Royal Scottish Academy (RSA)

Royal Scottish Academy (RSA) www.royalscottishacademy.org
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The Royal Scottish Academy of Art & Architecture has a proud tradition of promoting contemporary art in Scotland through engaging and diverse exhibitions and fantastic scholarship, award & residency opportunities.

Last week we were delighted to host an evening with Joyce W. Cairns to celebrate the final days of her exhibition, A Per...
06/09/2026

Last week we were delighted to host an evening with Joyce W. Cairns to celebrate the final days of her exhibition, A Personal Odyssey.

Joyce reflected on her remarkable relationship with the Academy, from her first visits as a schoolgirl in the 1960s, through her career as an artist, Academician and the RSA’s first woman President. She touched on her time at Hospitalfield, the Royal College and shared insights into the development of her War Tourist exhibition at Aberdeen Art Gallery.

🌟If you missed the event you can now watch the recording online on our website and YouTube channel!
→Head to the Watch area of our website in the Discover drop down.

We’ve been supporting Scotland’s photographers for almost 20 years through the Morton Award for Lens-based Media and the...
04/09/2026

We’ve been supporting Scotland’s photographers for almost 20 years through the Morton Award for Lens-based Media and the RSA Elizabeth Lornie Photography Award, and you can explore the impact this support has had now at PhotoDalkeith! On view in room 2 you’ll find work by winners of the Morton Award, including Gair Dunlop, Paul Duke, Daniel Cook, Oana Stanciu and Sekai Machache. Each artist used the £5,000 award to research and develop their practice, exploring everything from landscape and place to memory, community and technology.

In 2025 the award was renamed in honour of Elizabeth Lornie, and we’re currently accepting applications for 2026. Alongside the £5,000 funds, the recipient will exhibit their completed work at the Academy and have work acquired into the RSA Collection.

Apply before Sunday 20 September at 5pm: bit.ly/4kn1FNf

‘I use the device of the cutaway to open up buildings and civic structures, removing walls and exposing interiors so tha...
02/09/2026

‘I use the device of the cutaway to open up buildings and civic structures, removing walls and exposing interiors so that inside and outside can be seen simultaneously.’

Robbie Bushe RSA’s paintings and drawings often contain multiple events happening at once, with figures, spaces and actions unfolding across a single composition. In Cut Away Edinburgh, Robbie’s upcoming Academicians’ Masterclass, he’ll guide you through the process behind this distinctive approach, exploring what might be happening behind Edinburgh’s façades. Over two days, you’ll experiment with drawing and collage to create your own cutaway worlds.

📅 24–25 October: bit.ly/4cs8zyO
📍 Royal Scottish Academy

Plus, book Cut Away Edinburgh alongside Robbie’s Fragments to Fiction masterclass for a combined early bird discount.

September is here, autumn is just around the corner, and we’re spending another month Celebrating Together! Discover exh...
01/09/2026

September is here, autumn is just around the corner, and we’re spending another month Celebrating Together! Discover exhibitions, workshops and screenings from Dunfermline to Gairloch, Elgin to Greenock, and all the way to Spain.

At Fire Station Creative, Symbols of the Mind celebrates the life and work of James Cu***ng RSA, while the Scottish Fisheries Museum are exploring John Bellany HRSA’s connection to the fishing communities of the east coast. You can get creative at Elgin Museum, and the RSA Moving Image Programme is on the big screen at the Maltings Cinema and the Wyllieum. Further afield, Fundación Mapfre in Spain present Pathways to Pre-Raphaelitism, featuring two works from the RSA Collection by Phoebe Anna Traquair HRSA.

Visit our website to find out what’s on near you this month: bit.ly/3SM5suT

Victoria Crowe RSA was supported by RSA Residencies for Scotland in 2022 to make working trips to Orkney. The experience...
31/08/2026

Victoria Crowe RSA was supported by RSA Residencies for Scotland in 2022 to make working trips to Orkney. The experience had a huge impact on her practice, and we’re publishing a new book with The Pier Arts centre to explore the large body of work she’s produced.

The Orkney Works features drawing, painting, prints and tapestry created in response to Orkney's varied landscapes, and you can join us in the gallery this September to celebrate the new publication. Victoria will reflect on her residency and Orkney work, answer audience questions and there will be time to have your copy signed by the artist.

