- Where?
- Royal Academy of Arts, Burlington House, Piccadilly
- When?
- 18th June to 18th August 2024
- Price?
- Admission fee applies · See royalacademy.org
- Parking:
- Nearby car parks
- Buses:
- 14, 19, 22, 38
- Bus fares
- Trains:
- The closest station is Piccadilly Circus Bakerloo Piccadilly
- Other nearby stations: Green Park and Oxford Circus
- Train fares
Have you ever dreamed of seeing your art on the wall of one of London's art galleries?
The Royal Academy of Art's Summer Exhibition is the largest open contemporary art exhibition in the world, showcasing a wide range of new and recent works by established, emerging and unknown artists.
The exhibition usually attracts around 12,000 entrants every year, which are then judged and the best are placed on the walls of the Main Galleries, providing the lucky artists with a platform to sell their paintings, prints, photographs, sculptures and films.
Visitors can pick up a catalogue when they enter and bid for any artworks they like.
Your comments and questions
Pete Many moons ago I entered the Summer Exhibition at the Royal Academy and didn't get in. When I went to pick up my painting and saw everything else alongside it I realised how 'normal' my painting was. They are looking for things that stand out when they hang them on the wall. If your painting is technically good, but otherwise pretty normal, then forget it. They will not give it a second look. For this exhibition technique is not the most important thing. You need to have an style that is unique to you. It's the same as music. If all you are is a decent singer, then you've got no chance. But if you chuck in a weird haircut and a geeky attitude that makes you stand out, then your odds of getting on the wall go up remarkably.
Henry I try and go every year because there's always a great mix of art. They have portraits, landscapes, still life, abstract art. Naturally, with some it being done by amateurs it can be hit and miss, but a lot of contemporary artists these days can't paint for toffee, and its nice to see that normal everyday people can sometimes beat them at it