Joyce W. Cairns’ Bonjour Matelot’ (Image: Supplied)
It will coincide with the organisation’s 200th anniversary and the Edinburgh Festival.
Ms Cairns was born in Edinburgh and is considered one of Scotland’s most significant contemporary painters.
She served as President of the RSA from 2018 to 2022 and was the first woman to hold the post in the academy’s history.
Joyce W. Cairns ‘They said War was partly to blame’. (Image: Supplied)
The exhibition will be the most comprehensive survey of her work in many years, tracing her deeply personal, autobiographical approach to painting.
Her paintings draw on childhood memories, family history, and her life in Aberdeen’s historic Footdee, blending domestic themes with broader reflections on conflict and loss.
Joyce W. Cairns ‘Wedding Breakfast’ (Image: Supplied)
Ms Cairns was educated at Gray’s School of Art in Aberdeen and the Royal College of Art.
She taught drawing and painting at Gray’s until 2004, later leaving to complete the body of work that formed her War Tourist exhibition in Aberdeen.
Her connection with the RSA began in 1963 when she visited the Annual Exhibition as a schoolgirl.
She first exhibited her work in 1971, was elected an Associate in 1985, and became a full Academician in 1998.
Founded in 1826, the RSA is an independent, non-governmental institution dedicated to supporting the advancement of art and architecture in Scotland.
Its 200th anniversary celebrations will feature exhibitions, events, and performances across the country throughout 2026.