When Robin Darwin became Rector of the Royal College of Art in 1948 he said he could find no records, no paintings or other works by former students. He set about building a collection that he thought would reflect the importance of the institution. He was lucky to have some students in the Painting School during his time as Rector who went on to have a huge influence in the world of fine art – artists such as Frank Auerbach, Leon Kossoff, David Hockney and Peter Bake, many of whom gave works to the College that now form the nucleus of the College Collection. This Collection is very different to most fine art collections in that works have not been carefully selected to adhere to a specific collections policy. They have been donated to the College, in a rather ad hoc manner over the years, by graduates and staff and have no coherent theme.

I will be considering what these works say about the artists that produced them and the institution in which they studied. What they say about the teachers who may have influenced the students, or who the students rebelled against, in order to produce their often seminal work, and what influenced painting post-World War Two.

My research will cover the period from 1948, when Robin Darwin was appointed Rector, until 1998, when Paul Huxley retired as Professor of Painting. I will be looking at important phases in the Painting Department and changes in educational practices to see how these shaped the artists who left works for the Collection and how these works, in turn, build up a narrative of the institution.