The RA Summer Exhibition and AI: Submission to Display to Sale

I think I've uncovered a bit of a problem relating to the legislation and regulations which apply to all info provided to buyers in art exhibitions (who have protected rights) - from Submission to Display to Sale.

Earlier this week, I wrote about how the Royal West of England Academy allows AI into its Annual Exhibition

There have been a lot of comments on the post on Facebook as a result - which you can see here. Mainly this has been confined to whether or not AI should be eligible or only serves to undermine the original work of artists.

What I didn't realise at the time, is that the RWA were not the first.

The Royal Academy of Arts Summer Exhibition and AI

This year's Royal Academy of Arts Summer Exhibition indicated in its Frequently Asked Questions that it was OK to use AI as part of an artwork

Can I enter an AI work?

If your work is generated, partially or entirely, using artificial intelligence, then you must declare it on your artwork form by adding ‘AI’ to the medium field.

Extract from RA Summer Exhibition 2026 - FAQs

In other words, the RWA appears to have just copied what the RA did!

Omission of fact / poor descriptions of art for sale

So I went to look at all the artworks - to find the clearly displayed "AI" in the medium field

I found 59 entries were listed in "all the artworks" when I searched the database for "AI".

I didn't sample everyone. But of all the ones I looked at in detail, not one declared the AI as having contributed to the image or the artwork.

So the RA may know that AI contribute to the artwork - but they aren't sharing that information with the general public.

I then did another sample - of all those that were available to buy online. 

• This time I got 54 entries.
• I looked at a few more - and still could not find any exhibit which openly declared that AI was used in its creation.

AI Findings: Submission to Display to Sale

• The Royal Academy of Art required all artists to declare AI on their form If your work is generated, partially or entirely, using artificial intelligence, then you must declare it on your artwork form by adding ‘AI’ to the medium field.
• The Royal Academy of Art appears to have chosen NOT to disclose the use of AI in any of the information provided to the buying public.
• it's not listed in the catalogue under the medium
• it's not listed on the Sales website for any of the artworks which were triggered by the search term "AI"

I wonder why.

I'm also wondering if anybody asked the RA Solicitors for their advice as to what needs to be disclosed within the context of the range of legislation and regulations which are pertinent eg see "How to sell art" on my website Art Business Info for Artists

• Trading Law and Regulations - see my Trading Law & Regulations for Artists (mainly UK) page
• the various regulations relating to selling online and consumer rights - see my E-Commerce for Artists page

One of the requirements of the Consumer Rights Act 2015 is that

Every contract to supply goods by description is to be treated as including a term that the goods will match the description.

In other words, when describing the medium for an artwork, if AI was used then AI needs to be highlighted.

• I am sure this requirement is essentially what is behind the RA requirement for the artist to spell out AI in the medium box if relevant. 
• So why has that info not translated through to the description of the artwork for the purposes of sale to the public (ie the people protected by the Consumer Rights Act 2015!)?
• My conclusion is that we appear to have "a left hand and a right hand within the RA who are not talking to one another"!

Clearly, use of AI is new and mistakes may be made at the outset. 

However I personally would expect that an organisation like the Royal Academy of Art which has, over time, been absolutely exemplary in its highlighting of changes in legislation (eg re VAT registration for overseas artists; new money laundering regulations for art etc) and spelling out what that means for artists entering the Summer Exhibition SHOULD have picked this up and dealt with it better. 

I have frequently highlighted RA advice contained in its T&Cs and FAQs to other art societies as "this is the way to do it" (whatever "it" was)

I'm now expecting that all mistakes made this year will be corrected for 2027.

I also expect to see next year that the same standard of exemplary guidance produced by the RA in the past will now be also applied to EVERY ASPECT OF AI where people (i.e. ALL THE BUYERS!) have a "need to know" 

In other words - that next year all relevant legislation and regulations will be covered by all necessary parts of the T&Cs and FAQs and any other guidance the RA sees fit to issue.

Call for Entries: The RA Summer Exhibition 2026

This is for all artists interested in submitting their art to this year's Summer Exhibition at the Royal Academy of Arts.

The entry opens this Wednesday and the number of entries is limited!

First, a preamble before we get on the details of the Call for Entries.

I've always been quite ambivalent about the Summer Exhibition held by the Royal Academy of Arts each year. Which has not stopped me analysing and writing a LOT about it. See the end of this post for links to past exhibitions - and some very useful information for would-be exhibitors.

I think it is a very worthy cause, insofar as receipts help fund the free art education provided to students at the RA Schools.

On the one hand, I think it includes quite a lot of utter rubbish. 

However, it also includes art with incredible impact that you might not otherwise see - and that's not just by the member RAs.

However it is ABSOLUTELY HUGE and I now find it to be exhausting. 

