The UCL Slade School of Fine Art (informally The Slade) is the

art school An art school is an educational institution with a primary focus on practice and related theory in the visual arts and design. This includes fine art – especially illustration, painting, contemporary art, sculpture, and graphic design. T ...

University College London University College London (Trade name, branded as UCL) is a Public university, public research university in London, England. It is a Member institutions of the University of London, member institution of the Federal university, federal Uni ...

(UCL) and is based in London, England. It has been ranked as the UK's top art and design educational institution. The school is organised as a department of UCL's Faculty of Arts and Humanities.

History

The school traces its roots back to 1868 when lawyer and philanthropist Felix Slade (1788–1868) bequeathed funds to establish three Chairs in

Fine Art In European academic traditions, fine art (or, fine arts) is made primarily for aesthetics or creative expression, distinguishing it from popular art, decorative art or applied art, which also either serve some practical function (such as ...

, to be based at Oxford University, Cambridge University and

, where six studentships were endowed. Distinguished past teachers include

Henry Tonks Henry Tonks, Fellow of the Royal College of Surgeons, FRCS (9 April 1862 – 8 January 1937) was a British surgeon and later draughtsman and painter of figure subjects, chiefly interiors, and a Caricature, caricaturist. He became an influentia ...

, Wilson Steer, Randolph Schwabe, William Coldstream, Andrew Forge, Lucian Freud, John Hilliard, Bruce McLean, Alfred Gerrard and Phyllida Barlow. Edward Allington was Professor of Fine Art and Head of Graduate Sculpture until his death in 2017. Two of its most important periods were immediately before, and immediately after, the turn of the twentieth century, described by Henry Tonks as its two 'crises of brilliance'. The first included the students Augustus John, William Orpen and Percy Wyndham Lewis; the second – which has been chronicled in David Boyd Haycock's ''A Crisis of Brilliance: Five Young British Artists and the Great War'' – included the students

Dora Carrington Dora de Houghton Carrington (29 March 1893 – 11 March 1932), known generally as Carrington, was an English painter and decorative artist, remembered in part for her association with members of the Bloomsbury Group, especially the writer Lytt ...

, Mark Gertler, Paul Nash, C.R.W. Nevinson and

Stanley Spencer Sir Stanley Spencer, CBE Royal Academy of Arts, RA (30 June 1891 – 14 December 1959) was an English painter. Shortly after leaving the Slade School of Art, Spencer became well known for his paintings depicting Biblical scenes occurring as if ...

. Another notable period followed the Second World War, under the directorship of William Coldstream, who brought in Lucian Freud to teach, and whose students included Paula Rego, Michael Andrews and the filmmaker

Lorenza Mazzetti Lorenza Mazzetti (26 July 1927 – 4 January 2020) was an Italian film director, novelist, photographer and painter. Early life Mazzetti was born in Florence. Her mother, Olga Liberati, died shortly after giving birth to Lorenza and her twin ...

. Coldstream was responsible for the creation of th
Slade Film Department
the first in any British university, in 1960, with Thorold Dickinson as chief lecturer. Filmmakers associated with the Slade Film Department include Derek Jarman and Peter Whitehead.

Slade Centre for Electronic Media in Fine Art

The Slade Centre for Electronic Media in Fine Art (SCEMFA) was opened in 1995. The centre provides opportunities for research into

electronic media Electronic media are media that use electronics or electromechanical means for the audience to access the content. This is in contrast to static media (mainly print media), which today are most often created digitally, but do not require ele ...

and fine art with the goal of contributing to debate on national and international levels. The Slade had previously been home to Malcolm Hughes's Computer and Experimental Department in the 1970s. In 1997 SCEMFA presented ''Collision'', a public lecture series by artists, writers, and curators working with

interactivity Across the many fields concerned with interactivity, including information science, computer science, human-computer interaction, communication, and industrial design, there is little agreement over the meaning of the term "interactivity", but ...

