Academy
23 July - 01 September 2024
THIS EXHIBITION HAS NOW CLOSED. PLEASE VIEW OUR CURRENT AND UPCOMING EXHIBITIONS.
Academy is an exhibition celebrating The Royal West of England’s building and its role as an institution since it was founded in 1844 by Ellen Sharples.
The building was opened to the public in 1858 becoming Bristol’s first art gallery and was granted the royal title by George V in 1913. The gallery achieved accredited museum status in 2011.
The Grade II* listed building is the UK’s only Royal Academy of Art housed in its own, purpose built, gallery. In 2021 the building underwent a £4.8m transformation – opening up access for a range of additional activities.
This exhibition shows selected pieces from the RWA collection charting the evolution of the building and some of the people who have contributed to it over its 180 year history.
Alongside the historical pieces are working drawings for the new lift by Peter Randall- Page RA RWA and plans and drawings for the new entrance gates by Toni Davey RWA.
This is a free exhibition in the Kenny Gallery, upstairs at the RWA, and runs alongside our 3 major exhibitions, Windrush: Portraits of a Pioneering Generation, Rasheed Araeen: Conscious Forms and Valda Jackson: Miss Polly.
Lead image:
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