EDINBURGH.- The RSA 183rd Annual Exhibition takes place from 14th November to 20 December 2009 at the prestigious Royal Scottish Academy building in Edinburgh. Showcasing around 350 works by RSA Academicians as well as artists invited by the convener John Byrne RSA and selected submissions from leading and emerging artists; it presents a comprehensive cross-section of contemporary art in Scotland and includes painting, sculpture, film making, photography, printmaking, architecture and installation. There is over £4,000 worth of prizes and opportunities awarded to artists. Most works will be for sale.

The invited artists include Annie Cattrell, Alexander Stoddart, Helen Flockhart, Peter Thomson, and Chris Orr RA. We are also delighted to present projects from a number of distinguished architects including Studio8 Architects, Studio Egret West, Foster + Partners, Zaha Hadid, RMJM, GM+AD Architects, Sutherland Hussey Architects, Reiach and Hall Architects, Gareth Hoskins Architects, Elder & Cannon Architects Limited and JM Architects.

The exhibition will also present new works by three RSA award winners from the last year: RSA Morton Award winner, Rory Donaldson; RSA Barns-Graham Travel Award winner, Gemma Saville; and Laura Sutherland, winner of the first RSA William Littlejohn Watercolor Award.

A complementary exhibition will be held in the RSA Library, "HOMECOMING: Past Masters, Depictions of Scottish History from the RSA Collections". At the close of the year of Homecoming in which people of Scottish descent have been invited back to Scotland’s shores to re-engage with its heritage and culture, Past Masters examines the way in which this heritage was of particular fascination to Scottish artists in the late 18th and 19th-centuries as they created visions of Scotland’s past within the context of Scottish national identity. This exhibition also considers Scottish artists’ response to the romanticized vision of history articulated in the literature of Sir Walter Scott and the oral history tradition of the Scottish ballad. Key works will include William Borthwick Johnstone’s "Scene in Holyrood" - 1566 and George Ogilvy Reid’s monumental canvas "After Killiecrankie".

Alongside these exhibitions, there will be a comprehensive series of gallery tours, artist talks, meet the artists evenings and associated educational events to encourage the public to get involved and learn more about the art/artists in the show. This range of activities will be hosted by the Friends of the Royal Scottish Academy.