• Probably my age (I'm now 71 and have osteoarthritis) to some extent, 
• but also something to do with the numbers visiting, the noise and the lack of seats in what is a VERY large exhibition (well over 1,000 artworks - some of which are large). 
• In the end it becomes a complete sensory overload. I'm pleased to say I can cope with other smaller exhibitions very much better - so not just me being older!

Of late I've stopped visiting - but I do watch the videos AND I do look at the online exhibition!

Partly because I refuse to subscribe to the RA any more - which I did for years and years and years - because frankly I don't find the annual subscription cost (currently £148) in the context of what's on offer to be persuasive any more. 

That and the fact they took away the Chesterfields in the Friends Room. After a long visit viewing art you want a comfy seat - and Fortnum & Masons over the road now fulfils that need at a much reduced cost!

Call for Entries

Entry opens for the 2026 exhibition on Wednesday 7th January 2026. 

Hence why I'm writing this now - as you will see if you read on.

The overall process - from beginning to end - is MUCH MORE COMPLICATED than anything else you apply for so you need to get it right.

The RA have been doing this for a long time and have LOTS of information for you - and you do need to read it. 

Woke art in London is going broke

This isn't as much a blog post by me, as me alerting you to an interesting article in The Evening Standard on 30th January. It's a very interesting article which I think will resonate with a lot of people - and it's a RECOMMENDED READ from me.

How the capital's art world went broke on woke alerted me to a few things I didn't know before

The author JJ Charlesworth is an art critic, art magazine editor and writer with twenty-five years of experience in contemporary art, publishing and education. Since 2006 he has worked on the editorial staff of the London-based international art magazine ArtReview, where he is one of the editors. He says he has also lectured and taught extensively, tutoring at London’s Royal College of Art, the Royal Academy Schools and Central St Martins College

Below I summarise

• key points from what he has to say
• commentary from me - marked up as "ME"

So what does he have to say?

Here's some key points:

Major financial challenges 

• major art institutions in London face major financial challenges
• the Tate and the Royal Academy of Arts have announced serious deficits (£11million and £2 million respectively)

Changing agendas do not bring in punters

Over the past few years art galleries have been pursuing programming agendas that don’t always resonate with audiences.

• culture wars (decolonisation / identity politics / Just Stop Oil etc etc) are not attractive to many exhibition visitors
• whereas major art galleries can host sell-out exhibitions for major "old favourite" artists from the past (e.g. Monet at the Courtauld; Van Gogh at the National Gallery in 2024)

ME: I think he's got a very important point.

He quotes numbers of visitors for institutions compared to pre-pandemic levels and suggests which ones are struggling 

How to submit art to the Summer Exhibition at the Royal Academy of Art

Yesterday, the Royal Academy of Art opened for registration and submissions to the Summer Exhibition 2025.

The submission deadline is 23:59 (GMT) on Tuesday 11 February. However read the first "need to know" item below - because it's might actually be much earlier than that!

The RA Summer Exhibition is the largest open exhibition in the UK - with well over 1,000 exhibits - so you need to take the statistics around selection into account before deciding whether or not enter.

This is about

• key things you need to know about the Call for Entries
• aspects worth bearing in mind if you're thinking about submitting

IMPORTANT Things You Need to Know

How many people enter?

The cap on the number of submission entries is 18,000. Once that limit has been reached you cannot enter. So you need to register and pay your entry fee - to access an entry form - quickly if you want to be sure of being able to enter. (In 2024 it was 16,500).

In effect this means the deadline for entries is not as stated, the ACTUAL deadline for entries is when all the forms for 18,000 entries have been purchased!

You can 

• enter one or two works, 
• for a fee of £40 per work and 
• you can pay online by credit or debit card.

Once the 18,000 digital entries have been reviewed, 4,000 will be asked to submit their artwork for the final selection in front of the team of selectors.

However most people do not get selected!

Basically a LOT of people do NOT get selected for the Summer Exhibition.

• 18,000 entries reduces to
• 4,000 shortlisted - and need to submit the actual artwork for further judging
• BUT ?? from the open entry get exhibited. I'd guess maybe 1,000?

Many people overprice their artwork - including RA members!

Eight years ago I wrote a post about how pricing and sales were related for different categories and price ranges. This is it RA Summer Exhibition - a curious exercise in pricing and sales. It provides very clear guidance on pricing for all those submitting artwork via the open entry. Regular readers may be able to guess what it says! ;)

I might have another go at last year's exhibition which is still online
 

How do I know what I need to know?

The overall process - from beginning to end - is MUCH MORE COMPLICATED than anything else you apply for so you need to get it right.

The RA have been doing this for a long time and have LOTS of information for you - and you do need to read it. 

So if you're not a fan of reading get a friend who is picky about details to do it for you. 

The RA provides some 

• helpful guides (see below) plus 
• lots of answers to the very many FAQS (see next item)

How to Enter - The Basics

You must first register and buy your entry form. Next you complete it before the deadline for entries. 

