The Royal Scottish Academy (RSA) is the country’s national academy of art. It promotes contemporary Scottish art.
Founded in 1819 as the Royal Institution for the Encouragement of the Fine Arts in Scotland, in 1826 it was named the Scottish Academy, and it became the Royal Scottish Academy on being granted a royal charter in 1838.
The RSA maintains a unique position in the country as an independently funded institution led by eminent artists and architects to promote and support the creation, understanding, and enjoyment of visual arts through exhibitions and related educational events.
In addition to a continuous programme of exhibitions, the RSA also administers scholarships, awards, and residencies for artists who live and work in Scotland. The RSA's historic collection of important artworks and an extensive archive of related material chronicling art and architecture in Scotland over the last 180 years are housed in the National Museums Collection Centre at Granton, and are available to researchers by appointment. Displays of the historic collections are mounted whenever possible.
Its home since 1911 has been the Royal Scottish Academy Building on The Mound, Princes Street, Edinburgh, adjacent to the National Gallery of Scotland (NGS). The building is managed by the National Galleries of Scotland but the 1910 Order grants the RSA permanent administration offices in the building. Exhibition space is shared throughout the year with the NGS and other organisations (Exhibiting Societies of Scottish Artists). The building, originally designed by William Henry Playfair, was recently refurbished as part of the Playfair Project, and is also used by the National Galleries of Scotland.
The RSA is led by a body of eminent artist and architect members who encompass a broad cross-section of contemporary Scottish art. Members are known as Academicians, and are entitled to use the postnominal letters RSA. The president uses the postnominal letters PRSA while in office, and PPRSA (Past President of the RSA) thereafter.