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{{Short description|Art institution in London, England}}
{{hatnote group|
{{Redirect|Royal Academy}}
{{For|the Royal Academy of Art in the Netherlands|Royal Academy of Art, The Hague}}
}}
{{Use British English|date=May 2016}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=May 2019}}
{{Infobox museum
| name            = Royal Academy of Arts
| image           = Royal Academy (5125746823).jpg
| image_size      = 270px
| caption         = Front view, October 2010
| logo            = RA logo.svg
| established     = {{Start date and age|1768|df=y}}
| location        = [[Burlington House]], Piccadilly, [[London]], United Kingdom
| visitors        = 709,961 (2023)<ref>{{cite web |title=The 100 most popular art museums in the world—blockbusters, bots and bounce-backs |url=https://www.theartnewspaper.com/2024/03/26/the-100-most-popular-art-museums-in-the-world-2023 |website=theartnewspaper.com |publisher=The Art Newspaper |access-date=27 September 2024}}</ref>
| president       = [[Rebecca Salter]]
| ceo             = [[Natasha Mitchell (executive)|Natasha Mitchell]]
| publictransit   = {{rint|london|underground}} {{lus|Green Park}}; {{lus|Piccadilly Circus}}
| website         = {{URL|http://www.royalacademy.org.uk/|royalacademy.org.uk}}
}}

The '''Royal Academy of Arts''' ('''RA''') is an art institution based in [[Burlington House]] in [[Piccadilly]] London, England. Founded in 1768, it has a unique position as an independent, privately funded institution led by eminent artists and architects. Its purpose is to promote the creation, enjoyment and appreciation of the [[fine art]]s through exhibitions, education and debate.

==History==
[[File:Royal Academy Simon Fieldhouse.jpg|thumb|A modern illustration of [[Burlington House]] in London, home of the Royal Academy of Arts since 1868]]
The origin of the Royal Academy of Arts lies in an attempt in 1755 by members of the [[Royal Society of Arts|Society for the Encouragement of Arts, Manufactures and Commerce]], principally the sculptor [[Henry Cheere]], to found an autonomous academy of arts. Before this, several artists were members of the Society for the Encouragement of Arts, Manufactures and Commerce, including Cheere and [[William Hogarth]], or were involved in small-scale private art academies, such as the [[St Martin's Lane Academy]].{{sfn|Hodgson|Eaton|1905|p=7}} Although Cheere's attempt failed, the eventual [[charter]], called an 'Instrument', used to establish the Royal Academy of Arts over a decade later was almost identical to that drawn up by Cheere in 1755.<ref>Gordon Sutton, ''Artisan or Artist?: A History of the Teaching of Art and Crafts in English Schools'' (London: Pergamon Press, 2014) p.297</ref>

The success of St Martin's Lane Academy led to the formation of the [[Society of Artists of Great Britain]] and the Free Society of Artists.{{sfn|Hodgson|Eaton|1905|p=10}} [[William Chambers (architect)|Sir William Chambers]], a prominent architect and head of the British government's architects' department, the [[Office of Works]], used his connections with [[George III of the United Kingdom|King George III]] to gain royal patronage and financial support for the Academy.<ref>John Harris, ''Sir William Chambers Knight of the Polar Star'', Chapter 11: ''The Royal Academy'', 1970, A. Zwemmer Ltd</ref> The Royal Academy of Arts was founded through a personal act of King George III on 10 December 1768 with a mission "to establish a school or academy of design for the use of students in the arts" with an annual exhibition.{{sfn|Hodgson|Eaton|1905|p=11}}

[[File:A scene of a pantamime entertainment lately exhibited LCCN2002716141.jpg|thumb|Satirical drawing of [[William Chambers (architect)|Sir William Chambers]], one of the founders, trying to slay the 8-headed hydra of the [[Society of Artists of Great Britain|Incorporated Society of Artists]]]]
The painter [[Joshua Reynolds]] was made its first president,{{sfn|Hodgson|Eaton|1905|p=14}} and Francis Milner Newton was elected the first secretary,{{sfn|Hodgson|Eaton|1905|p=8}} a post he held for two decades until his resignation in 1788.{{sfn|Hodgson|Eaton|1905|p=96}}

The instrument of foundation, signed by George III on 10 December 1768, named 34 founder members and allowed for a total membership of 40. The founder members were Reynolds, [[John Baker (artist)|John Baker]], [[George Barret Sr.|George Barret]], [[Francesco Bartolozzi]], [[Giovanni Battista Cipriani]], [[Agostino Carlini|Augustino Carlini]], [[Charles Catton]], [[Mason Chamberlin]], [[William Chambers (architect)|William Chambers]], [[Francis Cotes]], [[George Dance the Younger|George Dance]], [[Nathaniel Dance-Holland|Nathaniel Dance]], [[Thomas Gainsborough]], [[John Gwynn (architect)|John Gwynn]], [[Francis Hayman]], [[Nathaniel Hone the Elder]], [[Angelica Kauffman]], [[Jeremiah Meyer]], [[George Michael Moser]], [[Mary Moser]], [[Francis Milner Newton]], [[Edward Penny]], [[John Inigo Richards]], [[Paul Sandby]], [[Thomas Sandby]], [[Dominic Serres]], [[Peter Toms (painter)|Peter Toms]], [[William Tyler (architect)|William Tyler]], [[Samuel Wale]], [[Benjamin West]], [[Richard Wilson (painter)|Richard Wilson]], [[Joseph Wilton]], [[Richard Yeo]], [[Francesco Zuccarelli]].{{sfn|Hodgson|Eaton|1905|p=353}} [[William Hoare]] and [[Johann Zoffany]] were added to this list by the King in 1769.{{sfn|Hodgson|Eaton|1905|p=353}}

