The Royal Academy of Arts’s (RA) Collection Gallery in London’s Burlington Gardens is to close until 2027 as part of a redevelopment by David Chipperfield Architects (DCA), the academy announced yesterday.
The current Collection Gallery will close to the public from 10 October, with the whole of 6 Burlington Gardens set to close from 27 October. The academy intends to continue to provide access to its collection during this time, although details of this are yet to be released. Burlington House, the home of the Royal Academy, will remain open as usual.
Once closed, the gallery will be expanded to include a 12-metre-high space with a mezzanine on the first floor, allowing the academy to display larger works from its collection. The renovation will be a modern interpretation of its original design by Sir James Pennethorne, which had a double-height examination hall in the west wing of the building when it was opened in 1870.
British architect David Chipperfield is renowned for designing museums and galleries around the world, including the Museum of Modern Literature in Marbach, Germany; the Des Moines Public Library in Iowa and the Museo Jumex in Mexico City. Simon Wallis, the secretary and chief executive of the RA, told The Art Newspaper that he is pleased to have the practice working on the project.
“David Chipperfield Architects are a world-class architectural practice that created a superb and much-loved building for my previous employers, The Hepworth Wakefield,” he says. “We are delighted to be working with them again at the RA on this inspiring project that will be appreciated for generations to come. It will make art and architecture even more accessible for our audiences and will allow them to further appreciate the inspirational work of the Royal Academicians both past and present.
“DCA know how to create exceptionally beautiful spaces in which to experience art and I’m delighted they’ll be adding to the great appeal of the RA as one of the world's leading visual arts and architecture institutions.”
The revamp, which has been funded by an anonymous donor, is the third and final phase of the academy’s Masterplan programme, which was first conceived in 2008. The first phase, which was completed in 2018, saw the restoration of the historic proportions of most of Burlington Gardens. The second phase, which was completed in 2024, involved the renovation of the studios of the Royal Academy Schools.
Originally built for the University of London, 6 Burlington Gardens has had a variety of tenants throughout its existence, including the Civil Service Commission from 1902, the British Academy from 1928 and the British Museum’s Museum of Mankind from 1970. It was acquired by the Royal Academy in 2001.
