Books published by Royal Academy of Arts

A major study of Francis Bacon's paintings of animals reveals his explorations of the human condition

Lucian Freud's arresting self-portraits provide an insight into the enigmatic artist's psyche and document his developing style and this book reproduces all of Freud's self-portraits

A sumptuous study examining all the ways Pablo Picasso used paper in his art

An exploration of Russian art, design, and filmt, from its proliferation in the aftermath of the 1917 October Revolution to its eventual repression under Stalin.

The author has returned to England to paint the landscape of his childhood in East Yorkshire. Executed in watercolour and ink, this title features panoramic scenes that have the spatial complexity of finished paintings - the broad sweep of sky or road, the patchwork tapestry of land - yet convey the immediacy of the author's impressions.

Considered one of the most important religious structures of the twentieth century, the Chapel of the Rosary in Vince was regarded by Matisse himself as his great masterpiece. This illustrated volume explores the extraordinary story of the chapels creation and the challenges faced by the 77-year-old artist in realising his great vision.

"Paula Modersohn-Becker, Kèathe Kollwitz, Gabriele Mèunter and Marianne Werefkin are among the exceptional artists associated with the emergence of Expressionism in Germany in the early decades of the twentieth century. Each challenged prevailing ideals of feminine identity at a time of great societal change. As women, they were expected to marry and raise a family; some chose to, some did not. As ambitious artists, all wanted to work, and as they rose to these challenges, their art further undermined conventions. Their depictions of children symbolise joy, hope and innocence but also melancholy, tension, curiosity, the passing of time and unfulfilled desire. Their radical depictions of the nude wrest the female body away from the male gaze towards a newfound role, expressive of powerful maternity and female subjectivity. These dramatic modernist compositions, with their fluid brushwork and bright hues, push at the boundaries of form, colour and spiritual meaning"--

"The South African artist William Kentridge Hon RA was born in Johannesburg in 1955 and lives and works there to this day. He is internationally renowned for the expressionism of his work in numerous media, among them charcoal, printmaking, sculpture and film, as well as his acclaimed theatrical and operatic productions. As elusive as it is allusive, Kentridge's art is shaped by apartheid and grounded in the politics of the post-apartheid era, and in science, literature and history, while always maintaining space for contradiction and uncertainty. In a brilliant exposition of Kentridge's output, Stephen Clingman, Distinguished Professor of English at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, undertakes a series of enquiries, of walks around the artist and his practice, through the various layers and linkages, crossings and connections of his art. As he proceeds, he considers Kentridge's themes, explores them and proceeds by association to others. Along the way, overlaps, thought-collages, allusions and assemblages come together to create a connective, dimensional way of thinking inspired by Kentridge's own habits of creation."--

A collection of 40 sketches by artist Norman Ackroyd, presenting the Irish coast in all its rugged beauty.

Kawanabe Kyosai was one of the most exciting Japanese painters of the 19th century. Published to accompany an exhibition - the first outside of Japan in nearly 30 years - at the Royal Academy from March 19 - June 19, 2022

Helene Binet's architectural photography is here revealed in all its subtlety and quiet sensitivity.

A fascinating study of the art and influence of one of Britain's greatest landscape painters.

The artist Humphrey Ocean RA has been drawing birds for decades - both at home and on his travels

This publication presents the exuberant drawings of Laura Knight RA, a key twentieth-century artist.

A selection of Michael Craig-Martin's paintings, prints and sculptures, with an interview.

Packed with illustrations, this brief introduction to the Academy's 250-year story considers how its homes and some of its characters have made it what it is.

A definitive survey of the work of Tacita Dean OBE RA, published to coincide with three major exhibitions in London in 2018.