[[File:The Royal Academicians in General Assembly.png|thumb|''[[The Royal Academicians in General Assembly]]'' by [[Henry Singleton (painter)|Henry Singleton]], 1795. Singleton depicts the Academicians at [[Somerset House]] with notable works of the collection behind them.]]
The Royal Academy was initially housed in cramped quarters in [[Pall Mall, London|Pall Mall]], although in 1771 it was given temporary accommodation for its library and schools in Old [[Somerset House]], then a royal palace.{{sfn|Hodgson|Eaton|1905|p=13}} In 1780 it was installed in purpose-built apartments in the first completed wing of New Somerset House, located in the [[Strand, London|Strand]] and designed by Chambers, the Academy's first treasurer.{{sfn|Hodgson|Eaton|1905|p=13}} The Academy moved in 1837 to [[Trafalgar Square]], where it occupied the east wing of the recently completed [[National Gallery (London)|National Gallery]] (designed by another Academician, [[William Wilkins (architect)|William Wilkins]]).{{sfn|Hodgson|Eaton|1905|p=320}} These premises soon proved too small to house both institutions. In 1868, 100 years after the Academy's foundation, it moved to [[Burlington House]], Piccadilly, where it remains.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.asp?compid=41482 |title=Burlington House &#124; Survey of London: volumes 31 and 32 (pp. 390–429) |publisher=British-history.ac.uk |access-date=2013-03-26 |archive-date=27 September 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070927222605/http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.asp?compid=41482 |url-status=live }}</ref>

The first Royal Academy exhibition of contemporary art, open to all artists, opened on 25 April 1769 and ran until 27 May 1769. 136 works of art were shown and this exhibition, now known as the [[Royal Academy Summer Exhibition]], has been staged annually without interruption to the present day. Following the cessation of a similar annual exhibition at the [[British Institution]], the Academy expanded its exhibition programme to include a temporary annual loan exhibition of Old Masters in 1870.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=gri.ark%3A%2F13960%2Ft13n8gh5h&view=1up&seq=7|title=Exhibition of the works of Old Masters|year=1870|publisher=Royal Academy; Printed by William Clowes and Sons|access-date=25 July 2020|archive-date=24 September 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200924131033/https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=gri.ark%3A%2F13960%2Ft13n8gh5h&view=1up&seq=7|url-status=live}}</ref>

Britain's first public lectures on art were staged by the Royal Academy, as another way to fulfil its mission. Led by Reynolds, the first president, the first program included a lecture by [[William Hunter (anatomist)|William Hunter]].<ref>{{Cite journal |author=Kemp M |title=True to their natures: Sir Joshua Reynolds and Dr William Hunter at the Royal Academy of Arts |journal=Notes and Records of the Royal Society of London |volume=46 |issue=1 |pages=77–88 |date=January 1992 |pmid=11616172 |doi=10.1098/rsnr.1992.0004 |s2cid=26388873 }}</ref>

In 2018, the Academy's 250th anniversary, the results of a major refurbishment were unveiled. The project began on 1 January 2008 with the appointment of [[David Chipperfield]] Architects. [[Heritage Lottery Fund]] support was secured in 2012. On 19 October 2016, the RA's [[Burlington Gardens]] site was closed to the public and renovations commenced. Refurbishment work included the restoration of 150 sash windows, glazing upgrades to 52 windows and the installation of two large roof lights.<ref>{{Cite web|title = Royal Academy of Arts|url = https://www.trcwindows.co.uk/case-studies/royal-academy-of-arts/|website = TRC Windows|access-date = 2021-09-30|language = en|archive-date = 26 August 2022|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20220826182805/https://www.trcwindows.co.uk/case-studies/royal-academy-of-arts/|url-status = live}}</ref> The "New RA" was opened to the public on 19 May 2018. The £56&nbsp;million development includes new galleries, a lecture theatre, a public project space for students and a bridge linking the [[Burlington House]] and Burlington Gardens sites. As part of the process, 10,000 works from the RA's collection were digitised and made available online.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.royalacademy.org.uk/ra250|title=The New RA Now open|website=royalacademy.org.uk|access-date=13 February 2019|archive-date=17 March 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200317113233/https://www.royalacademy.org.uk/ra250|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.standard.co.uk/go/london/arts/the-royal-academy-of-arts-gets-a-new-look-everything-you-need-to-know-about-56m-redevelopment-a3838856.html|title=The Royal Academy of Arts gets a new look: Everything you need to know about £56m redevelopment|publisher=[[Evening Standard]]|last=Thompson|first=Jessie|date=14 May 2018|access-date=13 February 2019|archive-date=5 December 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191205203303/https://www.standard.co.uk/go/london/arts/the-royal-academy-of-arts-gets-a-new-look-everything-you-need-to-know-about-56m-redevelopment-a3838856.html|url-status=live}}</ref>

