British Academy of Arts in Rome

The British Academy of Arts in Rome was an art school established by a group of British artists in Rome in 1821, and put on a more formal basis in 1823. It closed in 1936.

The Academy had its origins in the community of British artists working in Rome, which had existed since the late 18th century, although its activities were disrupted by the Napoleonic wars. The Academy initially came into being in 1821 and was put onto a more formal footing in 1823, largely through the efforts of Joseph Severn, an English art student who had arrived in Italy in 1820 in the company of his friend, the poet John Keats, who was dying of tuberculosis. Severn set about raising funds for the new institution from various patrons, including the British Ambassador to Naples, William Hamilton, who contributed £100, and advised him to open an "Academy investment fund". Severn contacted the President of the Royal Academy in London, Sir Thomas Lawrence for assistance. Although Lawrence declined any suggestion that the new body in Rome should be formally set up under the auspices the Royal Academy, he arranged for it to contribute some financial aid, donated to its funds personally and recruited other patrons. He also secured the backing of the king, George IV, who gave £200 and officially approved the use of the name 'The British Academy of Arts in Rome'.

The Academy was managed by a committee of seven artists. In its first year, 1823, the committee consisted of Charles Eastlake, Seymour Kirkup, Richard Evans, John Bryant Lane, and Richard Westmacott, Junior, as well as Severn himself. To house the Academy, Severn rented premises, comprising six rooms, at 18 Via Sant' Isidoro, which doubled as his own home and studio.

The members of the Academy gathered in the evenings. There were sessions of life drawing, and opportunities to study anatomy. Artists associated with the Academy in its early years included JMW Turner, who stayed with Eastlake when he visited Italy in 1829, and George Richmond, who became involved with it in 1838.

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