Royal Academy Illustrated 2004

The Royal Academy's popular Summer Exhibition has been an annual event since 1769. Today, around 1,000 works are selected each year from more than 10,000 entries by some 5,000 artists. The exhibition, which includes paintings, drawings, prints, sculpture, architectural design, and models, continues to be the largest open exhibition in the U.K. The Royal Academy Illustrated, first published in the 1870s, presents the highlights of each year's show and is a fascinating barometer of changing artistic tastes. AUTHOR BIO: David Hockney and Allen Jones, two of the most internationally recognized names in British art, are both Royal Academicians.