==Activities==
[[File:Microcosm of London Plate 002 - Exhibition at Somerset House by Thomas Rowlandson and Augustus Pugin. 1800..jpg|right|thumb|An early [[Royal Academy Summer Exhibition|RA Summer Exhibition]] at the Academy's original home in [[Somerset House]]]]
[[File:Frith A Private View.jpg|thumb|''[[A Private View at the Royal Academy, 1881]]'' by [[William Powell Frith]], depicting [[Oscar Wilde]] and other Victorian worthies at a private view of the 1881 exhibition]]

=== Charitable status ===
[[File:RA Summer Exhibition 2015, Varnishing Day, opening speech Christopher Le Brun.jpg|right|thumb|[[Christopher Le Brun]], President of the RA, on "Varnishing Day", or the artists' opening of the [[Royal Academy Summer Exhibition|Summer Exhibition]], 2015]]
The Royal Academy receives funding from neither the State nor the Crown and operates as a charity.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://beta.charitycommission.gov.uk/charity-details/?regid=1125383&subid=0|title=The Royal Academy Of Arts|publisher=Charity Commission|access-date=25 July 2020|archive-date=26 August 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220826182806/https://register-of-charities.charitycommission.gov.uk/charity-details/?regid=1125383&subid=0|url-status=live}}</ref> The RA's home in Burlington House is owned by the UK government and provided to the Academy on a [[Peppercorn (legal)#In leases for real property|peppercorn rent]] leasehold of 999 years.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.royalacademy.org.uk/art-artists/archive/lease-of-burlington-house|title=Lease of Burlington House|publisher=Royal Academy of Arts|access-date=25 July 2020|archive-date=26 August 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220826182803/https://www.royalacademy.org.uk/art-artists/archive/lease-of-burlington-house|url-status=live}}</ref>

=== Permanent collection and loans ===
One of its principal sources of revenue is hosting a programme of temporary loan exhibitions. These are comparable to those at the [[National Gallery, London|National Gallery]], [[Tate Gallery|the Tate Gallery]] and leading art galleries outside the United Kingdom. In 2004 the highlights of the Academy's permanent collection went on display in the newly restored reception rooms of the original section of Burlington House, which are now known as the [[John Madejski]] Fine Rooms.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.standard.co.uk/home/fine-rooms-are-trading-up-7438101.html|title=Fine Rooms are trading up|date=12 March 2004|publisher=Evening Standard|access-date=25 July 2020|archive-date=26 August 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220826182807/https://www.standard.co.uk/showbiz/celebrity-news/fine-rooms-are-trading-up-7438101.html|url-status=live}}</ref>

=== Exhibitions ===
Under the direction of former exhibitions secretary Sir [[Norman Rosenthal]], the Academy has hosted ambitious exhibitions of contemporary art. In its 1997 "[[Sensation exhibition|Sensation]]", it displayed the collection of work by [[Young British Artists]] owned by [[Charles Saatchi]]. The show was controversial for its display of [[Marcus Harvey]]'s [[Myra (painting)|portrait of Myra Hindley]], a convicted murderer. The painting was vandalised while on display.<ref name=artcrime>{{cite web|url=http://www.artcrimes.net/myra|title=Myra – Art Crimes|access-date=5 September 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150302170505/http://www.artcrimes.net/myra|archive-date=2 March 2015|url-status=dead|df=dmy-all}}</ref>

In 2004, the Academy attracted media attention for a series of financial scandals and reports of a feud between Rosenthal and other senior staff. These problems resulted in the cancellation of what were expected to have been profitable exhibitions.<ref name="RA feud guardian">{{cite news|url=http://arts.guardian.co.uk/news/story/0,,1235218,00.html|title=Feud at top 'tearing Royal Academy apart'|last=Higgins|first=Charlotte|date=10 June 2004|access-date=7 March 2007|work=The Guardian|location=London|archive-date=5 February 2008|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080205040259/http://arts.guardian.co.uk/news/story/0,,1235218,00.html|url-status=live}}</ref> In 2006, it attracted the press by erroneously placing only the support for a sculpture on display, and then justifying it being kept on display.<ref name="empty plinth">{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/england/southern_counties/5081744.stm|title=Empty plinth sidelines sculpture|last=BBC|author-link=BBC|date=14 June 2006|work=BBC News|access-date=7 March 2007|archive-date=5 September 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190905035253/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/england/southern_counties/5081744.stm|url-status=live}}</ref> 

