It’s just not summer without the Royal Academy’s massive Summer Exhibition.
I mean, it’s not summer anymore regardless, but nonetheless one huge summer event has just kicked off. For the second year running, the famous Summer Exhibition is falling in Autumn, but it’s happening all the same dammit! Two world wars couldn’t even stop the Royal Academy’s Summer Exhibition from taking place, and 2020’s coronavirus pandemic has only succeeded in delaying it a wee bit. However, the show hasn’t run without interruption since 1769 without a great deal of fortitude, and that determination has allowed the show to return for the second time since the start of the pandemic, which fully opens to the yesterday (September 22). [Featured image: © Royal Academy of Arts/David Parry via @royalacademyarts]
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It’s testament to the gallery‘s newly adopted motto from last year: “at the RA, summer is a state of mind, not a time of year”. The Summer Exhibition is a crucial part of London’s art calendar; witness the Grayson Perry-curated 250th celebrations in 2018, which brought huge numbers of punters to the gallery. As the world’s largest open submission art show, it’s a winning mix of amateur and professional creations, this year led by Yinka Shonibare and a panel of artists, under the theme of ‘Reclaiming Magic’.
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The Summer Exhibition promises that, whether you love or hate the art on display, you’ll wind up talking about it all the same. Works from the likes of Njideka Akunyili Crosby, Michael Armitage, Jade Montserrat, Hew Locke, Rita Keegan and Alvaro Barrington will all be on display at the 2021 show, and as always, a wander through the Summer Exhibition reveals prints, paintings, photography, sculpture, architectural works, and wholly abstract pieces. Remaining true to the spirit of the exhibition’s founding, the pieces chosen will represent “the art of the moment”.
Plus, with over 1300 works featured in the Summer Exhibition, you might even see one of your own creations – provided you didn’t miss the submission deadline, of course. And since most of the works are for sale, it’s one of the few art exhibitions in town where you can leave both richer in culture and richer in pocket. Happy days!
The Summer Exhibition runs until January 2, 2022, at the Royal Academy of Arts, Burlington House, Piccadilly, W1J 0BD. Find out more and get your tickets here.