Royal Academy Summer Exhibition Explained

The Summer Exhibition is an open art exhibition held annually by the Royal Academy in Burlington House, Piccadilly in central London, England, during the months of June, July, and August. The exhibition includes paintings, prints, drawings, sculpture, architectural designs and models, and is the largest and most popular open exhibition in the United Kingdom.[1] It is also "the longest continuously staged exhibition of contemporary art in the world".[2]

When the Royal Academy was founded in 1768 one of its key objectives was to establish an annual exhibition, open to all artists of merit, which could be visited by the public. The first Summer Exhibition took place in 1769; it has been held every year since without exception.

History

In 1768, a group of artists visited King George III and sought his permission to establish a society for Arts and Design. They proposed the idea of an annual exhibition and a school design. King George III approved of the idea and the first exhibition, in 1769, included 136 works.[2] The name Summer Exhibition dates from 1870.[2]

Selection process

Today, around 1,000 works are selected each year from as many as 32,000 entries representing some 16,000 artists. Any artist (living, known or unknown) may submit up to two works at a fee of £40 per piece for selection by The Summer Exhibition Selection and Hanging Committee. Due to the significant increase in the volume of entries over recent years, the number of entries per artist was reduced to 2 (from 3) and the fee was increased per piece. The committee is formed from the Council of Academicians (the governing body of the RA) and is traditionally chaired by the President of the Royal Academy. In addition to those works selected by the committee, all 80 Academicians are entitled to have six of their own pieces in the exhibition.

For the 2006 exhibition, the academy received a statue and a plinth from David Hensel. By mistake, the two parts were judged independently, with the result that the statue was rejected and the plinth put on display.[3] Some artists apply repeatedly before being selected: in 2024 Alison Aye's accepted piece Shifting to the Moon was her 31st submission.[4]

Exhibition

The RA Summer Exhibition usually opens to the public in early June, preceded by a series of private viewings. The main event is called "Varnishing Day", the day that, according to popular legend, artists would come to add a final coat of varnish to their paintings (compare: vernissage). Traditionally, artists walk in procession from Burlington House to St James's Church, Piccadilly, where a service is held. At the opening reception the shortlists for various prizes are announced.

Some years have particular themes. The 2005 exhibition theme was "Printmaking and the multiple". In 2006, the theme was "From Life." In 2008, the theme was "Man Made". The theme for 2010 was "Raw".[5] In 2011, the selection committee agreed to have no specific theme.

Almost all exhibited works are for sale; the Academy receives 30% of the purchase price. In 2003, this amounted to a sum of some £2,000,000 for the institution, which receives no financial support from the state or crown.

Coordinators

Awards

Over £70,000 prize money, including the £25,000 Charles Wollaston Award, is awarded each year at the Summer Exhibition. In addition, a £10,000 architectural prize is awarded.[23]

