Richard Dadd exhibition opens at London's Royal Academy

The Royal Academy in London has opened a major exhibition of 19th‑century painter Richard Dadd, whose intricate fairy‑world canvases such as *The Fairy Feller’s Master‑Stroke* are on show for the first time in a major survey since the 1970s. Curated with input from art historians and mental‑health specialists, the display highlights Dadd’s technical skill, his membership in the Victorian “Clique,” and the impact of his schizophrenia on his work.

Dadd, who murdered his father in 1843 during a psychotic episode, spent four decades confined to Bethlem (formerly Bedlam) and Broadmoor asylums, where he continued to paint. The exhibition includes works from his pre‑asylum period, archival material from the Museum of the Mind at Bethlem Hospital, and commentary on how his neurodivergent perspective shaped his imaginative compositions.