LONDON.- In an initiative to help make the Royal Academy’s exhibitions more accessible to young people, philanthropists and art collectors Batia and Idan Ofer have subsidised the new 25 & Under ticketing scheme, which provides access to half-price exhibition tickets for all visitors aged 16 to 25.

Says Batia Ofer: ‘I am delighted to be able to support the Royal Academy’s new 25 & Under scheme. I’m passionate about art and I’m passionate about supporting young people’s access to galleries and museums. I hope this scheme will enable a younger audience to see the world-class exhibitions at the RA.’

Says RA President, Rebecca Salter: ‘We are delighted that Batia and Idan Ofer are supporting our 25 & Under scheme. We are committed to making our exhibitions as accessible as possible and, through this scheme, we look forward to welcoming younger visitors to the RA.’

Batia Ofer, who is a Trustee of the Royal Academy Trust, is also the founder of Art of Wishes, the charitable initiative that brings together the art world to raise money for the Make-A-Wish Foundation, which creates wishes for children who are suffering from life-threatening critical illnesses. Securing donations from artists such as Tracey Emin, Jenny Saville, and Georg Baselitz, she has, through its biennial gala and other events, raised £9 million for Make-A-Wish UK, which has resulted in over 4,000 wishes being granted to children. Together with her husband, Batia was listed by ARTnews magazine as one of the top 200 art collectors globally, having curated one of the leading family-owned collections of post-war and contemporary art.

To mark and raise awareness of the 25 & Under scheme, and to mark International Women’s Day, the Royal Academy are hosting an event on 6 March, at which Batia Ofer will be in conversation with the Royal Academy’s President, Rebecca Salter.

As well as running Art of Wishes, Batia serves as a Patron for Make-A-Wish and was Honorary President for the foundation in Israel for many years. Batia has worked with MAWUK since 2015 and in that time she has brought together her global network of artists, galleries, collectors, brands, and institutions to help boost its funding. Her avowed aim is to establish a philanthropic network, not just donating money but bringing global connections together to facilitate meaningful change through art.

An art enthusiast and collector, she also serves as a trustee for the Royal Academy of Arts as well as sitting on the International Council for Sotheby’s and the V&A. She also sits on the Dean’s Executive Board at Harvard Kennedy School, where, together with her husband Idan, she established the HKS Sammy Ofer Graduate Fellowship Fund for emerging leaders from Israel and Palestine. She sits on the international board of the Peres Centre for Peace and Innovation in Israel.