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Flash Briefing
What: Summer Exhibition 2020 When: 6 October 2020 — 3 January 2021, Mon – Sun: 10am–6pm For the first time in history, the Summer Exhibition will fall in winter. But at the RA, summer is a state of mind, not a time of year. Discover a myriad of works by household names and emerging artists inside our joyous festival of art. 252 years ago, a group of artists made it their mission to form an annual exhibition to support artists and architects, by showcasing art of the moment to the nation. The Summer Exhibition has run uninterrupted ever since: a backdrop to famous artistic rivalries of the past and now a fixture of the summer calendar for art seekers, year after year. Coordinated by artistic duo Jane and Louise Wilson RA, this autumn is set to be just as uplifting – you are sure to see art you love, art you hate, and art that puts a smile on your face. You might even find art to take home. This year’s exhibition includes new works by Tracey Emin, Rebecca Horn, Anselm Kiefer, Julian Schnabel, Gillian Wearing and Ai Weiwei. Cost: Tickets £20 – £22. Concessions available. Become a Friend to see for free. Everyone, including Friends of the RA members, must book a ticket before arriving. For booking and more info: https://www.royalacademy.org.uk/exhibition/summer-exhibition-2020

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What: The Making of an Artist: The Great Tradition When: 5 August — 31 December 2020, Mon–Sun: 10am–6pm What makes great art? Our first President, Sir Joshua Reynolds, believed that the art of the past was the most important source of inspiration, but this was challenged by later Academicians like JMW Turner and John Constable. Although both still included references to historic art in their work, they also drew inspiration from nature, spending long hours capturing the world they saw around them. The Making of an Artist: The Great Tradition presents the people who founded the RA, their ideas about art, and how those ideas changed over the next 50 years. The gallery includes many of the RA’s exemplars of earlier art, including Michelangelo’s Taddei Tondo and an almost full-size 16th-century copy of Leonardo’s Last Supper and casts of key classical sculptures, notably the Belvedere Torso. It also shows the results of Constable’s determination to work from nature, including several of his cloud studies, and Turner’s Dolbadern Castle, given to the RA on his election as a Royal Academician. Cost: Free, booking required For booking and more info: https://www.royalacademy.org.uk/exhibition/the-making-of-an-artist-the-great-tradition