It is the world's largest open-submission exhibition, displaying more than 1,000 works in all styles and media, including painting, printmaking, photography, sculpture, architectural models and film.
Now in its 245th year, the Royal Academy of Arts Summer Exhibition 2013 will be coordinated by the
Royal Academicians Norman Ackroyd RA and Eva Jiricna RA. The Summer Exhibition continues to
be the world’s largest open submission contemporary art show, providing a platform for both
emerging and established artists to showcase their work to an international audience. The majority of
the works will be for sale, offering visitors an opportunity to purchase original artwork by the artists
selected for the show. The diverse media will include painting, sculpture, photography, printmaking,
architecture and film. Marking the start of London’s summer cultural season, the Summer Exhibition
will present a snapshot of living artists today and provide a unique experience for visitors to view and
buy art.
The works of art will be carefully selected by a committee of ten Royal Academicians and with the
guidance of the two lead coordinators, the galleries will exhibit over 1,000 exceptional artworks, many
of which will go on public display for the first time.
Printmaker Norman Ackroyd RA will highlight the range and quality of printmaking, as well as
hanging works by fellow Royal Academicians and Honorary Royal Academicians. Eva Jiricna RA will
co-ordinate the architecture gallery and her curatorial direction will seek to blur the boundaries
between architecture and sculpture with particular focus on experimental design. Other members of
the Summer Exhibition committee include Humphrey Ocean RA, who will hang the small works’
galleries and John Wragg RA who, together with John Maine RA, will arrange the sculpture galleries.
Grayson Perry RA will show his series of six tapestries entitled The Vanity of Small Differences,
telling the story of the rise and demise of Tim Rakewell, inspired by Hogarth’s A Rake’s Progress.
Exploring Perry’s fascination with aesthetic taste and social mobility, the tapestries are composed of
characters, incidents and objects he encountered on journeys through Sunderland, Tunbridge Wells
and the Cotswolds.
This year the Summer Exhibition will have a room dedicated to portraiture, which will include
photography and works on paper, along with new works by Frank Auerbach, Tom Phillips RA,
Michael Craig-Martin RA and Alex Katz. This focus will acknowledge the historic role that portraiture
has played at the Royal Academy’s Summer Exhibition and the enduring importance of this genre
within artistic practice today. Further highlights include a new large-scale sculpture by Anthony Caro
RA and artwork by the newly elected Royal Academicians Ron Arad, Sean Scully and Jock
McFadyen.Christopher Le Brun, President of the Royal Academy of Arts says, “One of the founding principles of
the Academy was to 'mount an annual exhibition open to all artists of distinguished merit' to finance
the training of young artists in the RA Schools. This has been held every year without interruption
since 1769. The Royal Academy receives no public funding so each purchase made at the Summer
Exhibition directly contributes to maintaining our free art school’.
Following on from last year’s successful BBC Two Summer Exhibition Culture Show Special, the
Royal Academy is delighted to be working with the BBC once more.
WOLLASTON AWARD AND OTHER PRIZES
Established in 1978, the Royal Academy of Arts Charles Wollaston Award is, at £25,000, one of the
largest and most prestigious art prizes in Britain. Previous winners include: Anselm Kiefer Hon RA
(2012), Alison Wilding RA (2011), Yinka Shonibare (2010), Jeff Koons Hon RA (2008), Gavin Turk
(2007), Jake and Dinos Chapman (2003), Alan Charlton (2002), Marc Quinn (2001), Gerard
Hemsworth (2000) and David Hockney RA (1999). The winner of the 2013 Wollaston Award will be
announced on Wednesday 29 May.
Each year, the Summer Exhibition recognises artists of exceptional merit by awarding over £60,000
prize money donated by commercial sponsors.
SUMMER EXHIBITION COMMITTEE
The Summer Exhibition Committee for 2013 includes Royal Academicians Norman Ackroyd, Eva
Jiricna, Anne Desmet, Peter Freeth, Richard MacCormac, John Maine, Humphrey Ocean, Mick
Rooney and John Wragg.
SPONSOR’S STATEMENT
Insight Investment is proud to continue its long association with the Royal Academy of Arts. It is a
partnership that reflects shared values: the importance of striving for excellence, the value of
education and the potency of creative thinking.
This is Insight Investment’s eighth year as the lead sponsor of the Summer Exhibition. When the
Royal Academy was established, a central objective was to create an exhibition open to all artists of
merit that could be visited by the public. In the past 245 years it has become the world’s largest open
exhibition and an established part of the summer social calendar.
Insight Investment’s history is shorter. In a little over a decade we have grown into one of the largest
active managers in the UK, with approaching £229 billion* of assets under management. This record
of growth has been achieved by following a simple philosophy. We first listen carefully to our clients;
only then do we propose an investment solution. Our clients include pension funds, insurers,
companies, sovereign wealth funds and individuals.
Artistic inspiration is a potent part of the human experience. We hope all visitors to the Summer
Exhibition will be inspired by the passion and creativity on display.
* £228.7bn at 31 Dec 2012. Assets under management are represented by the value of cash
securities and other economic exposure managed for clients.
www.insightinvestment.com
The Royal Academy of Arts was founded by George III in 1768. It has a unique position in being an
independent, privately funded institution led by eminent artists and architects whose purpose is to
promote the creation, enjoyment and appreciation of the visual arts through exhibitions, education
and debate.
Image: El Anatsui, TSIATSIA - searching for connection, 2013,
Aluminium, (bottle-tops, printing plates, roofing sheets) and copper wire, 15 x 23 metres © Benedict Johnson
For further press information, please contact Alexandra Bradley on tel: 020 7300 5615 or email
press.office@royalacademy.org.uk
Royal Academy of Arts
Burlington House
Piccadilly - London W1J OBD
10am – 6pm daily (last admission 5.30pm)
Late night opening: Fridays until 10pm (last admission 9.30pm)
ADMISSION
Admission prices include the List of Works giving details on every exhibit in the show.
£10 full price; concessions available; under 12s go free. Friends of the RA go free.