• Terms and Conditions of Entry - Why they can't make this a PDF I do not know. I recommend you "print to PDF" and save it as it's something you'll be wanting to use as a checklist. Do NOT rely on reading it just once!
• Instructions for Entering Work - Ditto, this also needs to be a PDF
• Exhibition Schedule - this lists all the dates for what happens when
• Suggested Transport Agents - list of recommended art couriers. None list their prices - which will vary depending on how far they are transporting. Remember their prices will include the time for packing and unpacking.

Very Useful Things to Know 

Norman Ackroyd CBE RA (1938-2024)

I was very sad to hear that the eminent master printmaker Norman Ackroyd passed away last week - in the  afternoon of a fine warm day (Monday 16th September) at his home in Bermondsey. He was 86

Norman Ackroyd (1938-2024)

Such a contrast to his lithographs and prints of the windswept, rainy isles and vaporous clouds in the North of Scotland and other rugged Atlantic seascapes and landscapes in the UK and Ireland. He was a complete master of portraying the coasts on the Atlantic seaboard.

His capacity for creating vaporous clouds filled with sea birds - with amorphous giant shapes representing the coastline which has stood up the beating of winds and rain from west was simply amazing - and his prints had very many fans.

Norman Ackroyd's map of all the locations (with a pin) where he been
to create etchings of that landscape in his studio in Bermondsey

There's a couple of excellent Videos of him talking about his artwork and his processes on YouTube based on the BBC series "What do Artists do all day?" which reviewed him and his work. These are they....

I remember him very well from when he led the tour on the Press Preview for the RA Summer Exhibition in 2013 - which was the best I'd ever been to. It's always stayed in my memory. He struck me then as a complete "one-off" and a really interesting man who could speak about art in plain English. Probably something to do with the northerner in me responding positively to the fact he was born in Leeds in Yorkshire!

Norman Ackroyd CBE RA
talking about hanging Gallery III at Burlington House (RA Summer Exhibition 2013)
which included works hung in honour of the late Mary Fedden RA
who had recently passed away.

This is a video of Norman Ackroyd talking about the process of selecting and then hanging a Summer Exhibition.

Life and career of Norman Ackroyd

His website summarises his life, art education and the career of Norman Ackroyd. He graduated from the Royal College of Art 60 years ago this summer.

• 1938: Born Leeds
• 1956-61: Leeds College of Art
• 1961-64: Royal College of Art, London
• 1988: Elected Royal Academician
• 1994: Appointed Professor of Etching, University of the Arts
• 1999 - 2000: Professor of Printmaking
• 2000: Elected Senior Fellow, Royal College of Art
• 2007: Awarded a C.B.E. for Services to Engraving and printing
• 2013: Elected Senior RA: 1 October 2013

He has produced work for many significant commissions and has work in prestigious collections all over the world. It also sells pretty fast at the RA Summer Exhibition

He called his medium “painting with acid”, and he was on friendly terms with a vast array of the chemicals, from the violent hydrochloric to the lively nitric, which “bites in all directions”. Daily Telegraph obituary

His work in Art Collections

His work is in the collections of very many prominent art galleries and organisations.

Selected Public Collections

Albertina Museum, Vienna

• Art Institute of Chicago
• Arts Council of Great Britain
• British Council
• British Museum, London 
• Cleveland Museum of Art
• Fogg Art Museum, Harvard
• Musée d’Art et d’Histoire, Geneva
• Museum of Fine Arts, Boston
• Museum of Modern Art, New York
• National Gallery of Art, Washington DC
• National Gallery of Canada
• National Gallery of Norway
• National Gallery of Scotland
• National Gallery of South Africa
• Queensland Art Gallery
• Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam
• The Royal Collection, Windsor Castle
• Stedelijk, Amsterdam
• Tate Gallery, London Norman Ackroyd born 1938 - Tate". Tate Britain. 
• Utah Museum of Fine Art

and numerous museums and art galleries in the United Kingdom

Ackroyd also received several public mural commissions, produced in etched stainless steel or bronze. Recent commissions included Lloyds Bank, London; British Airways, Birmingham Airport; Freshfields, London; Tetrapack, Stockley Park, Heathrow; a bronze mural for the Main Hall of the British Embassy, Moscow; and Lazards Bank, Stratton Street, London W1. RA Obituary

 

Obituaries

Other posts about his life include:

Call for Entries: RA Summer Exhibition 2024

The Call for Entries for the 2024 Summer Exhibition at the Royal Academy of Art was recently published. In the past I've written really long blog posts about the call for entries for the summer exhibition - but this one is shorter and is about the 

• key things you need to know about the Call for Entries
• aspects worth bearing in mind if you're thinking about submitting

In previous years, nearly two thirds of the exhibits were by non-Academicians, £50,000 worth of prizes was awarded, and over 5,000 works were sold. About the RA Summer Exhibition 

IMPORTANT Things You Need to Know

Entries are limited to 16,500

This year entry is limited to the first 16,500 submissions and you can't purchase an entry form once that limit has been reached i.e. 16,500 got there before you.

