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RA Summer Exhibition

Posted Thursday, June 5th, 2008 at 14:02

I love the Royal Academy’s Summer Exhibition. It’s a sort of Open Access for artists, “the RA goes fotoLibra.” And there is conventional, understandable art as well as some more, shall we say, recherché work.

In fact the more I look at the wilder excesses of the art world the more I fret about my homely, suburban, conventional taste. A clip on BBC Breakfast TV this morning showed Von and me looking bored in front of the (non-working) shagging zebra — I think it’s called “In The Old Fashioned Way” — in the Tracy Emin-curated Room VIII, designed to SHOCK. But I’m so cynical nowadays that nothing shocks me any more, except perhaps the prices the artists are attempting to charge. Most of the stuff in Tracy’s room wasn’t for sale, but have a look at this:

London Derrière

London Derrière by Allen Jones RA, yours for £70,500. Surely only Tory MPs could afford or want this?

I did enjoy Michael Craig-Martin’s works “Lust” and “Death”, unpriced but certainly more than I could afford:

Death

and with the enjoyment of a child attempting to decipher a picture puzzle I found a fire extinguisher, metronome, glove, umbrella and drawer. What does it mean? Haven’t a clue.

His “Self-Portrait” was highly ingenious, a line and tone image on an LCD monitor which when I turned back to it after 5 minutes had imperceptibly changed colour and carried on doing so presumably at random and ad infinitum.

The Small Weston Room was packed wainscot to ceiling with tiny paintings. Next to the Architecture room, this was where I felt most comfortable. In my dim, middle class, middlebrow way I remain impressed by people who have mastered their craft, and are not afraid to show it. I wouldn’t mind an introduction to Nicholas Granger-Taylor’s model “Lucile”, either (£11,000 to you).

Some of the paintings here approached affordability. Several were under £1,ooo. But the Summer Exhibition is not simply a selling show; it’s an annual slice through Britain’s artistic life. Admittedly to my mind the Refusés have taken over the Salle, but it shows that conventional painting is not dead yet.

And if I could walk away with one piece? It would be the stainless steel ping-pong table by Ron Arad.

Not For Sale.

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3 Responses to “RA Summer Exhibition”

  1. jamie partridge Says:
    June 9th, 2008 at 00:27

    hello. i came across your site looking for information on the RA summer show (i was lucky enough to have a piece there).

    you have a very interesting blog.

    harlech is a lovely place.

  2. Gwyn Says:
    June 9th, 2008 at 11:04

    And I see we’re neighbours in London! Sorry I missed your piece but with over 1,000 entries it’s hard to remember them all. Congratulations on being selected. I’m extremely impressed.

  3. Mick Sargent Says:
    June 16th, 2008 at 23:10

    Congratulations Jamie. How many efforts before you got accepted?, or was it first time lucky?.
    I had an oil painting rejected a few years back and left it at that. I may try again one day, who knows?. I still have the rejection letter somewhere(I think). Maybe someone would like a photo of it. Gwyn?. I also have the dubious satisfaction of knowing that I was rejected by David Hockney(among others).
    Regarding the pricing of the various works, the RA relies on The Summer Exhibition to raise the lions’ share of it’s annual income. Therefore, it is my view, a little too cynical perhaps, that works may be rejected for being too lowly priced, as much as for their artistic merit. Perhaps I should have added an extra nought. Mind you, if it really was crap, perhaps two noughts would have been necessary.


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