2024 is the year of trying new things so I booked a trip to the renowned Summer Exhibition 2024 Royal Academy in London. Both the kids attend extra art lessons and this is somewhere I’ve been meaning to take them for a few years. The Summer Exhibition is an annual exhibition and has taken place every year since 1769, featuring the work of established and emerging artists.

Summer Exhibition 2024 Royal Academy of Arts

Artists can submit their work (along with a fee, of course) and a panel of judges produce a list of those which are worthy of being hung on the hallowed walls of the Royal Academy. The works are subsequently hung and for sale, and appear in the List of Works which you are handed as you show your entrance ticket. Adults pay a whopping £22 for a ticket to see these approved works, whilst fortunately kids go free.

We headed into London for our trip to the Summer Exhibition, walking from Green Park station to Burlington House on Piccadilly.

The art was closely packed in over the walls. We spent a lot of time in the first room before realising that there were many rooms, with walls full of pieces of art. The exhibition was very busy but we were able to see everything we wanted as we wandered around each room. The kids took lots of photos of their favourite pieces. I took some of my favourites too, there were  all kinds, from cut paper, to textiles and mosaics:

a cat made from Tunnocks wrappers:

 

to altered books and more

Some were covered in red dots which meant people were interested in buying them – although I’m not sure what happens if more than person is interested, some were covered in more than one red dot.

Altogether we had a fun experience at the Summer Exhibition 2024 Royal Academy of Arts. There were so many items to look at that we could have gone back again and again and still not seen everything.