On October 11, the Royal Academy of Arts (RA) in London will celebrate Queen Elizabeth’s 90th birthday with an awards ceremony honoring architecture and the visual arts, in which five leading Royal Academicians Chantal Joffe, Farshid Moussavi, Grayson Perry, Conrad Shawcross, and Yinka Shonibare will nominate five individuals they believe have made a significant national contribution to the fields of architecture and the visual arts. The nominees will be announced on October 11.
Accompanied by the Duke of Edinburgh, the Queen will be presented with a small bronze replica sculpture of one of Windsor Great Park’s oak trees. She will also meet with Royal Academicians, artists, and supporters, in addition to representatives from the Royal Academies of Dance, Dramatic Art, and Music, according to the press release.
The RA is headed by Royal Academicians, all working within the UK, and self-described as “eminent practicing artists and architects.” Current Academicians include Phyllida Barlow, Michael Craig-Martin, Tacita Dean, Tracey Emin, Antony Gormley, David Hockney, Anish Kapoor, Richard Rogers, Jenny Saville, and Alan Stanton. They were responsible for nominating the artists who will be honored by the Queen during the ceremony.
The RA is currently undergoing renovations, led by architect Sir David Chipperfield (also an Royal Academician) and set to be completed by 2018 in time for its 250th anniversary. The project will join Burlington House, located at Piccadilly, with Burlington Gardens, bringing them together to create a two-acre campus.
Queen Elizabeth’s last visit to the Royal Academy of Arts was in 2012, upon the occasion of the Royal Jubilee, which marked the 60th anniversary of her accession to the throne.