How have I managed to live so close to London for so long and yet never go to the Summer Exhibition at the Royal Academy until this year?  It is a British summer institution and I finally go to see it in its 245th year!  Yes, it has run for 245 years without interruption.

I thoroughly enjoyed it and it will now be a regular summer event for me.  The variety of size, medium and style is vast; there are paintings, prints, photographs, sculptures, architectural models and film.  Put simply, there is  something on display to match anyone’s taste. Most works are for sale, with prices ranging from just £20 right up to £450,000.  Personally, there were several pieces that appealed and quite a few I would have liked to buy but many were already sold, and some I had to rule out on price.

I adored the mechanical Kanga who draws a picture of Pooh, when encouraged by a human operating his handle.

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Amongst others, I liked Dame Elizabeth Blackadder’s flowers (just visible to the left of the shot below)

and David Remfry’s dog “young Oscar”:

Outside, the facade of Burlington House flaunts a massive piece of art, Tsiatsia by Nigeran artist El Anatsui, made from aluminium (bottle tops and the like) and copper wire.

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This year the Summer Exhibition runs until 18 August. Admission £10.

Royal Academy of Arts, Burlington House, Piccadilly, London W1J 0BD

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Linked to Cee’s Fun Foto Challenge: Summer.