RA tours: wild beasts and their keepers
Thursday 9 May 2019 3 - 4pm
Meet in Front Hall of Burlington Gardens, Royal Academy of Arts
Free, no booking required.
Explore the history of the Royal Academy Schools and the role of the Keeper in this free hour-long tour.
The RA Schools celebrate their 250th anniversary this year, with the first intake of students having taken place in January 1769. The head of the schools is known as the Keeper, a role that is totally unique to the Royal Academy.
During the past 250 years there have been 25 Keepers in total, but no Keeper was more colourful than Henry Fuseli. His students included John Constable, Edwin Landseer and William Blake, and he referred to his students as "wild beasts" and he their "blasted keeper".
This tour will give you the chance to learn more about the working lives of some of these "wild beasts", past and present, as well as their Keepers.
Tours are free, but spaces are limited. Please meet in the front hall of Burlington Gardens and ask a staff member for more information.