Slade School of Fine Art

The School was founded as part of University College, London in 1871 as the result of an endowment from Felix Slade (1790-1868), an English antiquary and art collector. It quickly gained a reputation for the excellence of its teaching, and this has developed to the point where it now epitomises the ultimate in English art teaching traditions. The roll call of names associated with the School both staff and students represent the elite of British art, but probably its most celebrated teacher was Henry Tonks who was Slade Professor from 1917 to 1930. In addition to influencing a whole generation of students, he gave his name to a painting technique, 'tonking', whereby the canvas was covered with an absorbent surface at the end of each working period in order to extract the oil and produce a dry surface for subsequent work. The School is still housed in its original building in Gower Street, London but during World War II was evacuated to Oxford and was merged with the Ruskin School of Drawing and Fine Art until the cessation of hostilities and did not return to London until 1948.

Number of Artists referenced: 1,834