Royal Hibernian Academy
The Academy was established by royal charter in Dublin in 1823 for the promotion of fine arts in Ireland and to provide a centre for the exhibition of work by Irish artists. It held its first exhibition in 1826. Later, it was extended to include a training school. Unfortunately, during the Easter Rising of 1916, the Academy House and Exhibition Galleries were destroyed by fire and it was not until 1939 that premises at 15 Ely Place, Dublin were acquired to re-house the Academy. However, in the middle of the twentieth century, the Academy was seen as reactionary and retrospective, hindering the development of modernism in Ireland. In 1943 the Irish Exhibition of Living Art was formed to challenge the RHA's own exhibition policies.
This has changed again, Louis le Brocquy one of the founders of the Irish Exhibition of Living Art is now a member of the Honorary Council of the Academy and the RHA's own mission statement clearly states that it is dedicated to developing, affirming and challenging the public's appreciation and understanding of traditional and innovative approaches to the visual arts. The Academy curates regular exhibitions and is frequently responsible for major retrospectives of the work of Irish artists. The RHA is funded by the Arts Council of Ireland (An Chomhairle Ealaíon), through revenue from its Annual Exhibition, and from benefactors, patrons and friends of the Academy.
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Number of Artists referenced:
1,615