Winners of Charles Wollaston Award

!Year!Artist!Artwork!Medium!Exhibited!View!Ref.
1978Peter GreenhamLady Bonham CarterOil on canvasGallery ITate[24]
1979Roger de GreyMarennesOil on canvasGallery III[25]
1980Anthony Gross
1981
1982Robert Buhler
1983
1984
1985
1986
1987John Bellany
1988
1989
1990
1991Neil Jeffries[26]
1992Sandra BlowWhisperingsAcrylicGallery III[27]
1993
1994Robert MedleyPreparation for the ExecutionOil on canvasGallery IIRoyal Academy[28]
1995Barry FlanaganThe CricketerBronzeCourtyardJesus College, Cambridge[29]
1996Jeffery Camp[30]
1997R. B. KitajSandra ThreeMixed media — view installation Gallery IICentrepiece at Astrup Fearnley Museet
1998John HoylandTree Music 6.3.98Acrylic on cottonGallery VIPrivate Collection[31]
1999David HockneyA Bigger Grand CanyonOil on sixty canvasesLecture RoomNational Gallery of Australia[32]
2000Gerard HemsworthBetween Heaven and Hell 1998Acrylic on canvasGallery IV[33]
2001Marc QuinnCatherine LongMarbleLarge Weston Room[34]
2002Alan CharltonVertical Painting in 20Acrylic on canvasGallery IV[35]
2003Jake and Dinos ChapmanMarriage of Reason and Squalor IIPainted BronzeGallery I[36]
2004
2005
2006Chantal JoffeBlond Girl - Black DressOil on boardGallery III[37]
2007Gavin TurkDumb CandleWoodGallery I[38]
2008Jeff KoonsCracked Egg (Blue) 1994-2006High chromium stainless steel with transparent colour coatingCentral Hall
2009Richard Wilson
2010Yinka ShonibareCrash WillyMannequin, Dutch wax printed cotton textile, leather, fibreglass and metalWohl Central Hall[39]
2011Alison WildingTake a Deep Breath…Painted foam, copper and fibreglass resinLecture Room[40]
2012Anselm KieferSamsonOil, acrylic, steel, pastel and charcoalLarge Weston Room
2013El AnatsuiTSIATSIA – searching for connectionAluminium (bottle tops, printing plates, roofing sheets) and copper wireCourtyard(facade of the RA) [41]
2014Wolfgang TillmansGreifbar 1Inkjet printGallery IX[42]
2015Rose WylieHerr Rehlinger In White ArmourOil on canvasGallery III
2016David NashBig BlackCharred redwoodGallery IV
2017Isaac JulienWestern Union: Small BoatsFive screen projectionGallery X
2018Mike NelsonUntitled (Public sculpture for a redundant space)Sleeping bag, concrete and rubbleThe Annenberg Courtyard & StaircaseRoyal Academy
2019Joe TilsonFinestra VeneziaThirty-six Murano glass works for the Grande Albergo Ausonia and HungariaGallery II
2020
2021Naomi GakungaWetereire – WaitingStainless steel wire, sheet metal and paperLecture Room
2022Uta KögelsbergerCullVideoSmall Weston Room
2023Kara WalkerThe Omicron VariationsInk on paperGallery III[43]
2024Tracey EminDid it Ever Get Any BetterAcrylic on canvasGallery III

Reception

The exhibition has received both admiration and criticism.[2] Jonathan Jones described it in 2019 as the "bloated corpse of a tradition ... [with] a tired, inward looking, end-of-the-road quality".[17]

An exhibition about the history of the Summer Exhibition, The Great Spectacle, was held in 2018.[44]

