The Royal West of England Academy (RWA) is one of only five Royal Academies of Art in the UK. It is a registered charity which has been self-supporting for over 150 years and possesses an outstanding Grade II* listed building, galleries and permanent fine art collection. The RWA has HM Queen Elizabeth II as its patron.
The RWA is an established venue for the fine arts and embraces an artistic awareness of the widest nature. The exhibition programme provides a showcase for one man and mixed exhibitions in a variety of media, which attract large numbers of visitors nation-wide.
The Academy is situated in the academic heart of Bristol where Queens Road meets Whiteladies Road. Please see the Contact the RWA link for an interactive map of Bristol indicating how to reach the RWA.
The Academy is only open during exhibitions. Please check exhibition dates before making a trip to the Academy to avoid disappointment.
New Gallery
The New Gallery is situated on the ground floor of the Royal West of England Academy and is the first RWA
gallery available for hire. It provides an excellent space for individual artists or groups of artists to show their
work in one of the most prestigious galleries in Bristol. The gallery was set up in February 2003 and, due to
its location and very competitive rates, is proving to be a very popular exhibition venue. The floor space
measures 43.2 square meters. There are 39 square meters of wall space available for hanging work, i.e. 26
linear meters by 1.5 m high.
Prospective exhibitors should send their proposals, together with photographs or slides of their work to:
Neil Murison
New Gallery
Royal West of England Academy
Queen’s Road
Clifton, Bristol
BS8 1PX
A selection panel will consider all proposals and notify prospective exhibitors of their decision.
Permanent Collection
llen Sharples, benefactor of the Academy, bequeathed her large collection of paintings to the Academy in 1849. These paintings together with many paintings given to the Academy, during the latter part of the nineteenth century by its artist members, formed the beginnings of the RWA Permanent Collection. In the 1920s a number of these paintings were loaned to the City Art Gallery and in 1930 they were sold to the City.
In 1941 Augusta Talboys, an artist member, left a sum of money to the Academy so that the interest may be used to purchase works of art by artist members. These works of art now exceed 1000 and form the substantial part of this collection.
Over the years, a number of paintings and sculpture have been donated or bequeathed to the Academy by generous members and supporters.
Among the paintings in the collection are works by artists from the Newlyn, St Ives and Bloomsbury Schools. Paintings by George Swaish, Matthew Hale, Anne Redpath, Mary Fedden, Carel Weight, Bernard Dunstan and Elizabeth Blackadder are also valued additions to the collection.