, telematics, and digital works. This exhibition was followed by ''Spontaneous Reaction'', a week-long seminar funded by the Arts Council of England, which took a critical look at interactivity with participants from a variety of disciplines, including psychology, architecture, and

computer science Computer science is the study of computation, information, and automation. Computer science spans Theoretical computer science, theoretical disciplines (such as algorithms, theory of computation, and information theory) to Applied science, ...

. Throughout 1998, SCEMFA collaborated with Channel 4 UK to organise ''Cached'', a monthly event held at the

Institute of Contemporary Arts The Institute of Contemporary Arts (ICA) is an modernism, artistic and cultural centre on The Mall (London), The Mall in London, just off Trafalgar Square. Located within Nash House, part of Carlton House Terrace, near the Duke of York Steps a ...

, London. Funded by the Arts Council, this series investigated the conceptual and practical issues of producing art for the internet through a series of artists presentations.

Art collection

The Slade art collection was started when the yearly prizes awarded to top students was combined with a collection scheme in 1897 and the Summer Composition Prize and the Figure and Head Painting Prizes began to be kept by the school.More about the UCL Art museum
on the BBC Your Paintings website Works by students and staff of the Slade School of Fine Art form the basis of the UCL Art museum today.

Rankings

In a 2008 survey conducted by ''

The Sunday Times ''The Sunday Times'' is a British Sunday newspaper whose circulation makes it the largest in Britain's quality press market category. It was founded in 1821 as ''The New Observer''. It is published by Times Newspapers Ltd, a subsidiary of N ...

'' the Slade recorded perfect scores.

Teaching

The faculty currently offers the following programs: Undergraduate studies *3-year BFA in Fine Art *4-year BA in Fine Art Graduate studies *2-academic year (18 months) MFA in Fine Art *2-calendar (24 months) MA in Fine Art *1-term, 2-term, of 1-year Graduate Affiliate Study Research *MPhil or PhD in Fine Art

Notable alumni

::''Full list see :Alumni of the Slade School of Fine Art'' * Elinor Proby Adams (1885–1945), painter *

Mary Adshead Mary Adshead (15 February 1904 - 3 September 1995) was an English painter, muralist, illustrator and designer. Biography Adshead was born in Bloomsbury, London,as the only child of Stanley Davenport Adshead, architect, watercolourist, and Profe ...

(1904–1995), mural painter, designer * Anna Airy (1882–1964), artist * Rosemary Allan (1911–2008), painter * Kathleen Allen (1906–1983), painter * Edward Allington (1951–2017), sculptor * Michael Andrews (1928–1995), painter * Irene Aronson (born 1918), painter and printmaker * Sue Arrowsmith (1950–2014), photographic artist * Ed Atkins (born 1982), artist * Ray Atkins (born 1937), painter * Joan Ayling (1907–1993), painter * Zainul Abedin (1914–1976), painter * Ethelwyn Baker (1899–1988), sculptor * Phyllis Barron (1890–1964), textile designer * Alvaro Barrington (born 1983), artist * James Bateman (1893–1959), painter * Amelia Bauerle (1873–1916), painter and illustrator * Pauline Baynes (1922–2008), illustrator * Tessa Beaver (1932–2018), painter and illustrator * Roy Beddington (1910–1995), painter, illustrator, and writer * Elinor Bellingham-Smith (1906–1988), painter * Eleanor Best (1875–1957), painter * Zelma Blakely (1921–1978), illustrator * David Bomberg (1890–1957), painter * Dorothy Elizabeth Bradford (1897–1986), painter * Phyllis Bray (1911–1991), painter and muralist * Raymond Briggs (born 1934), illustrator, graphic novelist * Cecily Brown (born 1969), painter * Sheila Bownas (1925–2007), textile designer and botanical illustrator * Felicia Browne (1904–1936), painter and

