Royal Hibernian Academy: Gallery & Studios

The IMA and the Royal Hibernian Academy invite IMA members to a special tour of the presentation highlighting the events that took place at Academy House in 1916 and the subsequent history of the Annual Exhibition and RHA premises, including a display using items from the RHA Archives and Permanent Collection. This will also be an opportunity to view the 186th Annual Exhibition, Ireland's largest and longest established open submission exhibition.

The Royal Hibernian Academy, more than any other cultural institution in Ireland, experienced the magnitude of the 1916 Rising. Academy House, the RHA's original purpose-built building, bequeathed and designed by its second President, Francis Johnson (1760-1829) in 1825 was situated on Lower Abbey Street. On Thursday the 27th of April 1916, Academy House, most of its contents and the entire Annual Exhibition of that year were destroyed by fire during the Easter Rising.

Although the Academy was without an exhibition hall for the following sixty-nine years, the tradition of the RHA Annual Exhibition acted as a catalyst and stimulus amongst the RHA Members to overcome the devastating loss of their original building and to re-establish the historic place of the Academy in the twentieth century. This culminated in establishing what the RHA is today in 2016: the leading artist led, thirty-two county, cultural institution which promotes the appreciation and understanding of both traditional and innovative approaches to the visual arts.

This visit will take place on May 7, 2016 at 11am. Booking is essential for all IMA events. Guests are welcome.

Click here to email the IMA office and book a place on this visit.