With a history of 247 years, the world’s oldest open-submission exhibition, the Royal Academy Summer Exhibition continues offering a snapshot of contemporary art – and this year’s exhibition is a riot of colour, variety and discovery with over 1,100 works spilling out from their galleries.
This year, the exhibition is co-ordinated by Michael Craig-Martin RA – a leading artist of his generation and the teacher who nurtured the talents of Gary Hume, Sarah Lucas and Damien Hirst. His distinctive creative vision has resulted in room after room bursting with variety, colour and remarkable new work by leading and emerging artists – all handpicked from over 12,000 entries.
With many works in the exhibition on sale, the show also gives you a chance to own some original art while supporting the historic Royal Academy schools; artwork sales help them to continue the free tuition that we have offered for nearly 250 years.
With everything from painting, printmaking and sculpture through to installation, photography and film, this is a show unlike any other.
// Con una storia di 247 anni, la più antica mostra a partecipazione aperta, la Royal Academy Summer Exhibition continua ad offrire una istantanea dell’arte contemporanea – e la mostra di quest’anno è un tumulto di colori, varietà e scoperta con più di 1.100 opere che abitano le gallerie dell’accademia.
L’edizione del 2015 è stata co-cordinata da Michael Craig-Martin – artista e insegnante importante della sua generazione che ha cresciuto e promosso artisti del calibro di Gary Hume, Sarah Lucas e Damien Hirst. La sua peculiare visione creativa si traduce sala dopo sala in una varietà di colori e una notevole scelta di artisti giovani così come affermati, tutti scelti di persona tra 12.000 domande di partecipazione.
Con gran parte delle opere esposte messe in vendita, la mostra dà anche la possibilità di acquistare pezzi d’arte originali sostenendo le storiche scuole della Royal Academy; le vendite delle opere infatti permettono loro di continuare ad offrire insegnamenti gratuiti come succede ormai da quasi 250 anni.
Con pittura, disegno e scultura fino ad arrivare all’installazione, fotografia e film, questa mostra si prospetta diversa da tutte le altre.

Michael Craig-Martin CBE RA unveiling a new site-specific artwork by Jim Lambie for the Summer Exhibition 2015 © David Parry, Royal Academy of Arts

Michael Craig-Martin CBE RA curates explosion of colour in Gallery III of the Summer Exhibition 2015 © David Parry, Royal Academy of Arts

Works on display in Gallery II of the Summer Exhibition 2015 © David Parry, Royal Academy of Arts

Gallery III of the Summer Exhibition 2015 © David Parry, Royal Academy of Arts

The Central Hall of the Summer Exhibition 2015 © David Parry, Royal Academy of Arts

View of the Lecture Room. Ph. John Bodkin, DawkinsColour © Royal Academy of Arts
Summer Exhibition 2015
8 June – 16 August 2015
Royal Academy of Arts
Burlington House, Piccadilly,
London, W1J 0BD
T: 020 7300 8000
comment@royalacademy.org.uk
Mon // Sun 10 am – 6 pm
Fri 10 am – 10 pm
For further infos please refer to the gallery website.