In effect this means the deadline for entries is not as stated, the deadline for entries is when all entry forms have been purchased!

It's unlikely that the RA will have a problem getting that many submissions - however I'm guessing the RA and the Selectors have worked out that's the number they're happy to review and select from. 

HOWEVER the RA Summer Exhibition is the largest open exhibition in the UK - with well over 1,000 exhibits - so you need to take the statistics around selection into account before deciding whether or not enter.

Basically a LOT of people do NOT get selected for the Summer Exhibition. 

I can't remember where I came across this next image - and it relates to the exhibition in 2017, but the stats are pretty similar year on year. As you can see, in 2017:

• c.90% of entries submitted via the open entry are rejected
• the number of exhibits are broadly speaking split between Royal Academicians and the open entry (although the current page suggests two thirds - but I'd very much like to see the statistics for that! There are NONE published.)
• which means something like 500-600 artworks from the open entry will be selected for the exhibition

However, as the space allocated to the exhibition has got bigger, more exhibits have been selected from the open entry 

By way of contrast, last year, the BBC reported that 

It presents an unparalleled opportunity for amateur artists to have their work publicly displayed and then purchased, although entries are capped at 16,500 and competition is fierce - this year, more than 11,000 people submitted work but less than 10% were successful. Royal Academy Summer Exhibition: Who makes the cut?

and

This year 11,204 entries came from the public, with 998 artists making the cut

which is 9% of those who entered.

Of those who enter, around 4,000 will make the first cut - and are asked to send their work to the RA for further consideration by the Judges and, last year, around 25% of this number will be selected.

So, bottom line, it seems likely that your chances of getting selected are between 3-9%. 

At the bottom end of the range this is slightly better than the chance of getting selected for what used to be called the BP Portrait Award at the National Portrait Gallery!

AND IMPORTANTLY - the main purpose of the Summer Exhibition is to generate funds for the bursaries for those who are selected to study at the Royal Academy Schools. 

So if complaining about the expense of the entry, just take a moment to think about the expense of an art education.

Who gets selected

The RA's Selection and Hanging Committee changes every year so just because your work has been rejected in the past does not mean it will be rejected this year.

Lots of professional artists still yearn to be selected - because of the kudos of being able to say you have been selected by the Summer Exhibition

At the same time lots of people for whom art is a hobby while working full time in other occupations DO get selected.

So there is no qualification for getting selected - your art does the talking for you.

What you can submit

On behalf of the Summer Exhibition Committee I would like to say send in your best work whatever its medium or category and we will endeavour to give it space.'

So basically you can submit paintings, drawings, original fine art prints, sculpture, photographs and videos - and artwork for architecture proposals.

How the open submission works

This is the website you need to consult https://summer.royalacademy.org.uk/

The is an online art competition.

• only YOU or a gallery authorised on your behalf can enter your work
• your initial entry is ONLINE ONLY - and the quality of your digital images does count for a lot (see Video Tutorial: How To Photograph Your Work and How to Photograph Your Work for advice)
• your artwork will only be submitted to the Royal Academy if you get through the first stage of selection. Basically this means you save the transport costs of getting the work to and from London if it's one of those which does not progress.

Timeline

Call for Entries: Royal Academy Summer Exhibition 2023

This is about how to enter the Summer Exhibition 2023 of the Royal Academy of Arts - as in

• the summer exhibition which is the LARGEST OPEN EXHIBITION IN THE WORLD 
• it opens on 13th June and continues until 20th August 2023
• the Call for Entries opened TODAY
• the Digital Submission closes on Tuesday 14 February 2023.

The following blog post covers the process for entries and "what you need to know" if you want to enter - including TIPS relating to aspects it's important to get right.

TIP: This is an exhibition I would definitely recommend to anybody who creates original prints. The RA Summer Exhibition always has a big print room and because the exhibition has a huge number of visits you can sell lots and lots of prints if people like your print. But it has to be an ORIGINAL! Plus you have to do the delivery and you need to factor the delivery price into the sale price.

"Sleeping Mouse" by Sarah Roberts
- from a previous Summer Exhibition

The 2023 Summer Exhibition

An Important Distinction between registration, entry and details

To be able to enter you must first register for an account HOWEVER

• registering for an account in order to enter does not mean you have entered. 
• To be able to enter you must first purchase an entry form.
• you do not need to complete the details when you purchase the entry form. You can do that later

Please note that the RA has indicated that the number of entries is capped at 16,500. 

That means that:

• if you leave your entry until nearer the deadline that you may not be able to submit this year if you have not purchased an entry form
• if you buy an entry now, you can complete the details later - but you cannot be reimbursed if you fail to submit.

