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The Archives of the Royal Academy of Arts, London

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  06 June 2016

Mark Pomeroy*
Affiliation:
Royal Academy of Arts, Burlington House, Piccadilly, London W1J 0BD
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Abstract

The Academy is one of Britain’s foremost cultural institutions. It is a unique survival of the age of enlightenment, continuing to fulfil the purposes for which it was founded. The Academy is run by artists for the benefit of artists, while providing an elegant venue for ‘the promotion of the arts of design’. The Library of the Royal Academy of Arts is well known, as it is the oldest fine art library in the United Kingdom. The Archives has always lain in comparative shadow, even though it is close to the heart of the institution. This article attempts to place the Archives in context, to describe how the institution has regarded it over time and how it is now being revealed to a wide public.

Type
Research Article
Copyright
Copyright © The Art Libraries Society 2005

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