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Burlington House,
Piccadilly,
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In 1768, 36 artists and architects signed a petition to “establish a society for promoting the Arts of Design” and proposed and an annual exhibition. When it was presented to the king, George III, he said yes. That is how the Royal Academy of Arts and the Summer Exhibitions were born.
The first home of the Royal Academy of Arts was Somerset House, designed by Sir William Chambers and which houses today, the Courtauld Gallery. It moved to Trafalgar Square in the 1830s with the National Gallery before moving to its final home in 1867, in Burlington House.
The collection contains about 935 paintings, 350 sculptures, 700 plaster casts, 25,000 prints and drawings and 5,000 historic photographs. Its central focus is on British art and artists from the 18th century to the present day.
Angelica Kauffman RA was one of the most celebrated artists of the 18th century. In this major exhibition, The Royal Academy trace her trajectory from child prodigy to one of Europe's most sought-after painters. This exhibition covers Kauffman’s life and work: her rise to fame in London, her role as a founding member of the Royal Academy and her later career in Rome where her studio became a hub for the city’s cultural life.