<Tr> <Th> Website </Th> <Td> royalacademy.org.uk </Td> </Tr> <P> The Royal Academy of Arts (RA) is an art institution based in Burlington House on Piccadilly in London . It has a unique position as an independent, privately funded institution led by eminent artists and architects; its purpose is to promote the creation, enjoyment and appreciation of the visual arts through exhibitions, education and debate . </P> <P> The Royal Academy of Arts was founded through a personal act of King George III on 10 December 1768 with a mission to promote the arts of design in Britain through education and exhibition . The motive in founding the Academy was twofold: to raise the professional status of the artist by establishing a sound system of training and expert judgement in the arts, and to arrange the exhibition of contemporary works of art attaining an appropriate standard of excellence . Supporters wanted to foster a national school of art and to encourage appreciation and interest among the public based on recognised canons of good taste . </P> <P> Fashionable taste in 18th - century Britain was based on continental and traditional art forms, providing contemporary British artists little opportunity to sell their works . From 1746 the Foundling Hospital, through the efforts of William Hogarth, provided an early venue for contemporary artists in Britain . The success of this venture led to the formation of the Society of Artists of Great Britain and the Free Society of Artists . Both these groups were primarily exhibiting societies; their initial success was marred by internal factions among the artists . The combined vision of education and exhibition to establish a national school of art set the Royal Academy apart from the other exhibiting societies . It provided the foundation upon which the Royal Academy came to dominate the art scene of the 18th and 19th centuries, supplanting the earlier art societies . </P>

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