An introduction to Britain's longest-running art school

In the mid-18th century, the arts were not seen as central in this country; it was Reynolds and the Academy who made them so by establishing Britain’s first art school.

Before the RA Schools was established, young artists were trained by working as apprentices, developing in the style of their master. They therefore received a body of knowledge that was partial.

At the RA Schools, in contrast, teaching was varied. Reynolds had theories about the priorities for art, but his vision did not dominate. A variety of independently minded Royal Academicians taught the students as visiting artists. This was different to academies in European countries such as Germany, where an atelier system persisted, with each group studying under a single professor.

The Academy’s approach has endured in British art schools today, where the calibre of visiting teachers remains very high and various. As a student, you enter a situation of open discussion and open potential, where your imagination is king, rather than learning by rote or achieving standards set by one artist.

Not all students are prepared for the concentration and determination this involves – the burdens of innovation that the fine artist has an ethical responsibility to uphold.

These processes that take place at the RA Schools are vital to our institution. To risk a cliché, our art school is our research and development department.

Artists are making things new on the premises whenever you visit us and that informs everything we do.

Imagine if you took away the RA Schools: the Royal Academy’s spirit would change – the vital spark would no longer be there.