Society of Artists

The Society of Artists of Great Britain was an English artists' association, which was founded in 1760 with headquarters in London. You should give artists the opportunity to work together to present their works to a wide audience. Model was the Salon de Paris.

The founding members included Joshua Reynolds, Francis Hayman, Richard Wilson, Richard Dalton, inter alia, they organized a first exhibition in April 1760, which is considered one of the first community exhibitions of contemporary artists in England, which was founded next to the held in the same year event 1754 Royal Society of Arts. There then followed more annually, a total of 23 group exhibitions, which drew catalogs that have guaranteed financing.

In honor of the exhibition successes in the public company on January 26, 1765 received a Royal Charter in the same year they recorded already 211 members. 1767/68 there were differences of opinion between the members of the Association and it produced two fractions of the architect James Paine ( 1717-1789 ) and William Chambers were performed. When James Paine won the debate, William Chambers operation then the founding of the Royal Academy of Arts, which took place in 1768 and in 1769 was active with the first exhibitions. In 1773, the company released a list of the names of only 130 members. 1776 appeared the first time the name Royal Incorporated in the catalog for the exhibition 17 April 1776, for the new official name since 1765 as Royal Incorporated Society of Artists of Great Britain.

The Society of Artists held until 1791 shows before they broke up. The archives of the Society were later the Royal Academy of Arts is over.