Royal Academy

The first Royal Academy of Arts (RA) founded in 1768 in Burlington House on Piccadilly in London. The exhibition of contemporary art, open to all artists, opened on 25 April 1769 and ran until 27 May 1769. 136 works of art were shown and this exhibition, now known as the "Royal Academy Summer Exhibition", has been staged annually without interruption to the present day. RA has a lot in common with museums and other galleries, but as an Academy, it has a broader role – to promote not just the appreciation and understanding of art, but also its practice. In 2018, the Academy's 250th anniversary, the results of a major refurbishment were unveiled.

Tuesday–Sunday: 10am–6pm Friday: 10am–9pm