Further reading

External links

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Notes and References

  1. News: The Royal Academy of Arts Summer Exhibition 2011 . . 4 July 2011 . UK . 2 June 2011.
  2. The Royal Academy remains a great asset that must never be squandered . Apollo . 15 May 2018 . 8 June 2019.
  3. News: Artist laughs his head off at the RA . Sally Pook . 15 June 2006 . The Telegraph.
  4. News: Fisher . Alice . ‘I don’t know if I like it’: artist finally shown at Royal Academy after 31 attempts . 10 June 2024 . The Observer . 8 June 2024.
  5. Web site: dead . Summer Exhibition 2010 . https://web.archive.org/web/20080808114045/http://www.royalacademy.org.uk/exhibitions/summer-exhibition . 8 August 2008 . Royal Academy of Arts . 2010.
  6. News: No longer a hanging offence . 5 June 2005 . 14 March 2018 . Caroline . Boucher . . London .
  7. Web site: Davey . Richard . 2010 Rawness and Artists' Books . https://web.archive.org/web/20240617115837/https://chronicle250.com/2010 . 17 June 2024 . 17 June 2024 . Royal Academy Chronicle.
  8. Web site: 2011 Christopher Le Brun on Coordinating the Show . https://web.archive.org/web/20230528191019/https://chronicle250.com/2011 . 28 May 2023 . 17 June 2024 . Royal Academy Chronicle.
  9. News: Royal Academy summer exhibition rolls into town . 30 May 2012 . 14 March 2018 . Maev . Kennedy . . London .
  10. News: Nonagenarians make mark at 2013 Royal Academy summer exhibition. 5 June 2013 . 14 March 2018 . Marc . Brown . . London .
  11. Web site: Summer Exhibition 2014 Exhibition Royal Academy of Arts . https://web.archive.org/web/20240617115025/https://www.royalacademy.org.uk/exhibition/summer-exhibition-2014 . 17 June 2024 . 17 June 2024 . Royal Academy of Arts.
  12. News: Royal Academy's Summer Exhibition goes on a candy cavalcade. 5 June 2015 . 14 March 2018 . Hannah . Ellis-Petersen . . London .
  13. News: Radical or retrogade? Yinka Shonibare can't redeem the Royal Academy. 18 May 2016 . 14 March 2018 . Jonathan . Jones . Jonathan Jones (journalist) . . London .
  14. News: Summer Exhibition, Royal Academy of Arts, review: The dependably reassuring last word in déjà-vu. 2 June 2017 . 14 March 2018 . Alastair . Sooke . . London .
  15. News: Grayson Perry to chair Summer Exhibition art show. 14 December 2017 . 14 March 2018 . .
  16. News: How Grayson Perry is taking on America: 'People want to be provoked, but not catastrophically'. 16 January 2018 . 14 March 2018 . Alison . Cole . . London .
  17. News: Jones . Jonathan . Summer Exhibition review – a moronic monument to British mediocrity . 8 June 2019 . The Guardian . 6 June 2019.
  18. Web site: Summer Exhibition 2020 Exhibition Royal Academy of Arts . https://web.archive.org/web/20240617114701/https://www.royalacademy.org.uk/exhibition/summer-exhibition-2020 . 17 June 2024 . 17 June 2024 . Royal Academy of Arts.
  19. Web site: Royal Academy Summer Exhibition 2021 . May 19, 2023 . Royal Academy.
  20. Web site: Royal Academy Summer Exhibition 2022 . May 19, 2023 . Royal Academy.
  21. Web site: Royal Academy Summer Exhibition 2023 . May 19, 2023 . Royal Academy.
  22. Web site: Summer Exhibition 2024 . www.royalacademy.org.uk . Royal Academy of Arts . 10 June 2024 . en.
  23. R. Waite, "Cash prizes return for Royal Academy Summer Exhibition", architectsjournal.co.uk, 22 February 2015.
  24. Web site: Finch . James . 1978 The First Wollaston Award . https://web.archive.org/web/20240613222537/https://chronicle250.com/1978 . 13 June 2024 . 13 June 2024 . Royal Academy Chronicle.
  25. Web site: Roger de Grey Grosvenor Gallery . https://web.archive.org/web/20240623223336/https://www.grosvenorgallery.com/usr/library/documents/main/rogerdegrey.pdf . 23 June 2024 . 23 June 2024 . Grosvenor Gallery.
  26. Web site: Jeffries, Neil, b.1959 Art UK . https://web.archive.org/web/20240623214155/https://artuk.org/discover/artists/jeffries-neil-b-1959 . 23 June 2024 . 23 June 2024 . Art UK.
