The Royal College of Art is a university in London, England, housed in the Darwin Building in Kensington Gore. It is the world’s only wholly postgraduate art and design institution, offering the degrees of M.A., M.Phil. and Ph.D..
The college was founded in 1837, and was then known as the Government School of Design. It became the National Art Training School in 1853, and in 1896 received the name The Royal College of Art. After 130 years in operation, the RCA was granted a Royal Charter in 1967, which gave it the status of an independent university with the power to grant its own degrees.
The current enrollment tally measures roughly 900 students, all taking fine art, applied art, design, and communications courses.
Notable Alumni
- Christopher Bailey , designer
- David Hockney, painter
- Tracey Emin, 1999 Turner Prize nominee
- Chris Ofili, 1998 Turner Prize winner
- Barbara Hepworth, sculptor
- Edwin Lutyens, architect
- James Dyson, vacuum cleaner designer
- Charles Tunnicliffe, painter
- Uday Shankar, choreographer
- Sir Ridley Scott, film director
- Chris Svensson , car designer
- Victor Ambrus, illustrator
Status
The Royal College played a major role in the birth of the modern school of British sculpture in the 1920s, with students including Barbara Hepworth and Henry Moore, and in the development of Pop Art in the 1960s with students including Peter Blake and David Hockney.
The college also has an international reputation for its teaching in the fields of photography, industrial and interior design, fashion, ceramics and silversmithing. Degrees in the History of Design are offered in collaboration with the Victoria and Albert Museum.
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