Foundation of Trustees' Drawing Academy, 1760
In 1760 the Board of Trustees for Fisheries, Manufacturers and Improvements in Scotland established the Trustees Drawing Academy, the forerunner of Edinburgh College of Art.
The aim was to provide instruction for people involved in design for manufacture. In particular, it promoted the art of drawing for use in designing patterns for the wool and linen industries. The Master of the School was always a fine artist, the first being French painter William Delacour, d. 1767. Subsequent masters included Alexander Runciman (1736-1785) and David Allan (1744-1796). The Academy rapidly developed into a notable school for both design and painting, producing such important Scottish artists as John Brown (1752-1787), Alexander Nasmyth (1758-1840), and Andrew Wilson (1780-1848).
Other University Events in 1760
Sources
- Trustees Academy of Arts, Mapping the Practice and Profession of Sculpture in Britain and Ireland 1851-1951, University of Glasgow History of Art and HATII, online database 2011 [accessed 24 Jul 2014]
- Trustees Academy School of Art, Archives Hub [accessed 24 July 2014]
- Trustees Academy School of Art, Edinburgh, GASHE [accessed 24 July 2014]