  27. Web site: Sandra Blow - The Women's Art Collection : The Women's Art Collection . https://web.archive.org/web/20240623215418/https://womensart.murrayedwards.cam.ac.uk/artist/sandra-blow/ . 23 June 2024 . 23 June 2024 . The Women's Art Collection.
  28. Web site: Chanin . Eileen . 1994 Cultivating Design Arts . https://web.archive.org/web/20230611003134/https://chronicle250.com/1994 . 11 June 2023 . 16 June 2024 . Royal Academy Chronicle.
  29. Web site: Finch . James . 1995 Sculpture Returns to the Courtyard . https://web.archive.org/web/20230611005029/https://chronicle250.com/1995 . 11 June 2023 . 16 June 2024 . Royal Academy Chronicle.
  30. Web site: 13 May 2020 . Jeffery Camp, veteran figurative painter of unique vision who taught at the Slade – obituary . https://web.archive.org/web/20240624153116/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/obituaries/2020/05/13/jeffery-camp-veteran-figurative-painter-unique-vision-taught/ . 24 June 2024 . 24 June 2024 . The Daily Telegraph.
  31. Web site: Cornish . Sam . 1998 Sheffield, Bali, Piccadilly . https://web.archive.org/web/20240616175429/https://chronicle250.com/1998 . 16 June 2024 . 16 June 2024 . Royal Academy Chronicle.
  32. News: Gibbons . Fiachra . 29 June 1999 . Hockney wins summer exhibition prize . 14 March 2018 . . London.
  33. Web site: Darwent . Charles . 24 February 2021 . Gerard Hemsworth obituary Art The Guardian . https://web.archive.org/web/20240623154445/https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2021/feb/24/gerard-hemsworth-obituary . 23 June 2024 . 23 June 2024 . The Guardian.
  34. Web site: Ezard . John . 26 June 2001 . BritArt takes top academy prize UK news The Guardian . https://web.archive.org/web/20240623153153/https://www.theguardian.com/uk/2001/jun/26/arts.highereducation . 23 June 2024 . 23 June 2024 . The Guardian.
  35. Web site: 1 August 2002 . artnet.com Magazine News Artnet News 8/1/02 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240623170324/http://www.artnet.com/magazine/news/artnetnews2/artnetnews8-1-02.asp . 23 June 2024 . 23 June 2024 . Artnet.
  36. https://www.theguardian.com/uk/2003/jun/27/arts.artsnews "Chapman brothers win £25,000 prize"
  37. Web site: 22 June 2006 . BBC NEWS Entertainment British artist wins £25,000 prize . https://web.archive.org/web/20240624191357/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/5107618.stm . 24 June 2024 . 24 June 2024 . BBC News.
  38. Web site: 25 June 2007 . Gavin Turk Wins Charles Wollaston Award . https://web.archive.org/web/20240624154343/https://www.artforum.com/news/gavin-turk-wins-charles-wollaston-award-180502/ . 24 June 2024 . 24 June 2024 . Artforum.
  39. Web site: Lambirth . Andrew . 26 June 2010 . Kaleidoscopic vision The Spectator . https://web.archive.org/web/20240623173258/https://www.spectator.co.uk/article/kaleidoscopic-vision/ . 23 June 2024 . 23 June 2024 . The Spectator.
  40. http://www.cornerhousepublications.org/books/books-news/alison-wilding-wins-the-charles-wollaston-award-2011 "Alison Wilding wins the Charles Wollaston Award 2011"
  41. http://www.octobergallery.co.uk/exhibitions/tsiatsia.shtml "El Anatsui wins the prestigious Charles Wollaston Award for his work at the Royal Academy of Arts, 245th Summer Exhibition"
  42. http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/victoria-sadler/summer-exhibition-2014-ro_b_5522914.html "Summer Exhibition 2014, Royal Academy of Arts"
  43. Web site: Westall . Mark . 16 June 2023 . The Royal Academy has revealed the winners of the Summer Exhibition 2023 prizes. - FAD Magazine . https://web.archive.org/web/20240615185755/https://fadmagazine.com/2023/06/16/the-royal-academy-has-revealed-the-winners-of-the-summer-exhibition-2023-prizes/ . 15 June 2024 . 15 June 2024 . FAD Magazine.
  44. News: Jones . Jonathan . Summer Exhibition/The Great Spectacle review – a Grayson revolution . 8 June 2019 . The Guardian . 5 June 2018.

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