The first summer exhibition at the Royal Academy was in 1769. For 257 years this annual show has been delighting, disconcerting and defying art lovers. The theme of this year's exhibition is "Dialogues," and it continues in the show's time-honoured tradition. There is something here for everyone, and probably the odd thing for no one. The Co-ordinator for this year's exhibition, Farshid Moussavi and her team have assembled an extraordinarily eclectic group of works and have done a superb job of reflecting the exhibition's theme. For the first time architectural works have been spread throughout the various galleries and that integration sets up a conversation with the other pieces that is quite fascinating. The dialogue is present in many forms, however: from the whimsical such as Adam Dant's Capital City - A Cat-ographic View of London (992) and Chris Orr's The Old Mill by the Stream (1008) to the confounding like John Humphreys' Lulu in the Sky with Diamonds (1661); from the obliquely allusive such as Don't Ya Tell Henri (170) to the obviously referential like The Six Seasons - Winter (After Bruegel) (1316); from the serious social commentary of Jock McFadyen's Somewhere in Ukraine (1147) to the ironic critique of modern behaviours in Paulina Olowska's Habitual Carriage (After Bob Mazzer) (1207). There are also portraits that engage like Aldo (Asylum Seeker) Hilltop Hotel, Carlisle (901) and still life works that amaze by their technique such as The Rowdy Crowd, Prospect Cottage (687) and Rats! (455). And, of course, there are those delightful, bordering on cute, favourites – the animal depictions – which we couldn't help contrasting with the serpent-like and rather disturbing Perhaps the Final Breath (1597) by David Eustace. Two of our particular favourites this year were Manyi Chan's Rhymes (388) and Charlie Calder-Potts' The House of Rumour (1682). Whatever one's taste, or preferred medium or genre, this year's Summer Exhibition is true to its heritage and is a thought-provoking seasonal treat that no one should miss.
Rated: ★★★★
Reviewed by J.C.
Image: Gallery view of the Summer Exhibition 2025, at the Royal Academy of Arts, London, 17 June - 17 August 2025. Photo © Royal Academy of Arts, London / David Parry.
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