From 3 February to 28 April 2024, the RA showed the exhibition "Entangled Pasts, 1768-now" to reveal and discuss "connections between art associated with the Royal Academy of Arts and [[United Kingdom|Britain's]] colonial histories."<ref>RA. [https://www.royalacademy.org.uk/file/1969 ''Entangled Pasts: Large Print Guide (Main Galleries)'']. London: RA, 2024, p. 7.</ref> However, according to [[Colin Grant (author)|Colin Grant]], in ''[[The Guardian]]'', the exhibition "appears to be tame" though it attempts to "critique the exclusive and impenetrable RA."<ref> Grant, Colin: [https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2024/jan/30/entangled-pasts-1768-now-review-royal-academy-show "Entangled Pasts 1768-Now review – RA all at sea with its risk-light colonial revisionism"], ''The Guardian'', 30 January 2024.</ref>

=== Summer Exhibition ===
{{Main|Royal Academy Summer Exhibition}}
The Academy hosts [[Royal Academy Summer Exhibition|the Summer Exhibition]] an annual [[open art exhibition]], which means anyone can enter their work to be considered for exhibition. Established in 1769, it is the oldest and largest open submission exhibition in the world and is included in [[Social season (United Kingdom)|London's Social Season]]. The members of The Academy, also known as Royal Academicians select and hang the works. Art works in a variety of media are exhibited including painting, sculpture, film, architecture, photography and printmaking.

[[Tracey Emin]] exhibited in the 2005 show. In March 2007 Emin accepted the Academy's invitation to become a Royal Academician, commenting in her weekly newspaper column, "It doesn't mean that I have become more conformist; it means that the Royal Academy has become more open, which is healthy and brilliant."<ref>Emin, Tracey. [http://docs.newsbank.com/openurl?ctx_ver=z39.88-2004&rft_id=info:sid/iw.newsbank.com:UKNB:TND1&rft_val_format=info:ofi/fmt:kev:mtx:ctx&rft_dat=118338C14803D1A0&svc_dat=InfoWeb:aggregated5&req_dat=102CDD40F14C6BDA "I can see that the Ra-Ra club is going to be a lot of fun"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131110080330/http://docs.newsbank.com/openurl?ctx_ver=z39.88-2004 |date=10 November 2013 }}, ''The Independent'', 30 March 2007</ref>

=== Friends programme ===
In 1977, [[Hugh Casson|Sir Hugh Casson]] founded the Friends of the Royal Academy, a charity designed to provide financial support for the institution.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://beta.charitycommission.gov.uk/charity-details/?regid=272926&subid=0|title=The Friends of the Royal Academy|publisher=Charity Commission|access-date=25 July 2020|archive-date=25 July 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200725211034/https://beta.charitycommission.gov.uk/charity-details/?regid=272926&subid=0|url-status=dead }}</ref>

=== Literary collaborations ===
[[Pin Drop Studio]] hosts live events where well-known authors, actors and thinkers read a short story chosen as a response to the main exhibition programme. The literary evenings are hosted by Pin Drop Studio founder Simon Oldfield. Guests have included [[Graham Swift]], [[Sebastian Faulks]], [[Lionel Shriver]], [[William Boyd (writer)|William Boyd]], [[Will Self]], Dame [[Eileen Atkins]], Dame [[Siân Phillips]], [[Lisa Dwan|Lisa Dawn]] and [[Ben Okri]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.royalacademy.org.uk/article/podcast-short-stories-with-ben-okri|title=Podcast: Pin Drop with Ben Okri |website=Royal Academy of Arts |date=12 April 2016 |access-date=2018-05-02|archive-date=25 July 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200725183857/https://www.royalacademy.org.uk/article/podcast-short-stories-with-ben-okri|url-status=dead }}</ref>

The RA and Pin Drop Short Story Award is an open submission writing prize, held annually along similar principles of the Royal Academy Summer Exhibition. The award ceremony features a live reading of the winning story in its entirety by a special guest. Past winning stories have been read by [[Stephen Fry]], [[Penelope Wilton|Dame Penelope Wilton]], [[Juliet Stevenson]] and [[Gwendoline Christie]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.thebookseller.com/news/fuller-wins-royal-academy-pin-drop-short-story-prize-338201|title=Fuller wins Royal Academy & Pin Drop short story prize |website= The Bookseller |date=Jun 27, 2016|first1=Natasha |last1=Onwuemezi |language=en|access-date=7 March 2018|archive-date=30 November 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181130124146/https://www.thebookseller.com/news/fuller-wins-royal-academy-pin-drop-short-story-prize-338201|url-status=live}}</ref>

