Summer Exhibition - The Royal Academy, London

It is somewhat difficult to ‘review’ the latest Royal Academy Summer Exhibition. Pretty much every gallery is hung by a different curator, and whilst it is interesting to see what they have done, it is a challenge to look at it as a collective whole.

The show should rather be taken more at face value – an annual opportunity for a huge variety of talent to have their work on the walls of the academy.

David Mach Summer Exhibition Royal Academy reviewed at www.CELLOPHANELAND.com — David Mach

Marina Abramovic Summer Exhibition Royal Academy reviewed at www.CELLOPHANELAND.com — Marina Abramovic – Carrying the Skeleton

This years ‘co-ordinator’ is the sculptor Richard Wilson best known for 20:50 – the oil filled installation at the Saatchi. He has invited twenty artistic duos to present their work within this years exhibition. We therefore have Gilbert & George with Beard Aware and Jane & Louise Wilson in the lobby stairwell with Chernobyl.

Summer Exhibition Royal Academy reviewed at www.CELLOPHANELAND.com — Jane & Louise Wilson

Boyle Family Summer Exhibition Royal Academy reviewed at www.CELLOPHANELAND.com — Boyle Family – Elemental Study

There are other obvious duos like Jake & Dinos Chapman, Eva & Adele, Allora & Calzadilla, Bernd & Hilla Becher and Tim Noble & Sue Webster. Their presence however serves no real curatorial purpose and they are lost within the show – at best it is simply of interest to see some of their work.

Gilbert & George Summer Exhibition Royal Academy reviewed at www.CELLOPHANELAND.com — Gilbert & George – Beard Aware

Almost all of the pieces are of course for sale and it is quite a good opportunity to pick some work for your own walls. Prices of course vary considerably from a few hundred to a few hundred thousand, and for the uninitiated it is not always easy to spot the difference!

Anselm Kiefer Summer Exhibition Royal Academy reviewed at www.CELLOPHANELAND.com — Anselm Kiefer – Bose Blumen

For the first time the works are available to browse and buy online and we would highly recommend taking a look online before the show and before purchasing (link here).

For our part we loved a little George Shaw edition (we highly recommend his National Gallery exhibition reviewed here) , Marguerite Horner’s enigmatic painted landscapes and Tom Hunter’s Rose prize-winning photograph Winterville. Harry Hill had one of his witty celebrity-oriented works – a tattooed David Beckham (sold but we hear High House Gallery has work available).

Tom Hunter Summer Exhibition Royal Academy reviewed at www.CELLOPHANELAND.com — Tom Hunter – Winterville

Marguerite Horner Summer Exhibition Royal Academy reviewed by www.CELLOPHANELAND.com — Marguerite Horner – On the Edge

Harry Hill - David Beckham Summer Exhibition Royal Academy reviewed by www.CELLOPHANELAND.com — Harry Hill – David Beckham

With rather more to spend Gert & Uwe Tobias’ had two spectacular works and there was a bright Gillian Ayres, which all seemed reasonable value despite the big ticket prices as did Rose Wylie’s Spider, Frog & Bird.

Gert & Uwe Tobias Summer Exhibition Royal Academy reviewed by www.CELLOPHANELAND.com — Gert & Uwe Tobias – Untitled

The floor to ceiling ‘salon’ hang – which is the norm at the Summer Exhibition – makes for difficult viewing, but it is not often that so much (varied) talent is on view at the same time. Take it slowly and concentrate on works that catch your eye – we have posted a selection of those that caught ours.