Royal Society of Portrait Painters
Encyclopedia
The Royal Society of Portrait Painters is a British association of portrait painters which holds an annual exhibition at the Mall Galleries
in London
. Members use the initials "RP" after their names.
for its annual exhibition in London. They formed themselves, as the Society of Portrait Painters, into a new body to be concerned solely with portrait painting. The Society was, and is, formed of members elected, on the basis of the quality of their work, by existing members. Members have an automatic right to display paintings at the annual exhibition, but most of the exhibits are selected, in addition, from non-members of the society who submit their best recent portrait work for show.
The first exhibition of the Society was held in 1891. The catalogue of that exhibition shows that its committee then consisted of Archibald Stuart-Wortley (Chairman), Hon. John Collier
, Arthur Hacker
, G. P. Jacomb-Hood, S.J. Solomon
, James Jebusa Shannon
and Hubert Vos. The other members listed were Percy Bigland, C. A. Furse, Hugh De T. Glazebrook, J. MacLure Hamilton, Heywood Hardy, Herman G. Herkomer, Henry J. Hudson, Mrs Louise Jopling, T. B. Kennington, W. Llewellyn, W. M. Loudan, Arthur Melville
, Mrs Anna Lea Merritt, F. M. Skipworth, Mrs A. L. Swynnerton, W. R. Symonds
, Mrs Mary Waller, Edwin A. Ward, Leslie Ward
(better known as "Spy"), and T. Blake Wirgman.
Other early members included Sir John Everett Millais
, George Frederick Watts, John Singer Sargent
and James McNeill Whistler
. Women were eligible for membership from the start, and Dame Laura Knight
was one such member.
At the Coronation Exhibition of 1911, which marked its 20th anniversary, it was announced that King George V
had conferred on the Society the status of a Royal Society, and it has been known as the Royal Society of Portrait Painters since then.
The Times said on 22 April 2006:
The Society is a member of the Federation of British Artists
and a registered charity.
Federation of British Artists
The Federation of British Artists consists of nine art societies, and is based at the Mall Galleries in London where the societies Annual Exhibitions are held. The societies represent living artists working in the UK who create contemporary figurative art...
in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
. Members use the initials "RP" after their names.
History
The Royal Society of Portrait Painters was founded in 1891 by 24 artists who were dissatisfied with the selection policies of the Royal AcademyRoyal Academy
The Royal Academy of Arts is an art institution based in Burlington House on Piccadilly, London. The Royal Academy of Arts has a unique position in being an independent, privately funded institution led by eminent artists and architects whose purpose is to promote the creation, enjoyment and...
for its annual exhibition in London. They formed themselves, as the Society of Portrait Painters, into a new body to be concerned solely with portrait painting. The Society was, and is, formed of members elected, on the basis of the quality of their work, by existing members. Members have an automatic right to display paintings at the annual exhibition, but most of the exhibits are selected, in addition, from non-members of the society who submit their best recent portrait work for show.
The first exhibition of the Society was held in 1891. The catalogue of that exhibition shows that its committee then consisted of Archibald Stuart-Wortley (Chairman), Hon. John Collier
John Collier (artist)
The Honourable John Maler Collier OBE RP ROI , called 'Jack' by his family and friends, was a leading English artist, and an author. He painted in the Pre-Raphaelite style, and was one of the most prominent portrait painters of his generation. Both his marriages were to daughters of Thomas Henry...
, Arthur Hacker
Arthur Hacker
Arthur Hacker was an English classicist painter.Born in London in 1858, Hacker was the son of Edward Hacker, a line engraver specialising in animal and sporting prints...
, G. P. Jacomb-Hood, S.J. Solomon
Simeon Solomon
Simeon Solomon was an English Pre-Raphaelite painter-Biography:...
, James Jebusa Shannon
James Jebusa Shannon
Sir James Jebusa Shannon , Anglo-American artist, was born in Auburn, New York, and at the age of eight was taken by his parents to Canada....
and Hubert Vos. The other members listed were Percy Bigland, C. A. Furse, Hugh De T. Glazebrook, J. MacLure Hamilton, Heywood Hardy, Herman G. Herkomer, Henry J. Hudson, Mrs Louise Jopling, T. B. Kennington, W. Llewellyn, W. M. Loudan, Arthur Melville
Arthur Melville
Arthur Melville was a Scottish painter, now probably best remembered for his Orientalist subjects.He was born in Scotland, in a village of Haddingtonshire...
, Mrs Anna Lea Merritt, F. M. Skipworth, Mrs A. L. Swynnerton, W. R. Symonds
William R. Symonds
William Robert Symonds was an English painter.Born in Yoxford, Suffolk, he studied in Antwerp and settled in London in 1881. He exhibited regularly at the Royal Academy in London from 1876....
, Mrs Mary Waller, Edwin A. Ward, Leslie Ward
Leslie Ward
Sir Leslie Matthew Ward , was a British portrait artist and caricaturist who drew or painted numerous portraits which were regularly published by Vanity Fair, under the pseudonyms "Spy" and "Drawl".-Background:...
(better known as "Spy"), and T. Blake Wirgman.
Other early members included Sir John Everett Millais
John Everett Millais
Sir John Everett Millais, 1st Baronet, PRA was an English painter and illustrator and one of the founders of the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood.-Early life:...
, George Frederick Watts, John Singer Sargent
John Singer Sargent
John Singer Sargent was an American artist, considered the "leading portrait painter of his generation" for his evocations of Edwardian era luxury. During his career, he created roughly 900 oil paintings and more than 2,000 watercolors, as well as countless sketches and charcoal drawings...
and James McNeill Whistler
James McNeill Whistler
James Abbott McNeill Whistler was an American-born, British-based artist. Averse to sentimentality and moral allusion in painting, he was a leading proponent of the credo "art for art's sake". His famous signature for his paintings was in the shape of a stylized butterfly possessing a long stinger...
. Women were eligible for membership from the start, and Dame Laura Knight
Laura Knight
Dame Laura Knight, DBE was an English Impressionist painter known for painting the world of London's theatre, ballet and circus.-Early life and education:...
was one such member.
At the Coronation Exhibition of 1911, which marked its 20th anniversary, it was announced that King George V
George V of the United Kingdom
George V was King of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions, and Emperor of India, from 6 May 1910 through the First World War until his death in 1936....
had conferred on the Society the status of a Royal Society, and it has been known as the Royal Society of Portrait Painters since then.
The Times said on 22 April 2006:
The Society is a member of the Federation of British Artists
Federation of British Artists
The Federation of British Artists consists of nine art societies, and is based at the Mall Galleries in London where the societies Annual Exhibitions are held. The societies represent living artists working in the UK who create contemporary figurative art...
and a registered charity.
External links
- Website of the Royal Society of Portrait Painters
- The Times 22 April 2006, previewing the 2006 exhibition.