==Presidents and officers==
{{Main|List of officers of the Royal Academy of Arts}}
On 10 December 2019, [[Rebecca Salter]] was elected the first female President of the Royal Academy<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.artlyst.com/news/rebecca-salter-becomes-twenty-seventh-president-royal-academy/|title=Rebecca Salter Becomes Twenty-Seventh President of The Royal Academy|website=Artlyst|access-date=11 December 2019|archive-date=11 December 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191211110004/https://www.artlyst.com/news/rebecca-salter-becomes-twenty-seventh-president-royal-academy/|url-status=live}}</ref> on the retirement of Sir [[Christopher Le Brun]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.artlyst.com/news/christopher-le-brun-royal-academy-president-step/|title=Christopher Le Brun Royal Academy President To Step Down|date=26 September 2019|publisher=Artlyst|access-date=25 July 2020|archive-date=3 August 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200803180331/https://www.artlyst.com/news/christopher-le-brun-royal-academy-president-step/|url-status=live}}</ref>

In September 2007, [[Charles Saumarez Smith|Sir Charles Saumarez Smith]] became Secretary and Chief Executive of the Royal Academy, a newly created post.<ref name="RA tussle">{{cite news|url=http://arts.guardian.co.uk/art/news/story/0,,2044483,00.html|title=Gallery director quits after policy tussle|last=Kennedy|first=Maev|date=28 March 2007|access-date=30 March 2007|work=The Guardian|location=London|archive-date=19 August 2007|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070819083340/http://arts.guardian.co.uk/art/news/story/0,,2044483,00.html|url-status=live}}</ref> Saumarez Smith stepped down from the role at the end of 2018, and it was announced that Axel Rüger, director of the [[Van Gogh Museum]] in Amsterdam, would fill the position in June 2019.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2019/feb/13/axel-ruger-leaves-van-gogh-behind-to-head-royal-academy|title=Axel Rüger leaves Van Gogh behind to head Royal Academy|last=Brown|first=Mark |date=13 February 2019|work=The Guardian|access-date=4 March 2019|language=en-GB|issn=0261-3077|archive-date=1 March 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190301210916/https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2019/feb/13/axel-ruger-leaves-van-gogh-behind-to-head-royal-academy|url-status=live}}</ref>

==Royal Academy Schools==
The Royal Academy Schools form the oldest art school in Britain and have been an integral part of the Royal Academy of Arts since its foundation in 1768. A key principle of the RA Schools is that their three-year post-graduate programme is free of charge to every applicant offered a place.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.royalacademy.org.uk/the-ra-schools|title=Royal Academy Schools Prospectus &#124; Royal Academy of Arts|website=www.royalacademy.org.uk|access-date=25 July 2020|archive-date=21 March 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190321092745/https://www.royalacademy.org.uk/the-ra-schools|url-status=live}}</ref> [[File:Royal Academy Students Supper 1889.jpg|thumb|right| Royal Academy Students Supper 1889. Front page of menu.]]

The Royal Academy Schools were the first institution to provide professional training for artists in Britain. The Schools' programme of formal training was modelled on that of the French [[Académie de peinture et de sculpture]], founded by [[Louis XIV of France|Louis XIV]] in 1648. It was shaped by the precepts laid down by Sir Joshua Reynolds. In his fifteen ''Discourses'' delivered to pupils in the Schools between 1769 and 1790, Reynolds stressed the importance of copying the Old Masters, and of drawing from casts after the Antique and from the life model. He argued that such training would form artists capable of creating works of high moral and artistic worth. Professorial chairs were founded in Chemistry, Anatomy, Ancient History and Ancient Literature, the latter two being held initially by [[Samuel Johnson]] and [[Oliver Goldsmith]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.royalacademy.org.uk/art-artists/name/oliver-goldsmith|title=Oliver Goldsmith|publisher=Royal Academy of Arts|access-date=25 July 2020|archive-date=25 July 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200725233354/https://www.royalacademy.org.uk/art-artists/name/oliver-goldsmith|url-status=live}}</ref>

In 1769, the first year of operation, the Schools enrolled 77 students. By 1830 more than 1,500 students had enrolled in the Schools, an average intake of 25 students each year. They included men such as [[John Flaxman]], [[J. M. W. Turner]], [[John Soane]], [[Thomas Rowlandson]], [[William Blake]], [[Thomas Lawrence (painter)|Thomas Lawrence]], [[Decimus Burton]],<ref name="ODNB Decimus Burton">{{Cite ODNB|id=4125|title=Burton, Decimus|first=Dana |last=Arnold}}</ref> [[John Constable]], [[George Hayter]], [[David Wilkie (artist)|David Wilkie]], [[William Etty]], [[Edwin Henry Landseer|Edwin Landseer]], and [[Charles Lucy]] in 1838.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.avictorian.com/Lucy_Charles.html|title=Charles Lucy (1814–1873), Victorian Art History|website=www.avictorian.com|access-date=2019-06-07|archive-date=6 June 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190606153323/http://www.avictorian.com/Lucy_Charles.html|url-status=live}}</ref> The first woman to enroll as a student of the Schools was [[Laura Herford]] in 1860,<ref>{{cite ODNB|id=69105|title=Herford, Anne Laura|year=2004|last=Yeldham|first=Charlotte}}</ref> and other female students have included [[Daisy Radcliffe Beresford]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=BERESFORD Daisy Radcliffe 1879-1939 {{!}} Artist Biographies |url=https://www.artbiogs.co.uk/1/artists/beresford-daisy-radcliffe |access-date=2025-01-14 |website=www.artbiogs.co.uk}}</ref> [[Charles Sims (painter)|Charles Sims]] was expelled from the Schools in 1895.<ref>Reynolds, Simon. "Sims, Charles Henry (1873–1928)" in ''Oxford Dictionary of National Biography'', Oxford University Press, 2004.</ref> The Royal Academy made Sir [[Francis Newbolt]] the first Honorary Professor of Law in 1928.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.royalacademy.org.uk/art-artists/name/francis-newbolt|title=Sir Francis Newbolt (1863–1940)|website=Royal Academy of Arts|access-date=16 November 2021|archive-date=16 November 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211116190420/https://www.royalacademy.org.uk/art-artists/name/francis-newbolt|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1940/12/08/archives/sir-fg-newbolt-attorney-77-dead-first-honorary-professor-of-law-of.html|title=SIR F.G. NEWBOLT, ATTORNEY, 77, DEAD;|newspaper=New York Times|date=8 December 1940|access-date=17 November 2021|archive-date=26 October 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211026082435/https://www.nytimes.com/1940/12/08/archives/sir-fg-newbolt-attorney-77-dead-first-honorary-professor-of-law-of.html|url-status=live}}</ref>