🎟️ Tickets are free, but limited. Book now: bit.ly/4gE3Lrp
🗓️ Thursday 17 September, 6pm

We’re now in the final weekend of the Edinburgh Fringe, and the final few days of Joyce W. Cairns: A Personal Odyssey! M...
29/08/2026

We’re now in the final weekend of the Edinburgh Fringe, and the final few days of Joyce W. Cairns: A Personal Odyssey! Moving between the domestic and the historical, Cairns’ paintings weave together memories of her childhood, her life in Footdee and reflections on conflict and loss. The exhibition is incredibly personal, and a rare opportunity to experience the work of an artist whose influence on Scottish art extends far beyond her own practice.

Join us in the gallery before Wednesday 2 September: bit.ly/4h25gBr

🕔We’re open daily until 5pm
📍The Mound, Edinburgh

There are just a few days left to explore the 2026 RSA Schools Art Award online exhibition! This year’s submissions were...
28/08/2026

There are just a few days left to explore the 2026 RSA Schools Art Award online exhibition! This year’s submissions were imaginative, original and full of skill, including the winning works from the Brodies Regional Awards.

✨ Elena Geddes from Banff Academy received first place in the northeast region for her drawing. She’s been slowly honing her skills recently, and really appreciated having her artwork recognised.
✨Second place in the northwest region was awarded to Erin Whall from Gairloch High School. Erin said: ‘I was very proud of this print, and the experience inspired me to do more art. I was delighted when I heard I got 2nd place.’
✨ Anastasia D’Angelosante from Wellington School won third place in the south region for her self-portrait. The hydrangeas in the artwork bloom in her garden every September, and she thinks they represent the transition into autumn.

→ Explore the full exhibition on our website until 31 August. The RSA Schools Art Award is kindly supported by Brodies LLP: bit.ly/4uLc9KA

Fanindra Nath Bose ARSA’s Scottish story began when he was just 16, leaving India to study in Italy. Italy didn’t work o...
26/08/2026

Fanindra Nath Bose ARSA’s Scottish story began when he was just 16, leaving India to study in Italy. Italy didn’t work out as planned, but his journey brought him to Edinburgh, a city where his talent would really take root.

Bose was admitted to Edinburgh School of Art in 1905, and he entered the RSA Life School just a year later. He quickly stood out, winning of the Stuart Prize for figure drawing in 1907 (a prize we still award today, now presented at New Contemporaries!).

Bose would go on to study under Percy Portsmouth RSA, work across Scotland and India, and contribute to memorials that are still part of our nation’s public spaces. On the Collections blog, Sandy Wood explores Bose’s legacy, his tragically short life, the story of his unmarked grave and why, 100 years on, we’re working with his family to establish a permanent memorial in his honour.

🔎Read more online: bit.ly/4y6x5hl

Growing up in the post-war years, Joyce W. Cairns was affected by the unspoken impact conflict had on her own family. He...
25/08/2026

Growing up in the post-war years, Joyce W. Cairns was affected by the unspoken impact conflict had on her own family. Her father rarely discussed his service during the Second World War and her mother lived with severe illness brought about by wartime trauma.

Following her mother’s death, Joyce gained access to her father's military archive, objects that would become the starting point for her first war paintings. At the same time, she continued to paint personal works that placed her family within the familiar surroundings of Fittie. Paintings such as this one, They Said the War Was Partly to Blame, confront painful memories of childhood and the lasting effects of conflict on family life.

📅 Explore Joyce W. Cairns: A Personal Odyssey in the gallery until Wednesday 2 September: bit.ly/4h25gBr

We’re welcoming Amanda Levete to Edinburgh next month for the 2026 RSA Metzstein Discourse, and tickets are now on sale!...
24/08/2026

We’re welcoming Amanda Levete to Edinburgh next month for the 2026 RSA Metzstein Discourse, and tickets are now on sale!

Amanda founded AL_A in 2009. She’s a winner of the RIBA Stirling Prize and has led AL_A on major cultural projects, including the Exhibition Road Quarter at the V&A Museum in London and the renovation of the Paisley Museum. At the Metzstein Discourse, she’ll reflect on architecture's role in shaping civic life, cultural identity and belonging in Scotland.

📅 Wednesday 30 September: bit.ly/4g5VpK6
📍 Edinburgh Futures Institute

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EH22EL

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