Royal West of England Academy

The Academy was founded in 1845, although its roots were laid in the 1830’s when a group of Bristol artists formed an association named the Bristol Society of Artists. Its members were mainly landscape painters and many were well-known such as William Muller, Francis Danby, J.B. Pyne and John Syer. A committee was set up in 1844 to consider the establishment of an Academy for the teaching and practice of art and the exhibition of paintings and sculpture. A lucky gift of £2000 from Ellen Sharples, widow of artist James Sharples, enabled these aims to be put into practice. With her death in 1849, a legacy of £3400 supplied funds for the purchase of land and the planning of a building to house the Academy, which was completed and opened in 1858. The Prince Consort, Prince Albert, became the Academy's first patron and Isambard Kingdom Brunel was one of its first Associated Members. It was not until 1913 that King George V granted the institution its Royal title. Membership was initially restricted to artists and sculptors living and working within 10 miles of Bristol. Still, in 1897 the area was extended to the West of England, and eventually, in the 1940’s under the presidency of Lord Methuen, to the whole of the UK. This latter move greatly strengthened and extended the activities of the Academy by attracting artists of the calibre of Vanessa Bell, Duncan Grant and Margaret Fisher Prout. Recent past presidents have included Sir Robin Darwin, Mary Fedden and Sir Hugh Casson. The annual exhibition, held in November, is open to non-members and additional thematic exhibitions are held throughout the year. In 1941 Augusta Talboys, an artist member, left a sum of money to the Academy so that the interest earned may be used to purchase works of art by artist members. This superb collection totalling over one thousand pieces forms a substantial part of its continued growth.

A school of art was established in 1853, known as the Bristol School of Practical Art supported by artist members and studio space was later provided by the Academy. From 1936 to 1969 it was known as the West of England College of Art. Since then a school of art has always occupied part of the Academy premises. Education continues to be important at the RWA. The RWA School of Architecture was officially opened in 1921 by HRH The Prince of Wales, it was later taken over by the University of Bristol in 1963 and closed in 1983.

Number of Artists referenced: 910