The origin of the Royal Academy of Arts lies in an attempt in 1755 by members of the Society for the Encouragement of Arts, Manufactures and Commerce, principally the sculptor See more

On 10 December 2019, Rebecca Salter was elected the first female President of the Royal Academy on the retirement of Sir Christopher Le Brun.
In September 2007, Sir Charles Saumarez Smith became Secretary and Chief Executive of the … See more

The first president of the Royal Academy, Sir Joshua Reynolds, gave his noted self-portrait, beginning the Royal Academy collection. This was … See more

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 … See more

Charitable status
The Royal Academy receives funding from neither the State nor the Crown, and operates as a charity. The RA's home in Burlington House is … See more

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 … See more

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 and the second commemorates the … See more