Q&A with President of the Royal Society of British Artists, Mick Davies
/ Royal Society of British Artists
We are incredibly excited about the Royal Society of British Artists’ Bicentennial Exhibition, a show President Mick Davies promises has been worth waiting 200 years for.
The exhibition highlights the work of members, non-members, and RBA Star Students who are all exceptionally talented artists working across mediums from painting to sculpture to printmaking. President Mick Davies took the time to talk about his role, the history of the RBA more broadly, and what this exhibition has in store.
Q&A with Mick Davies:
Please would you give an overview of the illustrious history of the RBA, how it was founded, and who some honorary members have been throughout its 200-year-long history?
The RBA was originally based at 6½ Suffolk Street and was set up to counter the stranglehold that the Royal Academy and commercial galleries had on the art world at that time. We moved to Mall Galleries in the 1970s. Since its inception, our members have included major artists from the UK, such as Sickert, Whistler, Lowry, Henry Moore, Bridget Riley and many, many others. We also had Honorary Members such as Monet, Giorgio de Chirico and Vuillard show with us.
How long have you been a member of the RBA, when did you become president, and what have some standout moments been for you since your involvement in the society?
I was elected in 2009 as a painter/printmaker. In those days, if you were elected as a printmaker you were expected to show only prints at the Annual Exhibition. Similarly, if you were a sculptor or painter, you were only allowed to exhibit sculptures or paintings. Thankfully, we have moved forward! Can you imagine telling Rodin that his drawings were inadmissible for exhibiting because he was elected as a sculptor, or Degas that his bronzes were not allowed because he was elected as a painter? More recently, it has been accepted that an artist is just that – an artist! Not having to be limited has freed up our members’ creativity, and I believe this has taken the society forward.
I was elected Vice President in 2013 and President in 2019. I will stand down in 2024 because I think it is important to allow fresh ideas and new perspectives to have the opportunity to create a new vision for the future. It is my administration that has brought in this 5-year rule, to refresh the society at regular intervals.
Mick Davies in his studio.
The RBA’s inclusion of nurturing and encouraging new and young talents is an amazing aspect. Are you able to talk about the emergence of the youth programme and how you ensure new talents are given equal opportunities to show their work?
The RBA was very fortunate to have Romeo di Girolamo as a President in the early part of the 21st century. He did an enormous amount of the groundwork with schools and young artists. As a result, we included the work of some young people from NADFAS [now The Arts Society] and the Dover Federation of the Arts in our exhibitions. We have an ongoing relationship with The Arts Society and each year work with them to find 20 exceptional ‘A’ level students, our ‘RBA Star Students’, who show with us alongside our members.
Some time ago we were left a bequest to sponsor a young artist to spend a month in Rome. Because I have always been clear in my personal focus to encourage young artists, in 2014 I set up our first RBA RISING STARS Exhibition. We had done a lot of work to spread the news of our Rome Scholarship and I felt that because we had applications from so many talented young artists, it would be a good thing to make contact with them whilst thinking about the future of our membership. This has been a symbiotic relationship and we now show the work of 40 semi-finalists in these exhibitions, maintaining great relationships with many of them. Three of our past ‘RISING STARS’ have now ‘RISEN’ and are elected members of the RBA!
We have long been aware of the need for inclusion, diversity and equality in the art world and last year set out to try to support young people from disadvantaged areas of the country allowing them to gain useful experience and get an insight into the art world. Working with a company involved in mobility exchanges, we received a grant from Turing UK to send 60 students from Further Education Colleges and 12 of their recent leavers to Europe for work experience. The students spent 3 weeks employed in Spain, Malta, France and Italy and the recent leavers had 4-8 weeks. Amazingly they all returned!
Can you give an insight into what the selection process was like for the Bicentennial Annual Exhibition?
The number of submissions this year was over 4,000 – a record number for us and Mall Galleries and so many works were fantastic! To celebrate our 200th anniversary we have 200 works from non-members. If we had more room, we could have included another 200 from the wonderful works sent in! We have a selection committee which includes members not on the council, and the works were selected to ensure that our exhibition is exciting and full of quality. During selection we hide the artists’ names, but afterwards it was gratifying that among those selected were some of our past and present RISING STARS. I can’t wait to see all the works in situ.
RBA 2022 Annual Exhibition install shot.
What would you say to someone to encourage them to visit the exhibition, and has anything in particular been done to mark this special occasion of the Bicentennial show?
This is a show that has been worth waiting 200 years for and should not be missed!
We are hoping that the exhibition itself will highlight the celebration of our 200 years. We have produced a special souvenir catalogue and have included images not just from our members, but also from non-members, our RBA Star Students and RBA RISING STARS, who will have their own exhibition in April at the Royal Over-Seas League in Mayfair.
We hope you enjoyed Mick’s fascinating insight into the RBA. You can already browse and buy the work from the Bicentennial Exhibition online but be sure to also visit in person. The exhibition runs from Thursday 2 March until Saturday 11 March.