Photo: londondrum.comUseful things to know before your visit
Address: Royal Academy of Arts, Burlington House, Piccadilly W1J 0BD. Telephone: 0207 300 8090. Website: royalacademy.org
How much do the tickets cost?
The Royal Academy of Arts is free, but temporary exhibitions might cost extra.
What are the opening hours?
Opening times are 10am to 6pm (Tue-Thu and Sat-Sun, Jan to mid Jun and late Aug to Dec); 10am to 6pm (Tue-Thu and Sun, mid Jun to late Aug); 10am to 9pm (Fri, Jan to mid Jun and Sep to Dec); 10am to 9pm (Fri-Sat, mid Jun to late Aug).
How much time do you need?
A typical visit to the Royal Academy of Arts takes 1 hour.
Which buses go to the Royal Academy of Arts?
Bus routes 14, 19, 22 and 38 all stop close by.
Which is the closest train station?
The nearest station is Piccadilly Circus, which connects with the Bakerloo and Piccadilly lines. You can walk the ¼ mile to the Royal Academy of Arts in about 5 minutes.
Which other attractions are nearby?
These attractions are all within 15 minutes walk of the Royal Academy of Arts: Burlington Arcade, Piccadilly Circus, Carnaby Street, St. James’s Palace, Handel & Hendrix in London, Green Park, Chinatown, Leicester Square, National Gallery, National Portrait Gallery and Trafalgar Square.
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Email My review of the Royal Academy of Arts
This place is much more than an art gallery, it’s an exclusive club for great painters, printmakers, sculptors and architects. Actors have the Garrick, politicians have the Lords, and artists have the Royal Academy. Its list of luminaries includes JMW Turner, John Constable, Joshua Reynolds, John Everett Millais and Thomas Gainsborough. In recent years they’ve admitted the likes of David Hockney, Grayson Perry, Antony Gormley and Tracey Emin.
The Collection Gallery
Most people visit the gallery for the blockbuster exhibitions but if you’re just here for the free stuff then head for the Collection Gallery at the back of the building. Every time the Academy accepts a new member they make them donate a painting to the collection, and this is what makes up the bulk of their display.
Photo: londondrum.comThe two standout pieces are Sir James Thornhill’s Paul Preaching In The Areopagus (he’s the same guy who did the famous Painted Hall in Greenwich) and a 16th-century copy of Leonardo da Vinci’s The Last Supper, which is supposed to include details no longer visible in the real thing. These monumental paintings measure 14 feet and 25 feet across, and cover up two entire walls.
Other highlights include Michelangelo’s marble Taddei Tondo, some life-size copies of classical statues like the Venus de Milo, and a couple of tiny landscapes by John Constable.
Photo: londondrum.comThere are also some interesting little bits and pieces that you wouldn’t normally find in a gallery, like Joshua Reynolds’ crusted paint palette and one of his messy experiments that he probably forgot to throw away.
At the back of the main gallery you’ll also find an 11-metre tall wall highlighting a few of the interesting features found on the Acadamian’s architectural works.
It’s all certainly worth a visit (if only to peer inside its impressive courtyard) but given how much art they must have accumulated over the last 250 years you can’t help but wonder why they haven’t got more of it on display. The free stuff is crammed into just a few rooms and corridors, and if you don’t want to stump up for the exhibition then you can easily see it all inside an hour.
I’ve ranked the Royal Academy of Arts as ★7 in my top 10 London galleries
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What do you think? (6)
Average rating ★★★★★★★★★★Ask a question, or share your experience of the Royal Academy of Arts
Pat Thank you for reminding us about The Last Supper at the Royal Academy, which I haven’t seen for many years now. We visited for my birthday after having a delightful tea at Fortnum & Masons – which I very much recommend as well! (reply)
e Chambers There is always an interesting exhibition on but I love the cafe and I often visit just to have a cake and a coffee. (reply)
peter rogers The National Gallery has the best permanent collection but the RA and King’s Gallery have the best exhibitions. Their Gauguin exhibition was excellent as usual. (reply)
MVilliers The quality can be a bit up and down in the summer exhibition but it’s always worth attending with a good variety of art on show. (reply)
Tm How do I enter my own work to the summer exhibition? Is it allowed? (reply)
↳Craig Hi TM, you can certainly give it a go. Here are the details on their website – royalacademy.org.uk/summer-exhibition-terms (reply)
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