Heritage Images content partner - Royal Academy Collection, Library and Archive

The Royal Academy of Arts was founded by King George III in 1768. It has a unique position in being an independent, privately funded institution led by eminent artists and architects whose purpose is to be a clear, strong voice for art and artists. Its public programme promotes the creation, enjoyment and appreciation of the visual arts through exhibitions, education and debate.

Written into the founding document of the Royal Academy of Arts is the commitment to build a teaching collection of works of art to show the talent of British artists and provide inspiration for new generations. A requirement of all artists elected Royal Academician is that they donate a work of art to the RA Collections (known as their Diploma Work). Now numbering over 46,000 items, the Collection is a treasure trove: a cross-section of the history of the Academy spanning five centuries of British art and architecture, and the evolution of a distinctive British School of artists from the eighteenth century to the present day. The RA Collection was awarded Designed status by Arts Council England in 2011, recognising its importance as a vital resource that represents England‘s cultural heritage and identity, and the development of artistic practice. The Collection includes paintings by Joshua Reynolds, Angelica Kauffman, John Constable, David Hockney, Hurvin Anderson, Shirazeh Houshiary and Clare Woods; sculpture by John Flaxman, Elisabeth Frink and Cornelia Parker, prints and drawings from Thomas Gainsborough to Grayson Perry and Lubaina Himid, and examples of architectural designs from John Soane and William Chambers to Farshid Moussavi and Amanda Levete.

The Collection also amassed study collections of Classical and Renaissance painting, sculpture and architecture - masterpieces such as Michelangelo‘s Taddei Tondo, his only marble sculpture in the UK, and The Last Supper, an early 16th century copy of Leonardo da Vinci‘s work, as well as prints and drawings, and a magnificent collection of historic plaster casts of statues, busts and architectural reliefs ‑ to provide inspiration for students and Royal Academicians.

In 2018 a new online platform launched with the aim of making the RA Collection more accessible to audiences worldwide. Comprising paintings, sculptures, artists‘ letters and books from the RA Collection, over 10,000 items have been digitised with the support of the Heritage Lottery Fund. In 2018 the redevelopment by David Chipperfield Architects enabled more display spaces, to feature work from the Collection, for free, across the campus. These spaces include the RA Collection Gallery, The Julia and Hans Rausing Hall, The Architecture Wall, the Dame Jillian Sackler Sculpture Gallery, The Dorfman Architecture Court and other surprising interventions of art and architecture.

The Royal Academy of Arts Library is the oldest institutional fine arts library in the UK. It includes thousands of historic volumes, monographs, books on British art, prints, historic photographs and drawings and is open to the public by appointment for research and study. The Archive forms one of the world‘s most significant resources for the historical study of British art since 1760. It documents the activities of the institution, its members, the RA Schools, Collections, exhibitions and all other activities. In addition to the official archive, it includes the personal papers of deceased artists and the institutional archives of other organisations such as the Society of Artists of Great Britain.

The Royal Academy is an independent charity. It does not receive revenue funding from the government so is reliant upon the support of its visitors, donors, sponsors, patrons and loyal Friends.