BELOW you can find more details and helpful links to further information on the exhibition and "how to enter".

Art Exhibitions in Significant London Art Galleries | Autumn / Winter 2022

Significant London Art Galleries are those that are well known - but are not as big or as significant as the major/national art museums and galleries which I covered in the last post

This is a summary of the art exhibitions this Autumn / Winter in 

• the Courtauld Gallery
• Dulwich Art Gallery
• Royal Academy of Arts
• Wallace Museum

To be frank, I'm actually quite disappointed by what's on offer this Autumn. There's nothing which is making me jump up and down with excitement!

Other art galleries include:

• Barbican Art Gallery
• Hayward Gallery
• Serpentine Galleries
• Whitechapel Gallery

But these often have exhibitions I'm not much interested in. However, if you love contemporary art by international artists in various new manifestations they can be a good place to visit.

SIGNIFICANT / MEDIUM SIZED ART GALLERIES IN LONDON

Courtauld Gallery

Somerset House, Strand, London WC2R 0RN

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The Courtauld Gallery, Shop and Art Café are all cashless

The Courtauld Gallery

The Permanent Collection

The Courtauld's Permanent Collection is EXCELLENT. Personally I periodically go to see the Collection rather than the exhibitions, although the latter can be interesting. I haven't been since the refurbishment of the galleries but I'm not looking forward to lots of plain white walls.

This is the Virtual Tour. 

From the Virtual Tour of the Permanent Collection

The Courtauld’s much-loved permanent collection ranges from the Middle Ages to the 20th century and has been completely redisplayed and reinterpreted. These enhanced spaces have allowed The Courtauld to give visitors greater insight into this world-leading collection than ever before.

Fuseli and the Modern Woman: Fashion, Fantasy, Fetishism 14 Oct 2022 – 8 Jan 2023

An exhibition devoted to a remarkable group of around fifty drawings by Henry Fuseli, one of 18th century Europe’s most original and eccentric artists

Fred Cuming 1930-2022

I was so sorry to see in the NEAC Newsletter that Fred Cuming died in June. 

I very much recommend that anybody who admired his work takes a look at the Obituary about him on the gets on the NEAC - Remembering Fred Cuming (plus others below).

His landscape paintings were always a joy to behold and I very much regret I'm not going to see them anymore - except online.

Fred Cuming's paintings - which I'm very happy to stare at for absolutely ages. You can see more of his work on his website - Fred Cuming RA. Those who like the coastline and skies around Britain will appreciate his work.

Exhibition review: The Royal Academy's Summer Exhibition 2009

Central to his practice was to be the sketchbook, the making of what he called “notes” en plein air. Cuming would, as he said, “sketch and sketch … [keeping] sketchbooks everywhere, in my studio, in my bag, in the car”. At his peak, he would get through a hundred a year. Fred Cuming - Obituary | The Guardian

"Four Seasons" by Frederick Cuming RA (oil, 378 x 163 x 5 cm £115,000)
RA Summer Exhibition 2017 

Below are some highlights of his life, formal obituaries elsewhere, some examples of his work and a reference to a previous blog post in which I highlighted a wonderful video about his work 

Surgery postponed - my list of exhibitions in London to visit

I made it all the way to the ward, unpacked and knew when the operation was likely to take place when it was CANCELLED (long story not for this blog!). It's hopefully in the process of being rescheduled for mid January.

So coming home again I started making a mental list of exhibitions to try and go and see.... 

and these are they....

ART EXHIBITIONS to see in London

Courtauld Museum

https://courtauld.ac.uk/gallery/

....has reopened after its major transformation project and I'd like to try and get to see old favourites again.

 

Hokusai: The Great Picture Book of Everything

https://www.britishmuseum.org/exhibitions/hokusai-great-picture-book-everything

Venue: Room 90, British Museum

Dates: until 30th January 2022

Ticket prices - cheaper to go in the week rather than the weekend

In a global first, this exhibition will display 103 recently acquired drawings by Hokusai, produced in the 1820s–1840s for an illustrated encyclopedia called The Great Picture Book of Everything. For reasons unknown, the book was never published, presenting the opportunity to see these exceptional works which would otherwise have been destroyed as part of the woodblock printing process.

Depicting scenes from Buddhist India, ancient China and the natural world, the brush drawings not only showcase Hokusai's inimitable style and skill, but also reveal a version of 19th-century Japan much more intrigued by the wider world than previously thought.

Dürer's Journeys: Travels of a Renaissance Artist

https://www.nationalgallery.org.uk/exhibitions/durers-journeys-travels-of-a-renaissance-artist

Venue: Sainsbury Wing, National Gallery

Dates: Until 27 February 2022

Ticket prices: Standard admission £20 Monday – Sunday plus concessions

This is the exhibition which should have been held in 6 March 2021 – 13 June 2021 - but got caught by the lockdown.

