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The
Royal Academy of Arts was founded in 1768, by personal act of George
III, with a mission to ‘promote the arts of design’. This it achieved
through establishing an art school and by holding an annual exhibition
of contemporary art. Both functions continue to the present day
through the RA Schools and Summer Exhibition.
From rather humble beginnings on the south side of Pall Mall the
Academy has since resided successively in the grandeur of Somerset
House, the National Gallery building and, since 1868, Burlington
House.
The Royal Academy’s collection of art was established as both a record
of the Royal Academy’s history and a teaching collection. Today,
artists who become Royal Academicians continue to present works on
election. These works are known as Diploma Works and are selected by
each individual artist concerned. The collection has developed into a
rich repository of British art and includes the UK’s oldest
institutional art library and a major archive.
Since 1870 the Academy has been home to a programme of temporary
exhibitions that is unrivalled in its scope and ambition. Although
renowned for ‘blockbusters’, such as Aztecs, the Academy has a
commitment to more esoteric exhibitions, such as Charlotte Salomon:
Life or Theatre and Joseph Beuys.
The Academy is unique in that it continues to be run by its artist
membership as an independent institution without government subsidy.
www.royalacademy.org.uk |
