Friends of the RHA, Trip to London
Friday 8 - Saturday 9 August

Day 1, Friday 8 August
William Gallagher, RHA Education Officer, along with Rebecca Gale and Michelle Considine Friends Co-ordinators , will lead a group of Friends on a tour of some of the most important galleries in London, beginning Friday 8th August with a visit to the Tate Modern. Here we will view a selection from the permanent collection along with a major exhibition of works by
Cy Twombly. Twombly rose to prominence through a distinctive style characterised by scribbles and vibrantly daubed paint. This is his first solo retrospective in fifteen years
and provides an overview of his work from the 1950s to now.The tour will then continue to Leighton House. Leighton House Museum is the former studio-house of the great Victorian artist Frederic, Lord Leighton (1830-1896). Located on the edge of London’s Holland Park, the house is one of the most extraordinary buildings of the nineteenth century.

Day 2, Saturday 9 August
As the RHA is currently closed for refurbishments and our own Annual Exhibition will be from 11 November - 13 December this year, we will be viewing the Royal Academy Summer Show.
The Royal Academy Summer show has been a centrepiece of the British art calendar for 240 years. Just as the RHA has actively sought to broaden its membership and make it younger, the RA has aimed to become more than a bastion of tradition, embracing the ‘YBA’ generation into its establishment. The Tate Modernists have moved in.
With new Members like Tracey Emin being given a role in curating rooms for the Summer Show its profile has become more reflective of diversity.In the afternoon we will then visit White Cube to view an exhibition of works by Sarah Morris. Since the mid-1990s, Morris has been making complex abstract paintings and films. These works, based on different cities, are derived from close inspection of architectural details combined with a critical sensitivity to the psychology of a city and its key protagonists. Morris executes her city-based paintings in household gloss on square canvases, employing rigorous, all-over grids in vivid colours that reference architectural motifs, signs or urban vistas.

Places are limited, please book by Friday 25th July.
Further information will be made available upon booking.

RHA Friends Children’s Event at the Ark
Friday 15 August

The RHA in collaboration with the Ark, would like to welcome the Children
of the Friends of the RHA to a fun filled workshop, held in the Ark on Friday
15th August. The Ark are generously offering a 20% discount on ticket
prices for three separate workshops, starting with the Go Wild! animal mask
workshop for ages 3-5, followed by the Seasoned Carnival Masks workshop for
ages 6-8 and finally the Dream Weavers workshop for ages 9-12.
The Ark, A Cultural Centre for Children is Europe’s first custom-built
cultural centre for children. Located in Temple Bar, Dublin’s cultural
quarter, The Ark programmes, promotes and hosts high quality cultural
work, which is by children, for children and about children [aged 3 to 14
years] all year round.

Places are limited; please book by Wednesday 23rd July, by contacting Rebecca or Michelle on tel: 01 661 2558 ext 115 or email friends@rhagallery.ie



RHA Gala Banquet
Friday 7 November
On Friday the 7th November 2008, the Royal Hibernian Academy will open its
doors and welcome our Friends and corporate supporters to a Gala Banquet and an
exclusive preview of the 178th Annual Exhibition.
Guests will be treated to a drinks reception in our newly re-developed atrium and
lobby area, followed by a delicious meal in Gallery I, where guests will also have
the opportunity to view the works on exhibit and purchase, prior to Varnishing Day
and the public opening.
This Banquet evening will take the place of our usual Annual Gala and will be
one of the first events that guests will attend following a year long redevelopment
project of the galleries. We anticipate that the excitement generated by the reopening
of the building will reflect the demand for tickets!

Two tables have been reserved for Friends of the RHA and tickets at €250 per
person can be booked on a first come first server basis. Please contact Rebecca
Gale, tel: 661 2558 or email rebecca@rhagallery.ie