The Royal Cambrian Academy of Art (RCA) is a centre of excellence for

art Art is a diverse range of cultural activity centered around ''works'' utilizing creative or imaginative talents, which are expected to evoke a worthwhile experience, generally through an expression of emotional power, conceptual ideas, tec ...

Wales Wales ( ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by the Irish Sea to the north and west, England to the England–Wales border, east, the Bristol Channel to the south, and the Celtic ...

. Its main gallery is located in

Conwy Conwy (, ), previously known in English as Conway, is a walled market town, community and the administrative centre of Conwy County Borough in North Wales. The walled town and castle stand on the west bank of the River Conwy, facing Deganwy ...

and it has over a hundred members. 240px, Plas Mawr, Conwy

Early history

During the 19th century there were numerous attempts to establish an

academy An academy (Attic Greek: Ἀκαδήμεια; Koine Greek Ἀκαδημία) is an institution of tertiary education. The name traces back to Plato's school of philosophy, founded approximately 386 BC at Akademia, a sanctuary of Athena, the go ...

in Wales comparable to those already in existence in England, Scotland and Ireland.Davies (2008) p. 778 The Royal Cambrian Academy of Art was eventually founded in 1881, by a group of mainly English painters led by Henry Clarence Whaite, many of whom were now based in the

Conwy Valley The River Conwy (; ) is a river in north Wales. From its source to its discharge in Conwy Bay it is long and drains an area of 678 square km. "Conwy" was formerly anglicised as "Conway." The name 'Conwy' derives from the old Welsh words ''c ...

. The group of 31 founding members included

Bernard Walter Evans Bernard Walter Evans (26 December 1843 – 26 February 1922) was a British Landscape painting, landscape painter and Watercolor painting, watercolourist in the Romanticism, Romantic style, working mainly in Birmingham, Wales, London, Cannes an ...

. Ever since political unrest had made the Grand Tour hazardous for travellers, the wilds of North Wales became a fashionable alternative for English artists, in particular the area around

Betws-y-Coed Betws-y-Coed () is a village and community (Wales), community in Conwy County Borough, Wales. The village is located near the confluence of the River Conwy and the River Llugwy and is on the eastern edge of Snowdonia. The population of the co ...

which attracted the likes of David Cox. The coming of the railways later aided artists from

Liverpool Liverpool is a port City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. It is situated on the eastern side of the River Mersey, Mersey Estuary, near the Irish Sea, north-west of London. With a population ...

and

Manchester Manchester () is a city and the metropolitan borough of Greater Manchester, England. It had an estimated population of in . Greater Manchester is the third-most populous metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, with a population of 2.92&nbs ...

in transporting their art materials to Wales. These artists arranged to meet a group of like-minded Welsh artists at

Llandudno Junction Llandudno Junction (), once known as Tremarl, is a town in the Community (Wales), community of Conwy in Conwy County Borough, Wales. Llandudno Junction and neighbouring Deganwy are both part of the built-up area and community of Conwy. It take ...

, and from this meeting a group was formed called the Cambrian Academy of Art. Although they had no permanent gallery, they circulated their prospectus to other artists in Wales and their numbers began to grow. Initially they only exhibited their work in north Wales, but they later extended membership to the south of the country. The Academy's rapid growth was recognised the year after its formation, when in 1882

Queen Victoria Victoria (Alexandrina Victoria; 24 May 1819 – 22 January 1901) was Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland from 20 June 1837 until Death and state funeral of Queen Victoria, her death in January 1901. Her reign of 63 year ...

commanded that it should be styled the 'Royal' Cambrian Academy of Art. Originally based in Llandudno, where there were already a number of commercial art galleries in the town, catering for the growing tourist trade, the academy later moved its operations to

Plas Mawr is an Elizabethan townhouse in Conwy, North Wales, dating from the 16th century. The property was built by Robert Wynn, a member of the local gentry, following his marriage to his first wife, Dorothy Griffith. Plas Mawr occupied a plot of land ...

in Conwy. Plas Mawr, an

Elizabethan The Elizabethan era is the epoch in the Tudor period of the history of England during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I (1558–1603). Historians often depict it as the golden age in English history. The Roman symbol of Britannia (a female per ...

town house which the Academy shared with a local junior school, was offered to the group under lease by Lord Mostyn. The town house, which at the time was in a state of neglect, was restored by the Academy. Although an impressive historic building, Plas Mawr was not a natural gallery, and in 1896 an annexe was added to house the Victoria Gallery.

Twentieth century

In 1934 the Royal Cambrian Academy gained one of its most notable Presidents, when

Augustus John Augustus Edwin John (4 January 1878 – 31 October 1961) was a Welsh painter, draughtsman, and etcher. For a time he was considered the most important artist at work in Britain: Virginia Woolf remarked that by 1908 the era of John Singer Sarg ...

accepted the role, holding the title until 1939. In 1994, inspired by the efforts of their then President,

Sir Kyffin Williams Sir John Kyffin Williams, (9 May 1918 – 1 September 2006) was a Welsh landscape painter who lived at Pwllfanogl, Llanfairpwll, on the Island of Anglesey. Williams is widely regarded as the defining artist of Wales during the 20th century. Pe ...

, the Academy broke its ties with Plas Mawr opening a new gallery close to their old headquarters in Conwy. The Academy's present President is Jeremy Yates and Vice President is Ann Lewis, while its patron is

Charles, Prince of Wales Charles III (Charles Philip Arthur George; born 14 November 1948) is King of the United Kingdom and the 14 other Commonwealth realms. Charles was born at Buckingham Palace during the reign of his maternal grandfather, King George VI, a ...

Bibliography

Notes

External links

Royal Cambrian Academy of Art
- official site {{Welsh art, state=collapsed 1881 establishments in Wales Arts organisations based in the United Kingdom Welsh art Tourist attractions in Conwy County Borough Art museums and galleries in Wales Conwy 1881 in art Art schools in Wales Academies of arts