• Join us for a National Celebration In 2026 the RSA will celebrate 200 years of Scottish Art and Architecture. Since...

    Join us for a National Celebration

     

    In 2026 the RSA will celebrate 200 years of Scottish Art and Architecture.

     

    Since we were founded by artists in 1826, the RSA and its Academicians have played a significant role throughout the years in shaping the nation’s art and its cultural landscape. We are keen to celebrate this anniversary across Scotland, to properly reflect the national role of the RSA and its Academicians and their impact on the forming of a shared cultural network and national collection.

     

    RSA Academicians, both in the past and now, form part of every community in Scotland and their work features in public and private collections the length and breadth of the country. RSA 2026: A National Celebration is a project that plans to bring together venues across Scotland under one banner.

     

    If you are interested in programming an event or exhibition in 2026 we want to hear from you.

     

    Find a list of all our Academicians here

    Find a list of all our Honorary Academicians here

     
  • We do not wish to be prescriptive or directive in the ideas that could celebrate the bicentenary, other than that...

    We do not wish to be prescriptive or directive in the ideas that could celebrate the bicentenary, other than that they feature Academicians at some level, either Academicians of the past, or of the present, or both. It could be as small as relabelling a work on display, or as large as a series of events and exhibitions tied to the celebration over the year.

     

    An important outcome of the project for the RSA is that our own collection is seen across the country. As such we will make our collection freely available for loan to celebrating partners, in the hope it will be widely drawn on to complement activity. The RSA can also act as a hub for contacting living Academicians to be involved in partner projects.

     

    Please contact RSA 2026 Project Researcher, Ruth Nicol, ruthnicol@royalscottishacademy.org, 0131 380 5802, or RSA Head of Collections, Sandy Wood, sandywood@royalscottishacademy.org, 0131 380 5818.

     

    We would be delighted to discuss any ideas you may have for celebrating with us in 2026.

     

    Banner image: John Faed RSA (1819-1902), The Poet's Dream