Royal Academy of Arts

Burlington House
Piccadilly
London W1J OBD
Tel: 020 7300 8000
Fax: 020 7300 8001
www.royalacademy.org.uk

THE SUMMER EXHIBITION GOES SKY HIGH

This year architecture takes a prominent role in the Royal Academy’s Summer Exhibition for the first time, following the exhibition’s special focus on sculpture last year. Royal Academician, Lord Foster will present a unique display focused on tall buildings. Highlights of the Summer Exhibition 2003 also include a gallery showcasing work by the cream of young artists from four major London art colleges, one room devoted to the work of the late Spanish sculptor, Eduardo Chillida, and a spectacular sculpture by David Mach in the RA Annenberg Courtyard. The RA’s annual Summer Exhibition, sponsored for the fifth consecutive year by A. T. Kearney, continues to draw together a wide range of new work by living artists, and features painting, sculpture, printmaking, drawing as well as architectural models. The majority of works in the exhibition are for sale.

The Summer Exhibition 2003 will feature a gallery dedicated to the design and construction of tall buildings. Curated by internationally renowned architect, Lord Foster, this dramatic display - Sky High - will present both early high rise buildings and some of the most innovative skyscrapers currently being designed worldwide, through the use of models, videos and interactive programmes. This display will offer visitors a fascinating glimpse into the future of vertical architecture, by exploring the most recent technical innovations powering the race for the clouds.

In another innovative new development, some of the most talented young artists studying and working in London will be invited to submit work to the Summer Exhibition. In a unique collaboration between four London art schools - the RA Schools, the Royal College of Art, Goldsmiths College and the Slade School of Fine Art - work by students and recent graduates from all four colleges will be displayed side by side, enabling visitors to see and buy work by some of the future stars of the art world.

This year the Senior Hanger of the Summer Exhibition is the acclaimed painter, Fred Cuming RA, renowned for his lyrical land and seascapes. Continuing the developments of recent years, the key components of the exhibition will once again be highlighted by separating them into distinct areas: invited artists, Royal Academicians and open submissions. One gallery will be devoted to the work of the great Spanish sculptor and Honorary Academician, Eduardo Chillida, who died last year.

Visitors to the Summer Exhibition will be greeted in the RA Annenberg Courtyard by a giant sculpture of a fire-eater by David Mach RA. This is the sixth year of the free sculpture programme in the Courtyard, which has previously featured work by Antony Gormley, Eduardo Paolozzi, Tony Cragg and Gary Hume.

Anthony Green RA will be the featured artist in this year's Summer Exhibition. One of Britain's most original artists, Green's work blurs the boundaries between painting and sculpture, to create unusual shaped paintings and free-standing structures. The gallery will be devoted to his huge sculpture 'Resurrection', a deeply personal celebration of the artist's life and faith, which toured cathedrals across the UK in 2000.

This year over £70,000 of prize money will be awarded to artists of exceptional merit donated by commercial and industrial sponsors as well as by generous individuals. The RA Charles Wollaston Award is at £25,000 one of the largest and most prestigious art prizes in Britain. The Summer Exhibition 2003 sees the addition of substantial new prizes. The largest new award is the Winsor & Newton Turner Watercolour Award for £5000. The British Institution Awards will be given out for the first time in the Summer Exhibition, with four prizes of £1000 awarded to students in the categories of painting, sculpture, architecture and works on paper.

The President of the Royal Academy - sculptor Professor Phillip King - traditionally chairs the Summer Exhibition Selection Committee. Also on the Committee for 2003, drawn from the council of the RA, are Fred Cuming, Senior Hanger, Ann Christopher, Bill Woodrow, John Wragg (Sculptors), Gus Cummins, Ken Howard, John Hoyland, Mick Moon, Brendan Neiland, Anthony Whishaw, (Painters), Eileen Cooper (Printmaker), Edward Cullinan and Norman Foster (Architects).

EVENTS PROGRAMME
The Summer Exhibition 2003 will be complemented by a diverse programme of special events, evening lectures and gallery talks. The programme will include series of high profile lectures by leading architects including the RA Annual Architecture Lecture, given this year by Italian architect, Renzo Piano.

For families there will be specific gallery talks, plus family workshops. For children aged between 8 and 13 there will be a free printed guide sheet to the exhibition. Activity trays, including art materials, will be available for younger visitors to create their own works of art. There will also be music workshops given in the Summer Exhibition by musicians from the London Philharmonic Orchestra.

PUBLICATIONS
In addition to the Summer Exhibition Illustrated, which this year will be edited by art critic and writer, Frank Whitford, RA Publications will be producing a dedicated book on tall buildings to accompany the architecture display by Lord Foster.

