Introducing our 2024 exhibitions
Published on 17 May 2023
From Ukranian modernism and Renaissance masters to a landmark decolonial show, we can reveal our stellar programme for next year.
There's a lot of art to look forward to in 2024
From cutting-edge contemporary art to Renaissance treasures, our 2024 programmes gives everyone something to look forward to. Become a Friend of the RA and see all our exhibitions for free.
Our 2024 exhibitions at a glance:
Art, Colonialism and Change
3 February – 28 April
JMW Turner and Ellen Gallagher. Joshua Reynolds and Yinka Shonibare. John Singleton Copley and Hew Locke. Starting with the RA’s foundation in 1768, at the height of Britain’s involvement in the transatlantic slave trade, this show brings together major works to ask how has art shaped narratives of empire, enslavement, resistance and abolition, and what role it might yet play.
1 March – 30 June
One of 18th-century Europe’s most celebrated painters, Angelica Kauffman was also one of two women among the founding members of the RA. This major retrospective charts the Austro-Swiss artist’s remarkable rise to stardom, foregrounding her pioneering portraits and history paintings, as well as some of her finest self-portraits.
18 June – 18 August
The annual fixture in art lovers’ calendars returns to the Main Galleries with a new Royal Academician – to be announced later this year – conducting its vast hang alongside a committee of fellow RAs. The open-submission show receives thousands of entries each year, a selection of which are put on display and available to buy. Funds from the show support the RA’s non-profit activities, including the Royal Academy Schools.
Modernism in Ukraine, 1900-1930s
29 June – 13 October
A bold period of artistic experimentation flourished in Ukraine between 1900 and 1930, against a backdrop of political turmoil, collapsing empires and the fight for independence. In the most comprehensive UK exhibition of modern art from Ukraine to date, over 70 works, many loaned from Ukrainian institutions to safeguard them during the present-day Russian invasion, help to tell this fascinating story.
21 September – 10 December
A key figure in British art, Michael Craig-Martin RA came to prominence in the late 1960s with works which fused elements of Pop Art, minimalism and conceptual art. Alongside his trailblazing practice, he also became a leading art educator, inspiring a younger generation of artists including the YBAs. In his largest UK show to date, the Royal Academy presents landmark works from throughout Craig-Martin’s career, including polychromatic paintings drawings, installations, sculpture and prints.
Florence, c. 1504
9 November – 16 February 2025
On 25 January 1504, Florence’s most prominent artists met to advise on a location for Michelangelo’s David. Among them was Leonardo da Vinci, who – like Michelangelo – had only recently returned to his native city. With a focus on some of their finest drawings, the show explores the pair’s rivalry, and their influence on the young Raphael.
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