LONDON.- The Royal Academy of Arts announced today that Rebecca Salter has been elected the 27th President of the Royal Academy. She succeeds Christopher Le Brun PPRA who has stepped down after serving eight years in the role.

Salter was elected by her fellow Royal Academicians at a General Assembly meeting. Her appointment has received formal approval from Her Majesty The Queen. Salter is the first female President in the Royal Academy’s 251-year history.

Rebecca Salter PRA was elected Royal Academician in 2014 in the category of Printmaker. In 2017 she became Keeper of the Royal Academy with the responsibility of guiding the RA Schools.

Rebecca Salter, President of the Royal Academy said: “I am so honoured to have been elected President of the Royal Academy. The RA is unique, a place shaped by artists and architects. Its exhibitions are world-class and we teach the artists of the future in the RA Schools. This is a tremendously exciting time to become President following the recent 250th anniversary expansion. I look forward to working with my fellow Academicians, our staff and our many supporters to help the RA to evolve while keeping art, architecture and debate at the heart of what we do.”

Axel Rüger, Secretary and Chief Executive of the Royal Academy said: “I am delighted that Rebecca Salter is the new President of the Royal Academy. With a long career as a respected artist, and an in-depth knowledge of the Royal Academy through her position as Keeper, Rebecca will bring a wealth of experience to the role. I look forward to working with her.”

Rebecca Salter studied at Bristol Polytechnic and then at Kyoto City University of the Arts in Japan, where she lived for six years. While living in Kyoto, Salter studied traditional Japanese woodblock printing with Professor Kurosaki Akira and has since written two books on the subject. Her interest in printmaking is combined with her main practice in painting. Until 2016 she was Associate Lecturer on the MA Printmaking Course at Camberwell College of Art, University of the Arts, London. Salter exhibits regularly in London and internationally, and in 2011 she had a major retrospective into the light of things at Yale Center for British Art, Connecticut. A monograph was published to coincide with the show. An accompanying exhibition at Yale University Art Gallery explored links between Western artists and Japan. She has also been artist in residence twice (2003 and 2011) at the Josef and Anni Albers Foundation, Connecticut. Salter has undertaken several architectural commissions including 15 Sackville Street, London W1, St George's Hospital, Tooting and NGS Macmillan Cancer Unit, Chesterfield Royal Hospital. She has work in many private and public collections including Tate, British Museum, Yale Center for British Art and Yale University Art Gallery. Salter was elected as a Royal Academician to the category of Printmaker in December 2014 and, in June 2017, was elected as the Keeper of the Royal Academy.