Spanish Civil War The Spanish Civil War () was a military conflict fought from 1936 to 1939 between the Republican faction (Spanish Civil War), Republicans and the Nationalist faction (Spanish Civil War), Nationalists. Republicans were loyal to the Left-wing p ...

volunteer * Rodney Joseph Burn (1899–1984), painter * Dorothy Burroughes (1883–1963), illustrator * William Bustard (1894–1973), stained glass artist * Dorothy A. Cadman (fl. 1908–1927), painter * Martin John Callanan (born 1982), artist, current teaching staff * Gina Calleja (1928 – 2017), author and illustrator * Nancy Carline (1909–2004), artist * Sydney Carline (1888–1929), artist * Thomas Carr (1909–1999), artist * Ethel Carrick (1872–1951), painter *

(1893–1932), artist * Chien-Ying Chang (1913–2004), artist * Daphne Charlton (1909–1991), painter * Evan Charlton (1904–1984), painter * G. K. Chesterton (1874–1936), writer * Evelyn Cheston (1875–1929), painter * Spartacus Chetwynd (born 1973), artist, Turner Prize nominee * Derek Chittock (1922–1986), portrait painter * Dora Clarke (1895–1989), sculptor * Edna Clarke Hall (1879–1979), painter * Dorothy Coke (1897–1979), painter *Sir William Coldstream (1908–1987), painter *Professor Paul Coldwell (born 1952), artist * Ruth Collet (1909–2001), painter * John Collier (1850–1934), artist * Marian Collier (1859–1887), painter * Susan Alexis Collins (born 1964), artist, current Slade Director & Professor * Ithell Colquhoun (1906–1988), painter and writer * William George Constable (1887–1976), art historian * Pat Gerrard Cooke (1935–2000), painter and illustrator * Teresa Copnall (1882–1972), painter * Frank Barrington Craig (1902–1951), painter and teacher * Martin Creed (born 1968), artist * Dennis Creffield (1931–2018), painter * Barbara Crocker (1910–1995), artist, author * Claudia Cuesta, artist * Charles Cundall (1890–1971), painter * Nora Cundell (1889–1948), painter * Esmé Currey (1881–1973), painter, etcher * Yitzhak Danziger (1916–1977), sculptor * Tacita Dean (born 1965), * Alison Debenham (1903–1967) * Evelyn De Morgan (1885–1919) * Angela Delevingne * Brigid Derham (1943–1980), painter * Anthony Devas (1911–1958), portrait painter *Sir William Dobell (1899–1970), portrait painter * Barbara Dorf (1933–2016), painter * Sholto Johnstone Douglas (1871–1958), artist * Jane Dowling (1925–2023), painter * William Dring (1904–1990), portrait painter * William Easton, artist * Ursula Edgcumbe (1900–1985), sculptor * Ibrahim El-Salahi (born 1930), painter * Jake Elwes (born 1993), artist * Florence Engelbach (1872–1951), painter * Grace English (1891–1956), painter * Ben Enwonwu (1921–1994), artist * Jadé Fadojutimi (born 1993), artist * Leila Faithfull (1896–1994), painter * Julia Farrer (born 1950), artist * Robert Fawcett (1903–1967), illustrator * Daphne Fedarb (1912–1992), painter * Paul Feiler (1918–2013), artist * Elsie Few (1909–1980), artist *Philip Firsov (born 1985), artist and sculptor * Myrta Fisher (1917–1999), painter * Mary Sargant Florence (1857–1954), painter * Caroline Sylvia Gabriel (1912–1997), artist * Clive Gardiner (1891–1960), artist, designer and illustrator * Nicholas Garland (born 1935), political cartoonist * Raimi Gbadamosi (born 1965), neo-conceptual artist * Alfred Gerrard (1899–1998), sculptor * Kaff Gerrard (1894–1970), painter and potter * Mark Gertler (1891–1939), artist * A.A. Gill (1954–2016), journalist * Colin Gill (1892–1940), painter * Elsie Gledstanes (1893–1972), painter * Dryden Goodwin (born 1971), artist, current teaching staff * Douglas Gordon (born 1966), artist * Antony Gormley (born 1950), sculptor * Harold Gosney (born 1937), artist and sculptor * Caroline Gotch (1854–1945), painter * Carmen Gracia (born 1935), printmaker * Duncan Grant (1885–1978), painter and designer *