SPONSORSHIP
Global management consultancy A.T. Kearney continue their long running sponsorship of the Summer Exhibition - 2003 is the fifth year. The firm has a history of commitment to art and artists, holding annual exhibitions at its offices in London and initiating the ‘Portraits of Business’ programme – this latter initiative was first introduced four years ago to create dialogue between the arts and business communities. Each year A.T. Kearney commission Royal Academicians to create visual impressions of well known businesses – companies involved in the past have included Ford, Unilever, Cadbury Schwepes and Rolls-Royce. This year, Chris Orr RA is working with HSBC.

A.T. Kearney’s UK Managing Director, Carl Hanson says:
“Our involvement in one of the UK’s most important annual arts exhibitions is a great source of pride, not just for A. T. Kearney, but also for our clients and partners across the globe who view this as a tangible example of our commitment to the arts.”

A.T. Kearney (www.atkearney.com) is one of the world's largest and fastest-growing management consulting firms. With a global presence that includes more than 60 offices in 37 countries, spanning major and emerging markets, A.T. Kearney provides strategic, operational, organisational and technology consulting and executive search services to the world's leading companies. A.T. Kearney is the high-value management consulting subsidiary of global services leader EDS.

DATES AND OPENING HOURS
Press View: Wednesday 28 May 2003
Open to the public: Monday 2 June - Sunday 10 August 2003
10am - 6pm daily (last admission 5.30pm)
Late night opening: Fridays until 10pm (last admission 9.30pm)

ADMISSION
£7.00 full price, £6.00 60 years+ and registered disabled; £5.00 NUS; £3.00 12-18 years and Income Support; £2.00 9-11 years (tbc)

TICKETS
Tickets are available daily at the RA. To book tickets in advance please tel: 0870 848 8484 or tel: 0870 830 0201. Groups of 10+ are asked to book in advance. Please tel: 020 7300 5995, fax: 020 7300 5781 or email: groupbookings@royalacademy.org.uk

For further press information, please contact Caroline Atkinson or Sarah Davies on tel: 020 7300 5615/5610, fax: 020 7300 5886, or email press.office@royalacademy.org.uk
For public information, please print 020 7300 8000 or www.royalacademy.org.uk 01/04/03

ARCHITECTURE IN THE SUMMER EXHIBITION 2003

Architecture will play a prominent role in the Summer Exhibition 2003. As well as a gallery dedicated to architecture, which includes models and drawings by some of the world's leading architectural practices, the Summer Exhibition will feature a special display dedicated to the design and construction of tall buildings. Curated by Royal Academician, Lord Foster, this dramatic display - Sky High: Vertical Architecture - will present both early high rise buildings and some of the most innovative skyscrapers currently being designed worldwide, through the use of models, videos and interactive programmes.

Sky High will present some of the most exciting skyscraper designs of the past, present and future. Some 50 projects will be on display, by international architects including Richard Rogers, Skidmore Owings and Merrill, Massimiliano Fuksas and Renzo Piano. Historic designs including the Seagram HQ by Mies van der Rohe and the Chrysler Building by William Van Allen, will be displayed besides recent and proposed projects, including 30 St Mary Axe by Foster and Partners, the Elephant and Castle Eco-Towers by Hamzah and Yeang, and London Bridge Tower by Renzo Piano. The display will offer visitors a fascinating glimpse into the future of vertical architecture, by exploring the technological and cultural developments powering the race for the clouds.

Sky High will examine the historical evolution of the skyscraper and related innovations worldwide, in order to identify the principle new genres as they have emerged through time. It will consider the role of tall buildings in alternative forms of urban development, exploring questions of density, sustainability and economic impact. In addition, the display will look at the impact of new approaches to the design of tall buildings in the aftermath of the World Trade Center tragedy. Using models, graphics and verbal explanations, Sky High will highlight recently built and future skyscraper projects, with a special focus on developments in London as well as in the Far East. All forms of tall buildings will be included, commercial, residential and mixed-use, as well as ambitious designs for ‘vertical cities’.

To complement this display RA Publications will be producing a fully illustrated book, Sky High: Vertical Architecture, written by international critic Chris Abel on the history and evolution of skyscrapers around the world, with an introduction by Lord Foster.

Lord Foster RA says:
“This exhibition and book provide a timely opportunity to explore the arguments in favour of higher densities and, in selective locations, the use of taller structures. Taller buildings can accommodate more people, at greater densities, seeking to create a higher quality of urban life. While the tall building may not be the only key, with finite resources, and with less and less land on which to build, it is a vital component of the future city."

EVENTS
The RA is hosting a comprehensive programme of architecture events and lectures aimed at encouraging debate around the future of vertical architecture.
Please see separate press release for details.