Royal West of England Academy
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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| Established | 1849 |
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| Location | Bristol, England
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| Website | Royal West of England Academy |
The Royal West of England Academy (RWA), is an art gallery where Queens Road meets Whiteladies Road, in Bristol, England.
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[edit] History
The academy, was the first art gallery in Bristol. It was financed by a donation of £2000 in the 1849 will of Ellen Sharples and a group of artists in Bristol, known as the Bristol Society of Artists, these were mostly landscape painters and many were well known such as William James Müller, Francis Danby, J.B. Pyne and John Syer. In 1844, when the Bristol Academy for the Promotion of Fine Arts was founded, the Bristol Society of Artists was incorporated into it. At this time the President and committee was predominantly its patrons, rather than its artists. In 1914 a major extension to the front of the building, including the dome and Walter Crane lunettes, was completed and in 1915 King George V granted the Academy its Royal title, with the reigning monarch as its Patron. During World War II the Academy became the temporary home of various organisations including the Bristol Aeroplane Company and the U.S. Army. Immediately after the war ended the Council applied for the release of the galleries but was informed that they would be occupied by the Inland Revenue until further notice. It wasn't until 1950 that the building was returned to its original function after the intervention of the then Prime Minister, Clement Atlee.[1]
[edit] Collections
Among the paintings in the permanent collection are works by artists from the Newlyn, St Ives and Bloomsbury Schools. Paintings by George Swaish, Matthew Hale, Anne Redpath, Mary Fedden, Carel Weight, Bernard Dunstan and Elizabeth Blackadder are also valued additions to the collection.
[edit] Building
The building is a grade II* listed Building built in 1857. The interiors are by Charles Underwood and facade by JR Hirst, altered in 1912 by SS Reay and H Dare Bryan. The first floor is in 3 sections, the outer ones articulated by paired Corinthian pilasters flanking large shell head niches with statues of Flaxman and Reynolds. A large carving of 3 female figures crowns the parapet. The interior includes coloured marble.[2]
[edit] References
- ^ History of the RWA. Royal West of England Academy. Retrieved on 2006-08-26.
- ^ Royal West of England Academy. Images of England. Retrieved on 2006-05-09.
