Paint is a fluid material, and ideas surrounding what painting is, has been, and can be, are being continually reflected upon and actively explored.
With each new year group the dynamic of the studios and the conversations around painting shift and broaden in their agendas and processes. A walk through the building here in Battersea is a journey through all the possibilities of thinking and making, artists working through fleeting successes, hideous but essential wrong moves and hard-won moments of elation.
The Painting programme is a world leader in research and practice, with a commitment to broadening the understanding of our discipline in all its forms. Through the many learning and teaching experiences we offer, our students and staff rigorously, critically and supportively engage in personal tutorials, group seminars and presentations. These discussions and critiques take place physically in the painting studios, across the College, in galleries and other partner institutions, and during visits to major exhibitions both in the UK and abroad. On graduation a selection of our students are awarded studio residences, which the College supports through our mentoring scheme.
Our students are here to reflect upon and play out what kind of artists they want to be and what their personal agendas are, with the ultimate aim of enabling a sustainable and meaningful practice as professional practitioners.
RCA Painting alumni include David Hockney, Peter Blake, Frank Auerbach, Bridget Riley, Tracey Emin, Chris Ofili, Dexter Dalwood, Nigel Cooke, Gillian Carnegie, and recent visiting lecturers include Neal Tait, Merlin James, Amikam Toren, Sophie von Hellermann, George Shaw, Jamie Shovlin, Varda Caivano, Kate MacGarry, Margot Heller, Daniel Sinsel, Martin Herbert, Markus Vater, Toby Ziegler and Katy Moran. Our graduates’ work is exhibited continually in museums and galleries worldwide.
Download Painting Programme Information Pack (PDF)
Painting offers:
- unrivalled facilities, including dedicated studio space for each student
- excellence of teaching by leading practitioners, writers and curators
- opportunities for exchanges to international institutions, studio residences abroad, and an annual study trip
- two major exhibitions during the two years in the form of a Work-in-progress Show at the end of the first year, and the Summer Shows before graduation
- support and opportunities for teaching/lecturing placements in undergraduate colleges throughout the UK
- support through the College mentoring scheme for studio residences, awarded to a selection of students on graduation
- continued support for all our graduates through the School and our alumni network
Open Days are held at the College between October and January of each academic year, to enable applicants to explore teaching programmes and meet staff and students.