Royal Academy’s first female President receives City Freedom

·       City of London celebrates Royal Academy’s first female President

·       Rebecca Salter “delighted and honoured” by City’s recognition

·       Guildhall Art Gallery chosen as unique venue for Freedom ceremony   

The British abstract artist, Rebecca Salter CBE PRA, and President of the Royal Academy of Arts, has today received the Freedom of the City of London during a ceremony at Guildhall Art Gallery.

Elected in 2019 as the Royal Academy’s first female President in its then 251-year history, Rebecca Salter has been recognised for her outstanding contribution to the arts and contemporary art.

Salter studied ceramics at Bristol Polytechnic, before receiving a Leverhulme Scholarship to Kyoto City University of the Arts, where she explored traditional Japanese techniques. Her time in Japan reshaped the course of her artistic career, informing her minimalist, multimedia practice, and leading to the publication of two books on Japanese printmaking,

Salter has exhibited internationally and her work can be found in numerous public and private collections, including Tate, British Museum, Victoria & Albert Museum, Yale Center for British Art, and Albertina Museum in Vienna.

Salter became a Royal Academician in 2014 and in 2017, she was elected Keeper of the Royal Academy with the responsibility of guiding the Royal Academy Schools.. In December 2019, Salter was elected as its first female President since the institution’s founding in 1768.

Salter was nominated for the Freedom by the Recorder of London, His Honour Judge Mark Lucraft KC, and the Honorary Secondary of London at the Central Criminal Court (Old Bailey), Fiona Adler.

Speaking after her Freedom ceremony, Rebecca Salter CBE PRA said:

“It is an honour to have been granted the Freedom of this great City of London. I am delighted to accept, both, as an artist and as President of the Royal Academy of Arts.

“In uncertain and difficult times, the arts play an increasingly vital role in developing our ability to understand ourselves and others.

“I hope to continue to build links between the Royal Academy and the City of London, so that we can work together to ensure that generations to come are able to explore the many riches that flow from engagement with the arts in all of their forms.”

City of London Corporation Policy Chairman, Chris Hayward, said:

“As the Policy Chairman of one of the UK’s major funders of arts and culture, I am very pleased to offer my congratulations to Rebecca Salter on her Freedom.

“I hope that Rebecca will have happy memories of her ceremony for many years to come, not least, for this well-deserved recognition of all that she has achieved.”

Recorder of London, His Honour Judge Mark Lucraft KC, said:

“Over the course of a career spanning nearly five decades, Rebecca Salter has revelled in the freedom to explore different media and techniques, which has enabled her to produce so much beautiful work and gain a loyal following.

“It is a particular privilege to pay tribute to Rebecca’s remarkable talents as an artist and her leadership of one of the UK’s most prestigious cultural institutions.”

The City of London Corporation is one of the largest funders of arts, cultural, and heritage activities in the UK and invests over £130m every year. It manages a range of world-class cultural and heritage institutions, including the Barbican Centre, Tower Bridge, Guildhall School of Music & Drama, Guildhall Library, Guildhall Art Gallery and London’s Roman Amphitheatre, The London Archives, and Keats House.

It also supports the London Symphony Orchestra and the new London Museum, which will open this year.

One of the City of London’s ancient traditions, the Freedom is believed to have begun in 1237 and enabled recipients to carry out their trade. As well as being nominated for, or applying for, the Freedom, it is also offered by the City of London Corporation to individuals as a way of paying tribute to their outstanding contribution to London or public life, or to celebrate a very significant achievement.

Recent notable recipients include two-time Academy Award-winning actor and humanitarian, Cate Blanchett; choreographer and director, Sir Matthew Bourne; television presenter and antisemitism campaigner, Rachel Riley; and mental health campaigner and former professional heavyweight boxer, Frank Bruno.

ENDS

Notes for Editors:

About the City of London Corporation:

The City of London Corporation is the governing body of the Square Mile dedicated to a vibrant and thriving City, supporting a diverse and sustainable London within a globally successful UK – www.cityoflondon.gov.uk