Gallery Life
Reflections From the RA Summer Exhibition 2025
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Jul
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Every summer, the Royal Academy opens its doors to the public for what might be the most democratic art event in the country. Submissions come from all corners — emerging painters, established names, Sunday afternoon sketchers — and the result is a glorious, overflowing, sometimes bewildering mix of the UK’s creative pulse.
This year, we paid a visit. And while the scale was as grand as ever, what really stood out was the theme: “Dialogues.”A single word, but one with a lot packed inside.
Conversations in Paint
Curated by Farshid Moussavi RA, this year’s show felt less like a static display and more like a conversation unfolding across rooms — between colours, between media, between generations. Some works spoke softly. Others shouted. Some responded to current affairs; others to timeless human emotions.
There were walls that hummed with energy, and quieter corners that felt reflective, almost personal. This was not just an exhibition of pieces — it was an exhibition of relationships.
Our Personal Favourites
There’s always something slightly electric about seeing so much variety in one place. One moment, you’re standing in front of a towering abstract canvas; the next, a miniature etching the size of a coaster. There’s humour, sorrow, politics, beauty. Often all within a few paces.
Some of the standouts for us were the works that captured fleeting emotional states — a gesture mid-air, a moment between glances, a dog on a beach. That ability to arrest the everyday and make it sing? That’s where art lives.
There were so many stunning and thought provoking pieces, but if we had to choose some to look out for, it would be these;
875 – The Piano Lesson by Louise Burstyn
610 – Urban Breakdown by Dee Thomas
683 – House of the Downs by Greg Becker
873 – From the Greenway by Jock McFadyen
1123 – Fracture by Dermot Smyth
873 – From the Greenway by Jock McFadyen (Top Left)
Bold and moody, McFadyen’s work always draws a crowd for good reason. This landscape was full of grit and depth — a painting that seems to shift each time you look again.
1123 – Fracture by Dermot Smyth (Middle Bottom)
A piece that truest captured the stillness and tranquility of the countryside. Raw texture, restrained palette, and just enough tension to feel unresolved in the best way.
683 – House of the Downs by Greg Becker (Top Right)
A quiet watercolour, full of atmosphere. It radiated a kind of stillness that made it feel almost cinematic — sparse yet full of life, like a dream remembered.
What It Means for Collectors
Visiting the Summer Exhibition reminds us just how personal art buying is. What catches one person’s eye might pass another by entirely. And that’s the beauty. Art doesn’t have to be perfect or precious. It just has to make you feel something.
If you’ve never bought art before, events like this are a great reminder that there’s no right or wrong taste. It’s about connection — and curiosity. Even seasoned collectors will walk away having discovered something new.
610 – Urban Breakdown by Dee Thomas
Acrylic, expressive and full of energy. It captured that strange beauty of things falling apart — layered textures, warm greys, and a rhythm that felt like a city breathing in reverse.
At Stag Gallery, We See the Same Thing
Much like the walls of the RA, our gallery is full of pieces that have been carefully selected for their ability to speak — to suggest, to move, to stay with you. We might not have a grand staircase or a gilded frame on every wall, but what we do have is work that connects.
And that’s what matters.
875 – The Piano Lesson by Louise Burstyn
Delicate but assertive, this piece manages to hold presence without demanding it. The soft interior scene, balanced with painterly confidence, was a standout. One to return to.
You Might Not Have Been Able to Take a Piece From the RA Home…But?
Take a look at our latest additions. You’ll find bold abstracts, intimate drawings, and pieces that feel like they’re still mid-conversation. Who knows — one might just say something to you.
Shop Our Collections → https://staggallery.com
