@Beamur
I think we should write and ask them if they are going to audit all of the artists that they stock and display to make sure purity is maintained. As that's obviously more important than artistic merit.
I've been continuing to browse through their artists, looking for names I recognise.
www.royalacademy.org.uk/art-artists/name/anish-kapoor-ra
I spotted Sir Anish Kapoor. I hasten to add, nothing that Anish has done is remotely anything like what Gill did! But Anish, who has the sole rights to use the paint Vantablack, has a long-running amusing feud going with the artist Stuart Semple, in which he is banned from buying any of Stuart's pigments as a retaliation for not sharing Vantablack with other artists.
Semple is known for his colorful paintings, which frequently make use of pop culture references. He’d been making his own pigments for years, and decided to release one to the public as a protest against Kapoor’s refusal to share Vantablack. Semple put out a pigment he called theWorld’s Pinkest Pink, available for just £3.99 to anyone who wanted it… except Kapoor. A legal disclaimer on Semple’s online store made this clear: “By adding this product to your cart you confirm that you are not Anish Kapoor, you are in no way affiliated to Anish Kapoor, you are not purchasing this item on behalf of Anish Kapoor or an associate of Anish Kapoor.”
But Lisson Gallery, Kapoor’s London representative, violated Semple’s terms of service to purchase the Pinkest Pink. Then Kapoor shared aphoto on Instagramfeaturing him flipping a pink-dipped middle finger to the camera. Caption: “Up yours.” And so the feud began.
(Continues: www.format.com/magazine/features/art/anish-kapoor-stuart-semple-vantablack-blackest-black)
I suppose we can take it that the Royal Academy of Arts has Taken A Side and that they wholly endorse everything Anish Kapoor has ever said or done on social media, yes?