In 2011 [[Tracey Emin]] was appointed Professor of Drawing,<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-16175033|title=Tracey Emin to become a professor|work=BBC News |date=14 December 2011|access-date=1 August 2020|archive-date=10 December 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181210045138/https://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-16175033|url-status=live}}</ref> and [[Fiona Rae]] was appointed Professor of Painting – the first women professors to be appointed in the history of the Academy.<ref>[https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-16175033 "Tracey Emin to become Professor of Drawing at RA"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190327074739/https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-16175033 |date=27 March 2019 }}"BBC News" 14 December 2011</ref> Emin was succeeded by [[Michael Landy]],<ref name=Artlyst>{{cite news|title=RA Schools Announces Annual Exhibition of Works By Graduating Artists|url=http://www.artlyst.com/articles/ra-schools-announces-annual-exhibition-of-works-by-graduating-artists|access-date=21 January 2016|work=Artlyst|date=8 June 2015|archive-date=27 January 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160127074028/http://www.artlyst.com/articles/ra-schools-announces-annual-exhibition-of-works-by-graduating-artists|url-status=live}}</ref> and then [[David Remfry]] in 2016 while Rae was succeeded by [[Chantal Joffe]] in January 2016.<ref>[https://royal-academy-production-asset.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/68602275-89ee-43f4-9fdd-ed2c938338a8/Press+Release+-+RA+Elects+New+Member+New+Professors+and+Honorary+Surveyor.pdf Royal Academy of Arts announces election of new Royal Academician, new professors for the Royal Academy Schools and Honorary Surveyor] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220826182801/https://royal-academy-production-asset.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/68602275-89ee-43f4-9fdd-ed2c938338a8/Press+Release+-+RA+Elects+New+Member+New+Professors+and+Honorary+Surveyor.pdf |date=26 August 2022 }} Royal Academy of Arts news release, dated 16 January 2016.</ref>

==Library, archive, and collections==
The first president of the Royal Academy, Sir Joshua Reynolds, gave his noted self-portrait, beginning the Royal Academy collection. This was followed by gifts from other founding members, such as Gainsborough and [[Benjamin West]]. Subsequently, each elected Member was required to donate an artwork (known as a "Diploma Work") typical of his or her artistic output, and this practice continues today. Additional donations and purchases have resulted in a collection of approximately a thousand paintings and a thousand sculptures, which show the development of a British School of art. The Academy's collection of works on paper includes significant holdings of drawings and sketchbooks by artists working in Britain from the mid-18th century onwards, including [[George Romney (painter)|George Romney]], [[Frederic Leighton, 1st Baron Leighton|Lord Leighton]] and [[Laura Knight|Dame Laura Knight]].<ref>The Magic of a Line: Drawings by Dame Laura Knight, R.A., Library Print Room, Royal Academy of Arts, 2008</ref>

The photographic collection consists of photographs of Academicians, landscapes, architecture and works of art. Holdings include early portraits by [[William Frederick Lake Price|William Lake Price]] dating from the 1850s, portraits by [[David Wilkie Wynfield]] and [[Eadweard Muybridge]]'s ''Animal Locomotion'' (1872–85).<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.royalacademy.org.uk/art-artists/book/animal-locomotion-an-electro-photographic-investigation-of-consecutive|title=Animal Locomotion. An Electro-Photographic Investigation Of Consecutive Phases Of Animal Movements. 1872–1885.|first=Eadweard|last=Muybridge|publisher=Royal Academy of Arts|access-date=25 July 2020|archive-date=25 July 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200725205307/https://www.royalacademy.org.uk/art-artists/book/animal-locomotion-an-electro-photographic-investigation-of-consecutive|url-status=live}}</ref>

