The Royal Academy Exhibition of 1780 was an

art exhibition An art exhibition is traditionally the space in which art objects (in the most general sense) meet an audience. The exhibit is universally understood to be for some temporary period unless, as is occasionally true, it is stated to be a "permanen ...

staged in

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

by the

Royal Academy of Arts The Royal Academy of Arts (RA) is an art institution based in Burlington House in Piccadilly London, England. Founded in 1768, it has a unique position as an independent, privately funded institution led by eminent artists and architects. Its ...

. Held between 1 May and 3 June 1780 it was the first to take place at the academy's new headquarters at

Somerset House Somerset House is a large neoclassical architecture, neoclassical building complex situated on the south side of the Strand, London, Strand in central London, overlooking the River Thames, just east of Waterloo Bridge. The Georgian era quadran ...

. 489 exhibits were on display and the event attracted more than 61,000 visitors. Since the 1769 debut all

Summer Exhibition The Summer Exhibition is an open art exhibition held annually by the Royal Academy in Burlington House, Piccadilly in central London, England, during the months of June, July, and August. The exhibition includes paintings, prints, drawings, sc ...

s had taken place in a rented room in Pall Mall. The architect William Chambers designed the new purpose-built headquarters. It took place during the

American War of Independence The American Revolutionary War (April 19, 1775 – September 3, 1783), also known as the Revolutionary War or American War of Independence, was the armed conflict that comprised the final eight years of the broader American Revolution, in which Am ...

and in which the country faced a growing coalition of enemies. The previous year Britain had been threatened with invasion from a Franco-Spanish Armada. A number of the submissions made reference to the ongoing conflict. Notable amongst the works on display was

Johan Zoffany Johan / Johann Joseph Zoffany (born Johannes Josephus Zaufallij; 13 March 1733 – 11 November 1810) was a German Neoclassicism, neoclassical painter who was active mainly in England, Italy, and India. His works appear in many prominent Briti ...

's '' The Tribuna of the Uffizi'', a royal commission from

Queen Charlotte Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz (Sophia Charlotte; 19 May 1744 – 17 November 1818) was Queen of Great Britain and Ireland as the wife of King George III from their marriage on 8 September 1761 until her death in 1818. The Acts of Un ...

which he had travelled to

Florence Florence ( ; ) is the capital city of the Italy, Italian region of Tuscany. It is also the most populated city in Tuscany, with 362,353 inhabitants, and 989,460 in Metropolitan City of Florence, its metropolitan province as of 2025. Florence ...

to produce.

Benjamin West Benjamin West (October 10, 1738 – March 11, 1820) was a British-American artist who painted famous historical scenes such as ''The Death of Nelson (West painting), The Death of Nelson'', ''The Death of General Wolfe'', the ''Treaty of Paris ( ...

submitted a large number of works including

history painting History painting is a genre in painting defined by its subject matter rather than any artistic style or specific period. History paintings depict a moment in a narrative story, most often (but not exclusively) Greek and Roman mythology and B ...

s recounting victories in the

Nine Years War The Nine Years' War was a European great power conflict from 1688 to 1697 between France and the Grand Alliance. Although largely concentrated in Europe, fighting spread to colonial possessions in the Americas, India, and West Africa. Relat ...

almost a century earlier. He also showed a range of portraits of the royal family including

George III George III (George William Frederick; 4 June 173829 January 1820) was King of Great Britain and King of Ireland, Ireland from 25 October 1760 until his death in 1820. The Acts of Union 1800 unified Kingdom of Great Britain, Great Britain and ...

, Charlotte and a joint picture of their sons William, Duke of Clarence and Edward, Duke of Kent. His fellow American

John Singleton Copley John Singleton Copley (July 3, 1738 – September 9, 1815) was an Anglo-American painter, active in both colonial America and England. He was believed to be born in Boston, Province of Massachusetts Bay, to Richard and Mary Singleton Copley ...

submitted a full-length depiction of the

Highland Highlands or uplands are areas of high elevation such as a mountainous region, elevated mountainous plateau or high hills. Generally, ''upland'' refers to a range of hills, typically from up to , while ''highland'' is usually reserved for range ...

soldier Hugh Montgomerie.McIntyre p.366 His more limited offering thay year was because he was working on his large ''

The Death of the Earl of Chatham ''The Death of the Earl of Chatham'' is the title of a 1781 oil-on-canvas painting by Boston-born American artist John Singleton Copley. It depicts the collapse of William Pitt, 1st Earl of Chatham on 7 April 1778, during a debate in the House ...

