We are staunch defenders of the Royal Academy’s summer art-fest but oh dear, this year’s Summer Exhibition stretches goodwill. Julia found more to love than I did. Highlights included Nicola Turner's hairy, tentacled monster in the Courtyard and sculptures generally. We both agreed that there is just too much crammed in and this year’s theme, 'Making Space', didn't add much cohesion. The architecture rooms in particular are a mess.
That said, as always, there are some goodies to find. Going round as a family, everyone armed with a List of Works, checking the price tag attached to your particular favourite remains a fun way to visit a show and a snapshot of what artists (both professional and amateur) are creating.
a PS: We sent a couple of six formers to see the show last week and they LOVED it!
The Summer Exhibition 2024 18 June–18 Aug. Tickets: £22, U16s free.
If you want to be wowed by arresting, powerful paintings, walk through the Royal Academy's impressive stone internal passageway, past the RA Schools show, to the Burlington Gardens entrance.
In the Eye of the Storm: Modernism in the Ukraine 1900–1930 fills three upstairs galleries. Exuberantly coloured canvases, Cubist touches, fabulous theatre designs, the impact of Stalin, this is both a joy to look at and a fantastic 20th century history lesson. Go!
In the Eye of the Storm: Modernism in Ukraine 1900–1930s 29 June–13 Oct. Tickets: £17 adults, U16s free.
Emily Turner, 7 July 2024
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