===Wall and ceiling paintings===
Among the paintings decorating the walls and ceilings of the building are those of Benjamin West and Angelica Kauffman, in the entrance hall (Hutchison 1968, p.&nbsp;153), moved from the previous building at Somerset House. In the centre is West's roundel ''The Graces Unveiling Nature'', {{Circa|1779}},<ref name="graces">{{cite web|url=http://www.racollection.org.uk/ixbin/indexplus?_IXSR_=VTqWz9O8C_N&_IXSP_=151&_MREF_=8267&_IXSS_=archives%3Dtrue%26works%3Dtrue%26_IXACTION_%3Dquery%26_IXTRAIL_%3DSearch%2BResults%26books%3Dtrue%26_IXMAXHITS_%3D18%26%252asform%3D%252fsearch_form%252fallform%26_IX%252ex%3D11%26_IXresults_%3Dy%26_IXSESSION_%3DytpbIBebNLj%26_IX%252ey%3D10%26all_fields%3DBENJAMIN%2BWEST&_IXACTION_=display&_IXSPFX_=templates%2Ffull%2F&_IXTRAIL_=Search+Results|title=RA Collections: Benjamin West – The Graces unveiling Nature|publisher=Racollection.org.uk|access-date=21 June 2012|archive-date=16 September 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120916211349/http://www.racollection.org.uk/ixbin/indexplus?_IXSR_=VTqWz9O8C_N&_IXSP_=151&_MREF_=8267&_IXSS_=archives%3Dtrue&works=true&_IXACTION_=query&_IXTRAIL_=Search+Results&books=true&_IXMAXHITS_=18&%2Asform=%2Fsearch_form%2Fallform&_IX.x=11&_IXresults_=y&_IXSESSION_=ytpbIBebNLj&_IX.y=10&all_fields=BENJAMIN+WEST&_IXACTION_=display&_IXSPFX_=templates%2Ffull%2F&_IXTRAIL_=Search+Results|url-status=live}}</ref> surrounded by panels depicting the elements, Fire, Water, Air and Earth.<ref name="FWAE">{{cite web|url=http://www.racollection.org.uk/ixbin/indexplus?_IXSESSION_=ytpbIBebNLj&_IXSR_=VTqWz9O8C_N&_IXSS_=archives%3Dtrue%26works%3Dtrue%26_IXACTION_%3Dquery%26_IXTRAIL_%3DSearch%2BResults%26books%3Dtrue%26_IXMAXHITS_%3D18%26%252asform%3D%252fsearch_form%252fallform%26_IX%252ex%3D11%26_IXresults_%3Dy%26_IXSESSION_%3DytpbIBebNLj%26_IX%252ey%3D10%26all_fields%3DBENJAMIN%2BWEST&_IXACTION_=summary&_IXFIRST_=145&_IXSP_=126&_IXSPFX_=templates%2Fsummary%2F&_IXTRAIL_=Search+Results&_IXresults_=y|title=RA Collections: Benjamin West|publisher=racollection.org.uk|access-date=21 June 2012|archive-date=16 September 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120916211436/http://www.racollection.org.uk/ixbin/indexplus?_IXSESSION_=ytpbIBebNLj&_IXSR_=VTqWz9O8C_N&_IXSS_=archives%3Dtrue&works=true&_IXACTION_=query&_IXTRAIL_=Search%20Results&books=true&_IXMAXHITS_=18&%2Asform=%2Fsearch_form%2Fallform&_IX.x=11&_IXresults_=y&_IXSESSION_=ytpbIBebNLj&_IX.y=10&all_fields=BENJAMIN%20WEST&_IXACTION_=summary&_IXFIRST_=145&_IXSP_=126&_IXSPFX_=templates%2Fsummary%2F&_IXTRAIL_=Search%20Results&_IXresults_=y|url-status=live}}</ref> At each end are mounted two of Kauffman's circular paintings, ''Composition'' at the west end, and ''Painting or Colour'' and ''Genius or Invention'' at the east end.<ref name="Kauffman circular">{{cite web|url=http://www.racollection.org.uk/ixbin/indexplus?*sform=%2Fsearch_form%2Fworksform&_IXTRAIL_=Search+Works+of+Art&_IXACTION_=query&_IXSPFX_=templates%2Fsummary%2F&_IXSP_=0&_IXresults_=y&artist_name=kauffman&artist_role_sval=&title=&all_fields=&type=&work_date=&sort_by=&submit=Search|title=RA Collections: Angelica Kauffman|publisher=racollection.org.uk|access-date=21 June 2012|archive-date=16 September 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120916211520/http://www.racollection.org.uk/ixbin/indexplus?*sform=%2Fsearch_form%2Fworksform&_IXTRAIL_=Search+Works+of+Art&_IXACTION_=query&_IXSPFX_=templates%2Fsummary%2F&_IXSP_=0&_IXresults_=y&artist_name=kauffman&artist_role_sval=&title=&all_fields=&type=&work_date=&sort_by=&submit=Search|url-status=live}}</ref>

