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The newly announced programme will include exhibitions devoted to Francis Bacon, David Hockney and Marina Abramović.

The Royal Academy of Arts have unveiled full details of its 2021 exhibition programme.

This newly announced year of exhibitions will begin with Francis Bacon: Man and Beast, which will run at the academy from the 30th January until the 18th April. It will be the first exhibition to explore the development of the artist’s work through the lens of his fascination with animals. It will feature 45 pieces of work covering his entire career.

Meanwhile, from the 13th March the Royal Academy of Arts will present an exhibition of work by Kenyan-born artist Michael Armitage. Through his paintings, the artist combines the Western painting tradition (drawing on Titian, Goya, Manet and Gauguin among others) with East African contemporary art, popular culture and politics. Focusing on the last six years of his career, the display will feature landscapes, allegorical figures and paintings inspired by the 2017 Kenyan general election.

A new exhibition focusing on the work of David Hockney will go on display from the 27th March. Titled David Hockney: The Arrival of Spring, Normandy, 2020, the exhibition is formed of a new body of work by the artist during a period of intense activity at his home in Normandy and charts the unfolding and progression of spring. Presented in the order that they were created, each of the works have been ‘painted’ on an iPad, and then printed on paper at a large-scale.

This will then be followed by the arrival of the Royal Academy’s annual Summer exhibition, which will be on display from the 15th June. Returning once again, the exhibition is a celebration of emerging and established artists to allow them to showcase their works to an international audience.

From the 3rd July, the Royal Academy will focus on the work of American artist Milton Avery. Known for his influence in the development of Abstract Expressionism, through his close association with some of the younger
exponents of the movement, such as Mark Rothko, Barnett Newman and Adolph Gottlieb. This will be the first solo exhibition of the artist’s work in Europe.

September 2021 will see Marina Abramović: After Life going on display. Bringing together works from across her career, the exhibition will
explore how Abramović captures and defines performance art through photographs, videos, objects,installations and live re-performances of her work. It will also feature a number of new works created especially for the exhibition.

The Royal Academy will also be presenting an exhibition celebrating the architectural practise of Herzog & de Meuron, founded in Basel in 1978. Since then it has worked on a number of projects across the globe including the Tate Modern, London (2000 and 2016) and the National Stadium, Beijing
(2008). This exhibition will concentrate on the processes and working
methods applied to produce a diverse, yet specific range of current projects.

The final exhibition announced for 2021 is Late Constable, focusing on the late career John Constable through his paintings and oil sketches as well as
watercolours, drawings and prints. It will be arranged in chronological order exploring the extensive cross-fertilisation of his ideas between different media.

For more information visit: https://www.royalacademy.org.uk/