''.

Joshua Reynolds Sir Joshua Reynolds (16 July 1723 – 23 February 1792) was an English painter who specialised in portraits. The art critic John Russell (art critic), John Russell called him one of the major European painters of the 18th century, while Lucy P ...

, the

President of the Royal Academy Officers of the Royal Academy of Arts This is a list of the officers of the Royal Academy of Arts The Royal Academy of Arts (RA) is an art institution based in Burlington House in Piccadilly London, England. Founded in 1768, it has a ...

, demonstrated his versatility with a variety of submissions featuring the young Prince William Frederick and the

historian A historian is a person who studies and writes about the past and is regarded as an authority on it. Historians are concerned with the continuous, methodical narrative and research of past events as relating to the human species; as well as the ...

Edward Gibbon Edward Gibbon (; 8 May 173716 January 1794) was an English essayist, historian, and politician. His most important work, ''The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire'', published in six volumes between 1776 and 1789, is known for ...

. He also showed ''Justice'' part of his series featuring the four

cardinal virtues The cardinal virtues are four virtues of mind and character in classical philosophy. They are prudence, Justice (virtue), justice, Courage, fortitude, and Temperance (virtue), temperance. They form a Virtue ethics, virtue theory of ethics. The t ...

. He also produced his own portraits of George III and Queen Charlotte to hang on the walls of the new academy. His ''

Portrait of Lady Worsley ''Portrait of Lady Worsley'' is a 1779 portrait painting by the British artist Joshua Reynolds depicting Seymour, Lady Worsley. Worsley was the wife of Sir Richard Worsley, 7th Baronet, who she had married in 1775. She is shown in a riding habit c ...

'' featured a fashionable aristocratic wearing a costume inspired by the

militia A militia ( ) is a military or paramilitary force that comprises civilian members, as opposed to a professional standing army of regular, full-time military personnel. Militias may be raised in times of need to support regular troops or se ...

uniform of her husband's regiment. Other war-themed paintings were Francis Holman's ''The Moonlight Battle'' featuring a British naval victory over the Spanish while sailing to relieve the besieged garrison at Gibraltar.

Philip James de Loutherbourg Philip James de Loutherbourg, RA (born Philippe Jacques de Loutherbourg; 31 October 174011 March 1812) was a French-born British painter who became known for his large naval works, his elaborate set designs for London theatres, and his invent ...

depicted '' Warley Camp'' a painting of a military review by George III of troops gathered to resist invasion.

Thomas Gainsborough Thomas Gainsborough (; 14 May 1727 (baptised) – 2 August 1788) was an English portrait and landscape painter, draughtsman, and printmaker. Along with his rival Sir Joshua Reynolds, he is considered one of the most important British artists o ...

submitted a number of painters but was disappointed by their placings in the exhibition, a growing issue with the academy which would ultimately lead to his boycotting it. His work on display included six

landscapes A landscape is the visible features of an area of land, its landforms, and how they integrate with natural or human-made features, often considered in terms of their aesthetic appeal.''New Oxford American Dictionary''. A landscape includes the ...

and several portraits including his friend

Henry Bate Dudley Sir Henry Bate Dudley, 1st Baronet (25 August 1745 – 1 February 1824) was a British clergyman, magistrate and playwright. He was born in Fenny Compton, Warwickshire, but in 1763 his father moved the family to Essex to take up a rectory at No ...

and the actor John Henderson. He also presented a portrait of the German

musician A musician is someone who Composer, composes, Conducting, conducts, or Performing arts#Performers, performs music. According to the United States Employment Service, "musician" is a general Terminology, term used to designate a person who fol ...

