No show compares to the Royal Academy’s (RA) Summer Exhibition. Its uniqueness derives from history and format: select public submissions are displayed together with works by invited artists, Royal and Honorary Academicians, in the world’s largest survey of contemporary art and architecture. Debates about radical shifts in artistic style and the loss of high moral tone became a recurring feature of Summer Exhibition commentaryWith thousands of entries, mishaps can happen. What to look out for at this year's Summer ExhibitionSir Grayson Perry at the Summer Exhibition Preview Party on June 10, 2026. The standout is Jill Feld’s frantic black cat paintingThe RA's Summer Exhibition is open until August 23.