Eileen Gray Eileen Gray (born Kathleen Eileen Moray Smith; 9 August 187831 October 1976) was an Irish interior designer, furniture designer and architect who became a pioneer of the Modern architecture, Modern Movement in architecture. Over her career, s ...

(1898–1976), designer and architect * Barbara Greg (1900–1983), wood engraver * David Griffiths (portrait painter) (Born 1939), portrait painter * Gwenny Griffiths (1867–1953), portrait painter * Oona Grimes (born 1957), artist * Vaughan Grylls (born 1943), artist * Robin Guthrie (1902–1971), painter * Kathleen Guthrie (1906–1981), painter * Edna Guy (1907–1982), marine artist * Richard Hamilton (1922–2011), painter and collage artist * Archibald Standish Hartrick (1864–1950), artist and illustrator * Lucy Harwood (1893–1972), artist *

Mona Hatoum Mona Hatoum (; born 1952) is a Palestinians, British-Palestinian multimedia and installation artist who lives in London. Biography Mona Hatoum was born in 1952 in Beirut, Lebanon, to State of Palestine, Palestinian parents. Although born in Leba ...

(born 1952), artist * Mary Headlam(1873-1959), artist * Francis Helps (1890–1972), artist * Elsie Henderson (1880–1967), painter and sculptor * Keith Henderson (1883–1982), artist and illustrator * Nigel Henderson (1917–1985), artist * Florence Lockwood (1861–1937), women's suffrage activist * Lady Mary Lovelace (1848–1941), artist, architect and author * Patrick Heron (1920–1999), abstract painter * Cicely Hey (1896–1980), painter and sculptor * Ian Holbourn (1872–1935), artist, educator, laird of Foula, writer, and RMS ''Lusitania'' survivor * Ruth Hollingsworth (1880–1945), painter * Annie Horniman (1860–1937), theatre owner and manager * Nancy Horrocks (1900–1989), abstract artist * Ray Howard-Jones (1903–1996), artist * Edgar Hubert (1906–1985), painter * Georgina Hunt (1922–2012), abstract artist * Sidney Hunt (1896–1940), artist and designer * Paul Huson (born 1942), writer and designer * George Percy Jacomb-Hood (1857–1929), artist * Darsie Japp (1883–1973), artist * Derek Jarman (1942–1994), artist and filmmaker * Augustus John (1878–1961), artist * Gwen John (1876–1939), artist *

Vivien John Vivien John (8 March 1915 – 20 May 1994) was a British painter. Biography Vivien John was born at Alderney Manor in Dorset, the daughter of Dorelia McNeill and the artist Augustus John; she was the youngest of their four children together. A ...

(1915–1994), artist * Arnrid Johnston (1895–1972), sculptor, illustrator * Alfred Garth Jones (1872–1955), illustrator * Karin Jonzen (1914–1998), sculptor * Gerry Judah (born 1951), artist and designer * Menashe Kadishman (1932–2015), Israeli sculptor and painter * Helen Kapp (1901–1978), artist and curator * Dorothy King (1907–1990), painter and curator * Eve Kirk (1900–1969), painter * Myfanwy Kitchin (1917–2002), painter, ceramicist * Robert Koenig (born 1951), sculptor * Clara Klinghoffer (1900–1970), artist * Paul Kneale (born 1986), artist * Winifred Knights (1899–1947), painter * Kanayi Kunhiraman (born 1937), sculptor *Sir

Osbert Lancaster Sir Osbert Lancaster (4 August 1908 – 27 July 1986) was an English cartoonist, architectural historian, stage designer and author. He was known for his cartoons in the British press, and for his lifelong work to inform the general publi ...

