The Royal Academy of Arts has announced that from Saturday 17th February 2024 until Sunday 12th January 2025, Frederic, Lord Leighton PRA’s iconic painting, Flaming June, c.1895, will be on free display in the RA’s Collection Gallery. It will be a rare opportunity to see one of the most recognisable and celebrated works from the Victorian period.
We are delighted to be welcoming Flaming June back to the Royal Academy of Arts. In dialogue with our own permanent collections, this beautiful and compelling work enables us to explore ideas of artistic and
Rebecca Lyons, Director of Collections and Learning, Royal Academy of Arts
creative inspiration while also creating global connections across collections. We are very grateful
to all who have enabled this exceptional loan.
The painting is on loan from the Museo de Arte de Ponce in Puerto Rico, which currently remains partially closed whilst a major repair project takes place due to damage caused by earthquakes in January 2020.
The devastating earthquakes of January 2020 on the south coast of Puerto Rico, gave the Museo de Arte de Ponce the opportunity to travel its collection while its main galleries are closed for repair. We are thrilled to be lending Frederic Leighton’s Flaming June, one of the most iconic paintings of British art, to the Royal Academy of Arts where it was first exhibited in 1895. It is a delight to share the cultural patrimony of Puerto Rico with international audiences and this extraordinary work continues to fascinate and foster dialogue. We extend our gratitude to the Royal Academy
Rubi Rodríguez, Deputy Director, Museo de Arte de Ponce
Frederic Leighton (1830-1896) was a leading artist of the Victorian period; known for his historical, religious and mythological artworks, he served as the President of the Royal Academy from 1878-1896. Flaming June was displayed at the Royal Academy’s Summer Exhibition in 1895 before Leighton’s death in January 1896. The work is regarded as Leighton’s masterpiece.
Flaming June will be shown alongside works from the RA Collection, which will examine the relationship between painting and sculpture. This will include Michelangelo’s ‘Taddei Tondo’ c.1504, the only carving by Michelangelo in the UK, which was part of the RA Collection during Leighton’s presidency. Michelangelo was a hero to Leighton and his work influenced the composition of Flaming June.
Flaming June is currently on display at The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York.
About Museo de Arte de Ponce
The Museo de Arte de Ponce has one of the most important collections of Victorian art outside the
United Kingdom. Luis A. Ferré, the museum’s visionary founder, assembled an extraordinary and
highly personal collection of Victorian and Pre-Raphaelite art between 1959 and 1974 that has put
Puerto Rico on the map for anyone interested in this subject. At the time, these works were out of
fashion, but Ferré’s strategy was to buy works of quality, irrespective of their popularity in the market,
and to trust his eye and intuition. Today, the Museo de Arte de Ponce is internationally recognized
as a leading art museum with an outstanding collection of Victorian paintings, a remarkable assembly
of Baroque paintings, and extensive holdings of Puerto Rican art from the 18th to the 21st century.
For over six decades, the museum has excelled in the areas of research, conservation, and
education, connecting the community and its visitors with the arts. museoarteponce.org