===Michelangelo's ''Taddei Tondo''===
[[File:Taddei Tondo.JPG|right|thumb|''The Virgin and Child with the Infant St John'']]
{{Main|Taddei Tondo}}
The most prized possession of the Academy's collection is [[Michelangelo]]'s ''[[Taddei Tondo]]'', left to the Academy by [[George Beaumont|Sir George Beaumont]]. The Tondo is usually on display in the Collection Gallery, which opened in May 2018. Carved in [[Florence]] in 1504–1506, it is the only marble by Michelangelo in the United Kingdom and represents the [[Virgin Mary]] and child with the infant [[St John the Baptist]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.royalacademy.org.uk/exhibition/the-making-of-an-artist-the-great-tradition|title=The Making of an Artist: The Great Tradition &#124; Exhibition &#124; Royal Academy of Arts|website=www.royalacademy.org.uk|access-date=19 May 2018|archive-date=18 May 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180518221732/https://www.royalacademy.org.uk/exhibition/the-making-of-an-artist-the-great-tradition|url-status=live}}</ref>

==War memorials==
In the entrance portico are two war memorials. One is in memory of the students of the Royal Academy Schools who fell in World War I<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.iwm.org.uk/memorials/item/memorial/2811|title=Royal Academy of Arts: Students|publisher=Royal Academy of Arts|access-date=25 July 2020|archive-date=6 August 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200806215722/https://www.iwm.org.uk/memorials/item/memorial/2811|url-status=live}}</ref> and the second commemorates the 2,003 men of the [[Artists Rifles]] who gave their lives in that war with a further plaque to those who died in World War II.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.iwm.org.uk/memorials/item/memorial/70556|title=Royal Academy of Arts: Artists Rifles|publisher=Royal Academy of Arts|access-date=25 July 2020|archive-date=6 August 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200806214946/https://www.iwm.org.uk/memorials/item/memorial/70556|url-status=live}}</ref>

==Membership==
{{See also|List of officers of the Royal Academy of Arts|List of Royal Academicians}}
[[File:Microcosm of London Plate 001 - Drawing from Life at the Royal Academy (colour).jpg|thumb|Life at the Royal Academy of Arts, from ''Microcosm of London'', {{circa|1808}}]]
Membership of the Royal Academy is composed of up to 80 practising artists, each elected by ballot of the General Assembly of the Royal Academy, and known individually as Royal Academicians (RA). The Royal Academy is governed by these Royal Academicians. The 1768 Instrument of Foundation allowed the total membership of the Royal Academy to be 40 artists. Originally engravers were completely excluded from the academy, but at the beginning of 1769, the category of Associate-Engraver was created. Their number was limited to six, and unlike other associates, they could not be promoted to full academicians.{{sfn|Hodgson|Eaton|1905|p=112}} In 1853 membership of the Academy was increased to 42, and opened to engravers. In 1922, 154 years after the founding of the Royal Academy, [[Annie Swynnerton]] became the first woman Associate of the Royal Academy.<ref>Hutchison, Sidney."The History of the Royal Academy, 1768–1968" Taplinger Publishing Company, 1968</ref>

== See also ==
* [[6 Burlington Gardens]]
* [[Cork Street]], behind the Royal Academy, with many art galleries
* [[Royal West of England Academy]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==Sources==
* {{Cite EB1911|wstitle=Academy, Royal}}
* {{cite book|first1=J. E. |last1=Hodgson|first2= Fred A. |last2=Eaton|url=https://archive.org/stream/royalacademyitsm00hodgrich#page/n7/mode/2up |title=The Royal academy and its members 1768–1830|publisher=Charles Scribner's Sons|location=London |year=1905}}

==Further reading==
* {{cite book|last=Holme|first=Charles|title=The Royal Academy from Reynolds to Millais|year=1904|url=https://warburg.sas.ac.uk/pdf/nba23b2284259.pdf}}
* George Dunlop Leslie: ''[https://archive.org/stream/innerlifeofroyal00leslrich#page/n7/mode/2up The inner life of the Royal Academy, with an account of its schools and exhibitions principally in the reign of Queen Victoria]'' (London: John Murray, 1914)
* [https://books.google.com/books?id=kSkOAAAAQAAJ ''The History of the Royal Academy 1768–1968'', Sidney C. Hutchison, Taplinger, NY, 1968]
* {{cite book | last =Smith | first =Charles Saumarez | title =The Company of Artists: The Origins of the Royal Academy of Arts in London | date =2012| location=London | publisher= Bloomsbury/Modern Art Press | isbn= 9781408182109}}

==External links==
{{Commons category|Royal Academy of Arts}}
* {{Official website|www.royalacademy.org.uk|Royal Academy}} – official website
* {{Official website|https://www.royalacademy.org.uk/art-artists/search/search-the-collection|Royal Academy Collection}} – official website
* {{Art UK venue|royal-academy-of-arts-5996}}

{{London museums}}
{{Art schools in the United Kingdom}}
{{Joshua Reynolds}}
{{Authority control}}

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