Stories from the Past — Visions of the Future
The Royal Academy and its Buildings
20 May - 20 Sep 2015
William Kent
Banquet of the Gods, 1719-20.
Oil on canvas. © Royal Academy of Arts (Photo: R.A./Marcus Leith).
Banquet of the Gods, 1719-20.
Oil on canvas. © Royal Academy of Arts (Photo: R.A./Marcus Leith).
Burlington house in Pickadilly London From Colen Campbell, Vitruvius Britannicus, vol.I, London (pl.32),
After Colen Campbell, 1715.
Engraved Henry Hulsbergh. © Royal Academy of Arts.
After Colen Campbell, 1715.
Engraved Henry Hulsbergh. © Royal Academy of Arts.
Exhibition Room, Somerset House,
John Hill, Thomas Rowlandson and Augustus Charles Pugin, 1808-10.
Engraving. Published by Rudolph Ackermann. © Royal Academy of Arts.
John Hill, Thomas Rowlandson and Augustus Charles Pugin, 1808-10.
Engraving. Published by Rudolph Ackermann. © Royal Academy of Arts.
Gallery IX, Burlington House after the explosion of a German bomb in 1917
© Royal Academy of Arts, London
© Royal Academy of Arts, London
The Sackler Wing under construction
© Royal Academy of Arts, London
© Royal Academy of Arts, London
A reconstruction of Lady Juliana’s staircase at Burlington House as decorated by Sebastiano Ricci
Photo © Country Life
Photo © Country Life
Enfilade view through the Fine Rooms – Royal Academy of Arts, London
Photo © Francis Ware
Photo © Francis Ware
Cross-section of the Royal Academy’s site in 2018
Image: David Chipperfield Architects
Image: David Chipperfield Architects
STORIES FROM THE PAST — VISIONS OF THE FUTURE
The Royal Academy and its Buildings
20 May — 20 September 2015
Marking the moment we embark on the most significant transformation of our home for nearly 150 years, this exhibition explores the past and future of the RA’s buildings.
The RA is home to four centuries of architectural history. From distant beginnings as town-palace on the edge of London, Victorian transformations with the arrival of the Royal Academy, and the construction of 6 Burlington Gardens, to twentieth and twenty-first century interventions of The Sackler Wing and the Keeper’s House, our buildings are a palimpsest of architectural interest and invention.
This rich legacy has provided the basis for a major building project designed by architect David Chipperfield RA that will open up the Royal Academy for the twenty-first century. A new bridge building will link Burlington House and Burlington Gardens, unifying our site for the first time, while Burlington Gardens will be overhauled with refurbished galleries, a new Clore Learning Centre and a 260-capacity lecture theatre.
Complete in time for the 250th anniversary of the RA’s foundation in 2018, the project lays the ground the next stage in our history.
The Royal Academy and its Buildings
20 May — 20 September 2015
Marking the moment we embark on the most significant transformation of our home for nearly 150 years, this exhibition explores the past and future of the RA’s buildings.
The RA is home to four centuries of architectural history. From distant beginnings as town-palace on the edge of London, Victorian transformations with the arrival of the Royal Academy, and the construction of 6 Burlington Gardens, to twentieth and twenty-first century interventions of The Sackler Wing and the Keeper’s House, our buildings are a palimpsest of architectural interest and invention.
This rich legacy has provided the basis for a major building project designed by architect David Chipperfield RA that will open up the Royal Academy for the twenty-first century. A new bridge building will link Burlington House and Burlington Gardens, unifying our site for the first time, while Burlington Gardens will be overhauled with refurbished galleries, a new Clore Learning Centre and a 260-capacity lecture theatre.
Complete in time for the 250th anniversary of the RA’s foundation in 2018, the project lays the ground the next stage in our history.