(1908–1986), cartoonist * Olga Lehmann (1912–2001), painter, illustrator and designer * Maxwell Gordon Lightfoot (1886–1911), painter * Peter Kennard (born 1949), artist * Bernard Leach (1887–1879), ceramic artist, "Father of British studio pottery" * Lilian Lancaster (1888–1973), artist and teacher * Edith Lawrence (1890–1973), artist * Kim Lim (1937–1997), sculptor * Zhi Lin, artist * Henrietta Lister (1895–1959), race driver and watercolourist * Nicholas Logsdail (born 1945), art dealer * John Long (1964–2016), painter and teacher * Lowes Dalbiac Luard (1872–1944), painter * John Luke (1906–1975), painter and sculptor * John Lundberg (born 1968), artist and filmmaker * Sine MacKinnon (1901–1996), painter * Nicolette Macnamara (1911–1987), artist and author * John Mansbridge (1901–1981), painter and World War II official war artist * Constance Markievicz (1868–1927), artist, revolutionary nationalist, suffragette, socialist * Ellis Martin (1881–1977), map cover illustrator for

Ordnance Survey The Ordnance Survey (OS) is the national mapping agency for Great Britain. The agency's name indicates its original military purpose (see Artillery, ordnance and surveying), which was to map Scotland in the wake of the Jacobite rising of ...

* John Mascaro (born 1970), artist *

Moina Mathers Moina Mathers, born Mina Bergson (28 February 1865 – 25 July 1928), was an artist and occultist at the turn of the 20th century. She was the sister of French philosopher Henri Bergson, the first man of Jewish descent to be awarded the Nobel Pri ...

(1865–1928), artist and occultist * Mary McEvoy (1870–1941), painter * Dorothy Mead (1928–1975), painter * Robert Medley (1905–1994), painter and designer * Elizabeth Merriman (born 1963), painter * Oliver Messel (1904–1978), stage designer * Robert Micklewright (1923–2013), artist and illustrator * Mother Maribel of Wantage (1887–1970), artist and sculptor * Daniel Mulloy (born 1977), film writer and director * Donia Nachshen (1903–1987), illustrator * Paul Nash (1889–1946), painter * Gemma Nelson (born 1984), painter * C.R.W. Nevinson (1889–1946), artist * Bertha Newcombe (1857–1947), artist and illustrator *

Ben Nicholson Benjamin Lauder Nicholson, OM (10 April 1894 – 6 February 1982) was an English painter of abstract compositions (sometimes in low relief), landscapes, and still-life. He was one of the leading promoters of abstract art in England. Backg ...

(1894–1982), abstract painter * Philip Norman (1842–1931), artist and antiquarian *

Alanna O'Kelly Alanna O'Kelly (, also spelt Alannah; born 1955) is an Irish artist, active in performance art and installation art, as well as sculpture, song, land art and film. She is a member of Aosdána, an elite association of Irish artists. Biography O' ...

