Royal Cambrian Academy of Art

The Royal Cambrian Academy of Art (RCA) (Welsh: Yr Academi Frenhinol Gymreig (AFG)) is a centre of excellence for art in Wales. Its main gallery is located in Conwy and it has over a hundred members. Early history During the 19th century there were numerous attempts to establish an academy in Wales comparable to those already in existence in England, Scotland and Ireland. The Royal Cambrian Academy of Art was eventually founded in 1881, by a group of mainly English painters led by Henry Clarence Whaite , many of whom were now based in the Conwy Valley . The group of 31 founding members included Bernard Walter Evans . Ever since political unrest had made the Grand Tour hazardous for travellers, the wilds of North Wales became a fashionable alternative for.