection of its ground–breaking temporary loan exhibitions and considers their impact on the art scene, both on British soil and overseas.  The talk also wouldn’t be complete without a behind-the-scene look at the Summer Exhibition – held without interruption since 1769 (even during two World Wars and the covid-19 pandemic).

We consider the influence of certain world-renowned Royal Academicians, exemplary artists and architects in their chosen field.  The impressive roll call of RAs since it’s establishment includes household names such as Reynolds, Constable, Turner, Milllais, Munnings and, more recently, Hockney, Paolozzi, Foster, Craig-Martin, Gormley and Grayson Perry. Highlights of the Academy’s Permanent Collection will be revealed and we celebrate the appointment in 2019, of the RA’s first female President since its foundation - British abstract artist, Rebecca Salter.

By charting its history and considering its place in Britain’s rich artistic heritage, we can mark this significant anniversary and consider its future with much excitement and anticipation.   Anecdotal stories will also be revealed by the lecturer based on her twelve year career with the institution.

This lecture can stand alone as a solo talk or be part of a Special Interest Day with additional lectures on the RA Architect-Members and their global influence on both civic and domestic architecture and the role of Female Artists and the RA (especially as 2028 will commemorate 100 years since the passing of the Equal Franchised Act).