I was really miffed I was going to miss this one so pleased I can now get to see it as I'[m a big admirer of Durer.

The first major UK exhibition of German Renaissance artist Albrecht Dürer in nearly 20 years.

Through paintings, drawings, prints, and letters, this exhibition follows Dürer’s travels across Europe, bringing to life the artist himself, and the people and places he visited.

Charting his journeys to the Alps, Italy, Venice and the Netherlands, the exhibition will explore how Dürer’s travels sparked an exchange of ideas with Netherlandish and Italian Renaissance artists, fuelled his curiosity and creativity, and increased his fame and influence across Europe.

Hogarth and Europe

Venue: Tate Britain
Dates: Until 20th March 2022

https://www.tate.org.uk/whats-on/tate-britain/exhibition/hogarth-and-europe

One that had completely passed me by - but I am partial to Hogarth. I often wonder why more artists today - with the exception of Grayson Perry - don't follow in his footsteps in terms of recording daily life.

Funny video provides a new take on the story!

Royal Academy Summer Exhibition 2021

REVIEW: David Hockney: The Arrival of Spring, Normandy, 2020

This morning I went to see David Hockney: The Arrival of Spring, Normandy, 2020 at the Royal Academy of Arts. Below are some notes I made while in the exhibition - of assorted thoughts it prompted.

It was the earliest time I could view and the ticket has been on my wall for months! The exhibition finishes on the 26th September and I'd be very surprised if there are any tickets left. 

It's moved from the galleries where they normally hold the Summer/Winter Exhibition (because of the hang for 2021) to The Gabrielle Jungels-Winkler Galleries in the Burlington Gardens part of the Royal Academy of Arts. It appear they've maybe been hung closer together than in the video below of the hang in the main galleries.

You can find the preamble introducing the exhibition on the RA website - and new the works  in this video

You can also download a large print guide of the paper publication you collect on going into the exhibition. This provides dates for th artworks but not times of day- which I think he did in previous exhibitions

Notes on an exhibition by David Hockney

There are no paintings in conventional art media - they are all done in digital software on his iPad.  There are 116 works in total.

These are the images released as press pics - but to be honest while some are good they don't include the best ones. See if you agree with me when you watch the video.

All works by David Hockney. © David Hockney

Clockwise from top left: No. 125, 19th March 2020. iPad painting. No. 340, 21st May 2020. iPad painting. No.186,11thApril2020.iPadpainting. No. 118, 16th March 2020. iPad painting. No. 316, 30th April 2020. iPad painting. No. 88, 3rd March 2020. iPad painting.No. 370, 2nd May 2020. iPad painting. No. 259, 24th April 2020. iPad painting. No. 133, 23rd March 2020. iPad painting.

The sum of the parts

The exhibition is greater than the sum of the parts and it's a mistake to look at them as individual paintings

The impact of seeing them hung - in themes or series - close together on a wall reminds me of exhibitions of Monet's Haystacks (see Monet's series paintings - stacks of wheat (2008) - from which the following quote comes)

Monet was adamant that the series of paintings had an aesthetic quality of its own and that the value of the paintings could only really be appreciated when they were all seen together.

The artworks present well on the background of a dark teal wall. Some would look like quite insipid on an ivory or light coloured wall - but with a dark background they have more impact.

The series I liked the best included:

• The nocturnes - with very bright moons and deep blue skies - which interestingly were not hung together
• the blossom - trees / branches
• plants in pots - indoor and outside (eg 15 and 18 daffodils outside and in bowl indoors)
• pond paintings
• paintings of rain

Monet and series paintings in Normady

It then occurred to me that one of the features of Hockney is that he has at various times reflected on various great artists of the past and created his own interpretation of their works.

It struck me that it's no coincidence that he did these in Normany which is Monet's "home turf" - and that Monet was particularly given to creating series of paintings of the same motifs - seen in different weather / seasons / time of day

A number of the motifs in this exhibition are portrayed in a similar way.

Seeing pictures 

One of Hockney's skills is the ability to "see pictures". A lot of what he's portraying is of absolutely no consequence. Indeed many have commented that his paintings are similar.

I think those critical of the iPad paintings in this exhibition forget two things:

• his age - there are very few artists who continue to create as well a they did in the past as they near he end of their life
• the context - However at a time when the world turned upside down, recording the simple and the familiar and looking closer at nature is something a lot of people did to help keep a grasp on what is real. (I took to posting my photos of plants every day on my Facebook account - from the same date in the past - to keep a grasp on the world outside when we were locked up at home - when Hockney was creating these artworks. Today I posted #492).

What I noticed was that some of the subjects he took great care over - the notable examples being the trees in full blossom - while others which held less interest (bare trees with no foliage) seemed to receive less attention. 

