To commemorate the 1916 Easter Rising, the 186th RHA Annual Exhibition will return to its original time of the year and will be open to the public from Tuesday 22 March – 11 June. In 2017 it will return to its usual showing from May – August.
Ireland’s largest and longest established open submission exhibition, now in its 186th year, includes painting, sculpture, photography, print, drawing and architectural models by Academy members, invited artists and artists selected through the open submission process.
As reported in the Irish Times, 2015 saw a 32% increase in sales and year on year the RHA Annual Exhibition offers the discerning collector an unparalleled opportunity to view work by established artists and new talent, hanging side by side.
“The RHA Annual Exhibition has always been regarded as one of the largest selling exhibitions in the art calendar and its recent sales increase is seen as a positive indicator of a growing art market. In 2015, the RHA saw a marked increase in the total sales compared to the last number of years and more importantly, a sharp spike in the number of pieces sold. The large majority of works sold were in the bracket below €2,000 with a large number of print and photographic editions selling out, with Irish photography proving to be extremely popular with new and existing buyers. Crucially, any significant sales growth is central to the visual arts community in terms of income generation, indicating a more confident and optimistic market, that will be of benefit to artists and makers.”
Ruth Carroll, Exhibitions Curator
2015 also saw a prize fund of €45,000 distributed across the various disciplines. The RHA is greatly indebted to our generous sponsors who contribute generously to this prize fund, offering invaluable additional recognition and financial support to the artists. Admission is free and a full colour catalogue will accompany this exhibition, costing €20 available at reception.
