Picasso to Abramović: introducing our 2020 exhibitions

Published 3 September 2019

From the 18th century right up to the present and from fragile paper masterpieces to groundbreaking performance art, the RA’s Artistic Director Tim Marlow introduces our exhibition programme for the coming year.

  • Please note: due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, the Royal Academy is temporarily closed, and our 2020 programme has changed. For the latest updates, visit the Plan your visit page or sign up for emails.

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    Video: 2020 at the Royal Academy of Arts

    Beginning with Picasso and Paper, which opens in January 2020, our Artistic Director Tim Marlow introduces the coming year’s exhibition programme at the Royal Academy of Arts.

  • Our 2020 exhibitions at a glance:

    • Pablo Picasso, Head of a Woman

      Pablo Picasso, Head of a Woman, Mougins, 4 December 1962.

      Pencil on cut and folded wove paper. 42 x 26.5 cm. Musée national Picasso-Paris. Pablo Picasso gift in lieu, 1979. MP1850. Photo © RMN-Grand Palais (Musée national Picasso-Paris) / Béatrice Hatala. © Succession Picasso/DACS 2019.

      Picasso and Paper

      Pablo Picasso rewrote the rules of painting, but he also tore up the rulebook for paper. Bringing together 300 of the artist’s works, both on and with paper, this exhibition spans his entire prolific career and represents a significant chapter in modern art.

    • Léon Spilliaert, The Gust of Wind (detail)

      Léon Spilliaert, The Gust of Wind (detail), 1904.

      Indian ink wash, brush, watercolour and gouache on paper. 51 x 41 cm. Mu.ZEE, Ostend - www.lukasweb.be - Art in Flanders vzw. Photo: Hugo Maertens.

      Léon Spilliaert

      From celebrated self-portraits to dreamlike views of the North Sea coast, this exhibition will introduce UK audiences to the visionary work of Belgian artist Léon Spilliaert.

    • Paul Gauguin, Portrait of a Young Girl (Vaïte ‘Jeanne’ Goupil) (detail)

      Paul Gauguin, Portrait of a Young Girl (Vaïte ‘Jeanne’ Goupil) (detail), 1896.

      Exhibition organised by Ordrupgaard, Copenhagen, and the Royal Academy of Arts..

      Oil on canvas. 75 x 65 cm. © Ordrupgaard, Copenhagen. Photo: Anders Sune Berg.

      Gauguin and the Impressionists: Masterpieces from the Ordrupgaard Collection

      The Ordrupgaard Collection in Denmark is home to some of the most important Impressionist paintings in northern Europe. Next spring, we showcase 60 of its works – many of which have never been seen in the UK.

    • Gallery V, Summer Exhibition 2019

      Gallery V, Summer Exhibition 2019

      Royal Academy of Arts / © David Parry

      Summer Exhibition 2020

      Art you love, art you hate, and art that simply puts a smile on your face. Get ready to discover works by household names and emerging artists at our annual celebration of art and creativity.

    • Angelica Kauffman, Self-portrait of the Artist hesitating between the Arts of Music and Painting (detail)

      Angelica Kauffman, Self-portrait of the Artist hesitating between the Arts of Music and Painting (detail), 1794.

      Oil on canvas. 147.3 x 215.9 cm. Nostell Priory © National Trust Images/John Hammond.

      Angelica Kauffman

      Angelica Kauffman, one of the founding members of the Royal Academy, was an artist who defied convention. In this major exhibition, we trace her trajectory from child prodigy to one of the most sought-after painters of her time.

    • Paul Cézanne, L'Estaque (detail)

      Paul Cézanne, L'Estaque (detail), 1879-83.

      Oil on canvas. 80.3 x 99.4 cm. The Museum of Modern Art, New York. The William S. Paley Collection, 1959. © 2019. Digital image, The Museum of Modern Art, New York/Scala, Florence.

      Cézanne: The Rock and Quarry Paintings

      With their radiant colours and rugged forms, Paul Cézanne’s paintings of the rocky landscapes of his native France are among the most extraordinary of his career. This is the first exhibition to focus on this body of work.

    • Marina Abramović, ‘Artist Portrait with a Candle (A)’, from the series With Eyes Closed I See Happiness

      Marina Abramović, ‘Artist Portrait with a Candle (A)’, from the series With Eyes Closed I See Happiness, 2012.

      Colour, fine art pigment print. Courtesy of the Marina Abramović Archives © Marina Abramović.

      Marina Abramović

      Marina Abramović is one of the most important performance artists in the world. Here, the artist presents the first ever UK exhibition spanning her life’s work – including live re-performances of iconic works, as well as brand new work for these galleries.

    • Rita Angus, Rutu (detail)

      Rita Angus, Rutu (detail), 1951.

      Oil on canvas. 71.5 x 56 cm. Collection of the Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa, Wellington. Purchased 1992 with New Zealand Lottery Grants Board funds. © Reproduced courtesy of The Estate of Rita Angus.

      Rita Angus

      Rita Angus is considered one of the greatest New Zealand artists of the twentieth century. This revelatory exhibition will be the first to bring her pioneering modernist vision outside of New Zealand; a vision that’s come to symbolise the natural beauty and independent spirit of her home country.

    • Tracey Emin, It - didnt stop - I didnt stop (detail)

      Tracey Emin, It - didnt stop - I didnt stop (detail), 2019.

      Acrylic on canvas. 152 x 183.5. Photo © HV-studio. Courtesy of the Artist and Xavier Hufkens, Brussels © Tracey Emin. All rights reserved, DACS 2020.

      Tracey Emin / Edvard Munch: The Loneliness of the Soul

      She’s been a major figure in contemporary art for over 25 years; he pioneered a radical new style known as Expressionism. This exhibition from Oslo’s Munch Museum will reveal Tracey Emin’s long-held fascination with Edvard Munch.