No 57 was particularly joyful and I was surprised not to see it chosen as an image for the postcards.

The colour of skies

I realised partway round how important the colour of the sky was to some of the images and what a variety of colours he had used for skies

Mark-making

He uses the mark-making available in his Brushes software - but I sometimes want to see him experiment more with available software to see what else it can do.... 

The mark-making hasn't really changed over the last decade. Which is a pity.

The visitors

A very white set of visitors in terms of both skin and hair. It's always interesting to see what older ladies think is appropriate dress for a Hockney exhibition at the RA - but then right now, an expedition into central London is something to appreciate and I dare ay a lot were going out for a very nice lunch afterwards

Which I would have been too - but my ankle rebelled....

Art Exhibitions in London opening in May 2021

This post summarises the art exhibitions at the large art galleries and museums in London which will reopen on or after 17th May 2021 - which is the date indoor entertainment venues can reopen after lockdown.

The galleries and museums covered below are:

• Royal Academy of Arts
• National Gallery
• Tate Britain
• Tate Modern
• Wallace Collection
• Hayward Gallery
• Dulwich Gallery
• Whitechapel Gallery

Infinity Mirrored Room - Filled with the Brilliance of Life, 2011 

 © YAYOI KUSAMA

accessioned by the Tate 2019

LINKS TO EXHIBITION WEBPAGES are embedded in the title of the exhibition

Private / commercial art galleries reopened - as part of the reopening of non-essential retail - on 12th April

It would be wrong to suggest things are back to "normal".  Normal may still be some way off. 

• All visits will need to be booked 
• There are additional precautions to maintain social distancing / health and safety.
• You can visit in a group of up to 6 people (remember when you used to be able to talk to friends at an exhibition!)

The government in its roadmap out of lockdown commented as follows

The arts, entertainment and recreation sector (excluding sports, amusement and recreation) has been hit very hard by the pandemic. Pre-COVID-19, this sector was worth £18.3 billion GVA UK wide (£15.5 billion in England) and had 473,000 jobs (400,000 in England). GVA output in the arts, entertainment and recreation sector as a whole compared to February fell by 46% in April, and subsequently to 33% in November; in no month since March has output been above 77% of pre-pandemic levels.[footnote 70] The sector as a whole has also had a high take-up of the furlough scheme, with 455,000 furloughed at peak in spring, and 293,000 furloughed at the end of November. Between 25 January and 7 February, 44% of businesses in the arts, entertainment and recreation sector have paused trading.[footnote 71] Reopening these sectors can allow these businesses to recover revenues and bring back employees.

In other words - get out there and visit some art exhibitions!

Royal Academy

We intend to reopen 18 May when lockdown restrictions have lifted.

If planning to visit more than one exhibition I recommend you read the visiting constraints carefully first - and book your most preferred exhibition first.

We are continuing to prioritise exhibition access for Friends and supporters. However, capacity in our galleries is greatly reduced and sadly we can’t guarantee access if time slots are fully booked.

David Hockney: The Arrival of Spring, Normandy, 2020

THERE ARE LESS TICKETS AND LOTS HAVE SOLD!

All works by David Hockney. © David Hockney
Clockwise from top left: 
No. 125, 19th March 2020. iPad painting. No. 340, 21st May 2020. iPad painting. No.186, 11th April 2020.
iPad painting. No. 118, 16th March 2020. iPad painting. No. 316, 30th April 2020.
iPad painting. No. 88, 3rd March 2020. iPad painting. No. 370, 2nd May 2020. iPad painting. No. 259, 24th April 2020.
iPad painting. No. 133, 23rd March 2020. iPad painting.

Dates: 

• 23 May — 1 August (Main Galleries) SOLD OUT(?) from what I can make out - I couldn't find a ticket
• 11 August - 26 September 2021 (Gabrielle Jungels-Winkler Galleries) - most of August sold out; I'd act quick if you want a ticket
• same artwork in both galleries 
• Book now 

This is an exhibition of 116 new artworks - all created by Hockney on his digital tablet. 

Tracey Emin / Edvard Munch: The Loneliness of the Soul

Dates: 18 May – 1 August

This is the exhibition which should have opened last November - but was nobbled Tier 4 restrictions and then by lockdown.  

• Emin has been a major figure in contemporary art for over 25 years
• Munch pioneered a radical new style known as Expressionism. 
• Emin selects masterpieces by Edvard Munch to show alongside her most recent paintings.

Having viewed the image sheet for the exhibition it's amazing how much similarity there is between the two artists.

Michael Armitage: Paradise Edict

Dates: 22 May – 19 September
Michael Armitage draws from Titian, Goya, Manet and Gauguin to explore East African culture and folklore.  The visit seems to be limited to a time slot of 50 minutes. 

