Summer arrives with the Royal Academy of Arts' Summer Exhibition 2011

As summer arrives it brings with it the Royal Academy of Arts (RA) Summer Exhibition 2011 bursting with upcoming artists and established names (7 June - 15 August). An essential event in the art calendar, this will be the 243rd year of the open submission contemporary art show, which provides a great opportunity to purchase artwork by established, new and emerging talent.

Over 11,000 entrants submitted work this year which included paintings, architecture, sculpture and film. The exhibition has a strong cultural heritage with past exhibitors including illustrious British artists such as Constable and Turner. This year, respected photographer Cindy Sherman and Turner Prize-winning artist Gillian Wearing are among the established names exhibiting alongside new talent. 

In a break with recent tradition, there is no overall theme to this year's Summer Exhibition. Instead, Gallery 3 (the largest gallery traditionally displaying Royal Academicians and Honrary RAs) will be in the style of a 'salon hang': using all of the available hanging space from the dado rail to the picture rail, open submissions and academicians' work will sprawl across the space to emphasize the grandeur of the gallery. The aim is that by careful arrangement each work will be seen and 'read' in its space and provide a central focus to the exhibition in contrast with other more sparsely-hung rooms.