(born 1955), Irish performance artist * Madge Oliver (1874–1924), painter * Sir Eduardo Paolozzi (1924–2005), artist * Kathleen Parbury (1901–1986), sculptor * Katie Paterson (born 1981), artist * Eddie Peake (born 1981), artist * Margot Perryman (born 1938), painter * Louise Pickard (1865–1928), painter * Edward Plunkett, 20th Baron of Dunsany (1939–2011), painter and sculptor * Mary Potter (1900–1981), painter * Sarah Pucill, film artist * Margaret Fisher Prout (1875–1963), painter * Carl Randall (born 1975), painter * Paula Rego (1935-2022), painter, illustrator and printmaker * Harold Riley (born 1934), artist * Eric Rimmington (1926–2024) * William Roberts (1895–1980), painter * Claude Rogers (1907–1979), artist * Rosemary Rutherford (1912–1972), painter and stained glass artist * Ethel Jenner Rosenberg (1858–1930), first English Bahá'í * Isaac Rosenberg (1890–1918), war poet * Paul Rotha (1907–1984), documentary film-maker, film historian and critic * Hiraki Sawa (born 1977), filmmaker and artist * James Scott (born 1941), filmmaker and artist * Melissa Scott-Miller (1959-), painter * Ina Maud Sheldon-Williams (1876–1956), painter * Rupert Shephard (1909–1992), artist * F. H. S. Shepherd (1877–1948), painter * Edith Simon (1917–2003), artist, sculptor, author * Marianna Simnett (born 1986), artist * Veronica Smirnoff (born 1979), painter * Sir Matthew Smith (1879–1959), painter * Peter Snow (1927–2008), painter and theatre designer * Walter Shaw Sparrow (1862–1940), writer * Yolanda Sonnabend (1935–2015), theatre and ballet designer and painter * Sir Stanley Spencer (1891–1959), artist * Unity Spencer (1930–2017), artist * Andrew Stahl (1954-2024), painter * Leo Steinberg (1920–2011), art historian * John Stezaker (born 1949), artist * David Storey (1933–2017), playwright, screenwriter, novelist * Keith Sutton (1934–2017), artist and critic * Ernest Heber Thompson (1891–1971), painter and printmaker * William Tillyer (born 1938), artist * Arthur Ralph Middleton Todd (1891–1966), portrait painter * Greta Tomlinson (1927–2021), artist * Euan Uglow (1932–2000), painter * David Vaughan (1944–2003), psychedelic artist * Charlotte Verity (born 1954), painter *

Stelios Votsis Stelios Votsis ( 21 November 1929 – 9 November 2012) was a Cypriot artist, one of the leading figures of modern art on the island, a co-founder of the Cyprus Chamber of Fine Arts and its one-time president. His style was best characterized as 'st ...

(1929–2012), painter * Edward Wadsworth (1889–1949), artist * Mary Spencer Watson (1913–2006), sculptor * Edith Grace Wheatley (1888–1970), painter * Rex Whistler (1905–1944), painter, designer, and illustrator * Erica White (1904–1991), sculptor * Rachel Whiteread (born 1963), artist * Victor Willing (1928–1988), artist *

Charli XCX Charlotte Emma Aitchison (born 2 August 1992), known professionally as Charli XCX, is a British singer and songwriter. She began posting songs on Myspace in 2008 before entering the London rave scene. Signing a recording contract with Asylum Re ...

(born 1992), singer–songwriter * Nancy Mauro-Flude (born 1975), artist and writer * Nan Youngman (1906–1995), painter and educationalist * Partou Zia (1958–2008), painter and writer *

Cecilia Vicuña Cecilia Vicuña (born 1948) is a Chilean poet and artist based in New York and Santiago, Chile. Her work is noted for themes of language, memory, dissolution, extinction and exile. Critics also note the relevance of her work to the politics of e ...

(born 1948), poet and artist * Christopher Le Brun (born 1951), artist * Anupam Sud (born 1944), Indian printmaker

In fiction

* Pat Barker in '' Life Class'' and '' Toby's Room'' * Gilbert Cannan in ''Mendel'' *Frances Cary in '' Third Girl'' *Barbary Deniston in '' The World My Wilderness'' *Miranda Grey in '' The Collector'' * Imogen Hollins in '' Doctors'' * Molly MacDonald in '' Monarch of the Glen'' *David Thompson in '' Beyond This Horizon''

References

External links

Slade Knowledge Base - extensive collection of studio teaching materials available online under Creative CommonsSlade Centre for Electronic Media in Fine ArtSlade Centre for Electronic Media in Fine Art Timeline of key events
{{DEFAULTSORT:Slade School of Fine Art Art schools in London Education in the London Borough of Camden Departments of University College London 1871 establishments in England Universities and colleges established in 1871