Thu, 20/06/2019 - 14:51
Larry has been selected by Jock to hang in a much coveted spot in Gallery III and is among 1,500 artworks on show this year and was also one of the few works included in the staff favourite's collection https://se.royalacademy.org.uk/selections/our-favourites?page=1
Run without interruption since 1769, the Summer Exhibition is the world’s largest open submission art show and brings together art in all mediums by leading artists, Royal Academicians and household names as well as new and emerging talent.
This year, acclaimed British painter Jock McFadyen RA took the mantle from Grayson Perry to co-ordinate the 251st Summer Exhibition and attracted 14,000 entries. The final pieces are then selected purely on the basis of the art as the artist’s name is unknown to the judges.
Fi comments: “The varnishing day experience was particularly special, gathering with other artists and Royal Academicians in the courtyard and then forming a procession to go to the Church service. It felt moving to know that many other artists had walked that walk too and that many more will follow. This ritual has taken place every year for 251 years, even through WWI and WWII.
To me, the service itself was an acknowledgement of both the beauty and power of creativity and made me mindful that art can change perspectives and impact the world for the better.”
A BBC programme about the Royal Academy Summer Exhibition is available on iPlayer
https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m00062gt
To find out more about the exhibition visit https://www.royalacademy.org.uk/exhibition/summer-exhibition-2019
To find out more about Fi, her work and Larry visit www.fiburke.com