Two and a half centuries after its creation, the Royal Academy of Arts in London — an artist-and-architect-led institution that is a bastion of the British establishment — is embracing inclusivity.
Last year, for the first time, it dedicated a major solo show to a woman, Marina Abramovic.
Now comes “Entangled Pasts, 1768-Now: Art, Colonialism and Change,” an exhibition on how British art was implicated by slavery, with historic depictions of enslaved people displayed alongside contemporary works by artists of African and Caribbean origin.
The show is part of a reassessment of Britain’s colonial past by museums and cultural institutions, including the 129-year-old National Trust, a charity that runs historic houses and heritage sites across the country, and a few owners of stately homes.
It is also a notable moment for the Royal Academy, which did not admit a Black artist to its membership until 2005.
Persons:
London —, Marina Abramovic
Organizations:
Royal Academy of Arts, Trust, Royal Academy
Locations:
London