Johann Christian Fischer Johann Christian Fischer (c. 1733 – 29 April 1800) was a German composer and oboist, one of the best-known oboe soloists in Europe during the 1770s. Employed as a music copyist and theatre director for the Duke of Mecklenburg-Schwerin at Ludwi ...

, who was briefly his son-in-law.Hamilton p.303

Gallery

File:John Singleton Copley - Hugh Montgomerie, 12th Earl of Eglinton, 1739 - 1819. Soldier; Lord Lieutenant of Ayrshire - Google Art Project.jpg, '' Portrait of Hugh Montgomerie'' by

File:Sir Henry Bate Dudley, 1st Baronet (Gainsboroughs).png, '' Portrait of Sir Henry Bate Dudley'' by

File:GAINSBOROUGH, Thomas - Johann Christian Fischer (1780).jpg, ''Portrait of Johann Christian Fischer'' by

File:Holman, Cape St Vincent.jpg, ''The Moonlight Battle'' by Francis Holman File:Philipp Jakob de Loutherbourg (1740-1812) - Warley Camp, The Review - RCIN 406349 - Royal Collection.jpg, '' Warley Camp'' by

File:Ladyworsley.jpg, ''

'' by

File:Prince William Frederick, Duke of Gloucester and Edinburgh (Reynolds).jpg, ''Portrait of Prince William Frederick'' by

File:Justice (Joshua Reynolds).png, ''Justice'' by

File:Dominic Serres - Barrington's action at St Lucia 1778 - ZBA2204.jpg, ''Barrington's Action at St Lucia'' by

Dominic Serres Dominic Serres ( 4 November 1793) was a French-born British painter who specialised in marine art. He co-founded the Royal Academy (RA) in 1768, and served as the RA's librarian from 1792 until his death. Life and works He was born in Auch ...

File:Benjamin West (1738-1820) - George III (1738-1820) - RCIN 405407 - Royal Collection.jpg, '' Portrait of George III'' by

File:Benjamin West (1738-1820) - Queen Charlotte (1744-1818) - RCIN 405405 - Royal Collection.jpg, '' Portrait of Queen Charlotte'' by

File:Benjamin West (1738-1820) - William IV, when Prince William, and Edward, Duke of Kent, when Prince Edward - RCIN 403398 - Royal Collection.jpg, ''The Duke of Clarence and Duke of Kent'' by

File:Benjamin West (1738-1820) - Prince Adolphus, later Duke of Cambridge, with Princess Mary and Princess Sophia - RCIN 405406 - Royal Collection.jpg, ''Prince Adolphus, Princess Mary and Princess Sophia'' by

File:William III at the Battle of the Boyne.jpg, '' The Battle of the Boyne'' by

File:The Watercress Girl.png, ''The Watercress Girl'' by

Johann Zoffany Johan / Johann Joseph Zoffany (born Johannes Josephus Zaufallij; 13 March 1733 – 11 November 1810) was a German neoclassical painter who was active mainly in England, Italy, and India. His works appear in many prominent British collections ...

File:Johan Zoffany - Tribuna of the Uffizi - Google Art Project.jpg, '' The Tribuna of the Uffizi'' by

References

{{Reflist

Bibliography

* Blunt, Anthony. ''The Pictures in the Collection of Her Majesty the Queen: The Later Italian Pictures''. Phaidon, 1969. * Hamilton, James. ''Gainsborough: A Portrait''. Hachette UK, 2017. * Kamensky, Jane. ''A Revolution in Color: The World of John Singleton Copley''. W. W. Norton & Company, 2016. * McCreery, Cindy. ''The Satirical Gaze: Prints of Women in Late Eighteenth-century England''. Clarendon Press, 2004. * McIntyre, Ian. ''Joshua Reynolds: The Life and Times of the First President of the Royal Academy''. Allen Lane, 2003. * Webster, Mary. ''Johan Zoffany, 1733-1810''. National Portrait Gallery, 1976. 1780s in London 1780 in England Royal Academy Exhibitions