Royal Hibernian Academy of Arts
The 196th Annual Exhibition at the Royal Hibernian Academy of Arts in Dublin opened with the usual enthusiasm at the traditional Varnishing Day. Showing for the first time in Ireland was Robyn Daly’s Lady With A Vase 2, which debuted in London earlier this year. The RHA Annual continues to be Ireland’s longest-running and one of its most important showcases of contemporary visual art. Presented in association with McCann FitzGerald, the exhibition occupies all five galleries at the Academy.
Using slow-exposure photography, Robyn Daly’s work Lady With A Vase 2 allows light and time to work their magic, offering new visual possibilities. “Run down, broken and derelict settings are my canvas. In that sense it’s rather a good thing that my house is a bit of a wreck!” said Daly. “I love to juxtapose the old and derelict with the fresh and immediate, like the flowers vs the peeling paint. It makes me feel like time is a continuum and we are part of an indivisible whole.”
Lady With A Vase 2 - Giclée Archival Print on PhotoRag. 1/10, 2026
Founded in 1823, the RHA has held annual exhibitions for almost two centuries, creating a platform where established artists, Academy members, and emerging practitioners exhibit side by side. Today, the exhibition remains a major fixture in Ireland’s cultural calendar and is recognised as the country’s largest open-submission exhibition of visual art.
According to the RHA, 4,890 artworks were submitted for consideration, with 435 selected through a two-stage judging process. Among the artists included in the exhibition is Robyn Daly, whose work Lady With A Vase 2 forms part of the 2026 presentation.
The exhibition offers a snapshot of current directions in Irish visual culture. Visitors encounter traditional painting alongside experimental media, large-scale installations beside intimate works on paper, and architectural presentations sharing space with figurative and abstract art. Most of the works on display are available to purchase, making the exhibition both a public cultural event and an important commercial opportunity for artists.
The RHA’s role as an artist-led institution continues to distinguish it within Ireland’s arts landscape. The Academy describes itself as a place where art is “created, exhibited, and debated”, maintaining a dual focus on supporting artists while engaging public audiences.
The 196th RHA Annual Exhibition runs at the RHA galleries, 15 Ely Place, Dublin 2, through August 2026.
The Exhibition runs from 25th May to 9th August.
All five galleries in the Academy are taken up in the RHA Annual Exhibition.