National Gallery

The National Gallery website gives me the distinct impression of a gallery which has decided to cut its losses and definitely is NOT taking any chances with booking art for the first half of 2021 and paying for transport for an exhibition which might be cancelled if another lockdown happens....

Just ONE exhibition opening in May - and it's NOT "a name"

Conversations with God - Jan Matejko’s Copernicus

Dates: 21 May – 22 August 2021 (Room 46)

a rare opportunity to see one of Poland’s most loved works of art.

You have to wait until much later for leading artists.

AUTUMN 2021: 

• Poussin and the Dance - joint exhibition with the Getty (9 October 2021 – 2 January 2022 in the Ground Floor Galleries)
• The Credit Suisse Exhibition: Dürer's Journeys: Travels of a Renaissance Artist (20 November 2021 – 27 February 2022 - in the Sainsbury Wing)

The first major UK exhibition of German Renaissance artist Albrecht Dürer in nearly 20 years.

SPRING 2022: 

• The Credit Suisse Exhibition: Raphael - does not arrive until May 2022! (North Galleries)

Tate Britain

Tate’s four galleries hope to reopen on 17 May. Plan Your Visit or go to our FAQ page for additional information.

Most of the exhibitions are reopening i.e. ones which closed due to Tier 4 and then the lockdown

• Timed tickets must be booked before visiting
• All visitors including Members need to book a ticket
• This ticket includes access to the British art collection routes

The exhibitions include:

• Lynette Yiadom-Boakye: Fly In League With The Night - Until 31 May 2021 (so basically two weeks) - The first black British woman to have a retrospective at the Tate Britain
• Turner's Modern World Until 12 Sep 2021 - How J.M.W. Turner broke convention to paint his changing times. Originally opened 28 October 2020 just in time for Tier 4!

Ongoing exhibitions - which are open all the time and are FREE (but you still have to book a ticket) include:

• Rothko and Turner - The much-loved Rothko room returns to Tate Britain 
• British Art 1540–1930 - Explore over 300 years of British art on this route through Tate Britain 
• British Art 1930–now - Discover movements that have defined a century of British art

Tate Modern

The reopening of Tate Modern

Exhibitions reopening

• Zanele Muholi Until 31 May 2021

NEW Upcoming Exhibitions

• Beuys’ Acorns  Until 14 Nov 2021 (FREE) - should have been open from the beginning of May (hence listed first) IF Tate Modern had been open!

• Yayoi Kusama: Infinity Mirror Rooms (18 May – 21 November 2021) - 2020 was supposed to be a big long Yayoi Kusama exhibition for TM's 20th anniversary - but it was not to be. Instead it's now in 2021 - for its 21st - and we now have:

• Infinity Mirrored Room – Filled with the Brilliance of Life - one of Kusama’s largest installations to date and was made for her 2012 retrospective at Tate Modern. 
• Chandelier of Grief, a room which creates the illusion of a boundless universe of rotating crystal chandeliers.

Tate presents a rare chance to experience two of Yayoi Kusama’s Infinity Mirror Rooms. These immersive installations will transport you into Kusama’s unique vision of endless reflections

• The EY Exhibition: The Making of Rodin (18 May – 21 Nov 2021) This major exhibition is the first to focus on the importance of plaster in his work.

Wallace Collection

Rubens: Reuniting the Great Landscapes

Dates: opens on 21 April 2021. (No closing date given)

For the first time in over two hundred years, Peter Paul Rubens’s (1577-1640) two great masterpieces of landscape painting, The Rainbow Landscape (The Wallace Collection) and A View of Het Steen in the Early Morning (The National Gallery) will be reunited as part of an exhibition at the Wallace Collection.

 

Hayward Gallery

Matthew Barney: Redoubt

Dates: 19 May – 25 July

It features:

• a series of imposing and intricate sculptures cast from fallen trees 
• over 40 engravings and electroplated copper plates. 

The Hayward Gallery presents the artist’s first solo museum presentation in the UK in over a decade, featuring the UK premiere of a ‘breathtakingly beautiful’ new feature-length film.

 

Dulwich Gallery

Unearthed: Photography's Roots

Dates: Re-opening 19 May subject to COVID-19 restrictions, until 30 August 2021

the pioneering story of photography from the 1840s to today, told through stunning still lifes of plants and botany.

 

Whitechapel Gallery

Phantoms of Surrealism

Dates: 19 May – 12 December 2021

This archive exhibition will examine the pivotal role of women as both artists and as behind-the-scenes organisers within the Surrealist movement in Britain in the 1930s.

Plus

• Eileen Agar: Angel of Anarchy (19 May - 29 Aug 2021)
• Desde el Salón (From the Living Room) Sol Calero selects from the Hiscox Collection (19 May - 15 Aug 2021)

and finally......

An unauthorised exhibition of the largest private collection of artworks by Banksy 

will be on show at 50 Earlham Street. It opens 20th May for a limited period - who knows for how long?