Since 1826: The Birth and Evolution of a Scottish Academy of Art & Architecture

Name: Event: Since 1826: The Birth and Evolution of a Scottish Academy of Art & Architecture | 02 June 2026
Start: 2022-06-01T17:00:00.000Z
End: 2022-06-01T21:00:00.000Z
Location: Lyon & Turnbull, 33 Broughton Place, Edinburgh

33 Broughton Place, Edinburgh, Edinburgh

02 June 2026

Talks & Lectures

In 2026, Scottish art marks an historic milestone as we celebrate the bicentenary of the Royal Scottish Academy of Art & Architecture, which shares its 200-year anniversary with Lyon & Turnbull.

This talk explores the Academy’s origins as a bold 1826 rebellion that wrestled Scottish art away from wealthy connoisseurs and placed it firmly in the hands of the artists themselves. From the "Art Wars" of the Edinburgh press to the triumph of securing a Royal Charter and establishing the foundations of the Scottish National Gallery through its collecting, join Head of Collections Sandy Wood as he takes us through two centuries of the RSA and the vibrant legacy of an institution that continues to shape Scotland’s cultural identity today.

Join us in person at out saleroom in Edinburgh or watch online. Booking required for either option.

Illustrated: William Donaldson Clark, Princes Street, Edinburgh, looking east towards the Royal Institution and Scott Monument, glass negative, albumen print, c.1858. Royal Scottish Academy collections

Book Free Tickets to Attend in Person

Join us in person on 2nd June in Edinburgh. Booking is essential.

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Dates & Times

Wednesday, 1 June 2022, 18:00 - 20:00

By Appointment

Location

33 Broughton Place

Edinburgh

EH1 3RR

0131 557 8844

info@lyonandturnbull.com

ABOUT THE SPEAKER

Sandy Wood

Sandy Wood is Head of Collections at the Royal Scottish Academy of Art & Architecture. He is responsible for the management, care of, and access to the RSA’s uniquely formed collection, Recognised as a collection of National Significance to Scotland.

Sandy joined the RSA in 2003 after graduating in Fine Art from Gray’s School of Art, Aberdeen, later completing a Masters in Museum Studies at the University of Leicester. Starting work at the RSA as a technician, he was appointed Assistant Curator in 2010 and Collections Curator in 2013. His areas of interest include the stories woven between historic and contemporary practice and practitioners, artistic lineage and legacy and the revealing of art through process and artistic voice. Sandy works with many partners across the UK on behalf of the RSA and has presented and advocated widely on Scottish art and architecture.

Recent exhibitions and publications have included James Cumming RSA (1922-1991): Symbols of the Mind, 2015; UnRealised: Architectural Imagination from the RSA Collections, 2016; Ages of Wonder: Scotland’s Art 1540 to Now, RSA and Touring Scotland, 2017-21, Andiamo! Forty Years of the John Kinross Scholarships to Florence, 2021, William Gillies: Modernism and Nation, 2023, Benno Schotz and A Scots Miscellany, 2024 and Origin Stories, 2026.

Image courtesy of Sandy Wood, used with kind permission.

Celebrating Together

We are proud to share our 200-year anniversary milestone alongside the Royal Scottish Academy, celebrating together a rich heritage of artistic excellence, cultural contribution, and a continued commitment to supporting the arts into the future. Find our more about their Celebrating Together project, which brings over 100 partners, galleries and institutions together for an exciting year of exhibitions, events and performances.

Image: 198th Annual Exhibtition. Photo Julie Howden

Saleroom

33 Broughton Place, Edinburgh

33 Broughton Place
Edinburgh , EH1 3RR