ROYAL SCOTTISH ACADEMY
In 1826, a group of artists broke away from the Royal Institution and took the name of the Scottish Academy of Painting, Sculpture, and Architecture with the inaugural meeting held on 27 May 1826 at Stewart’s Rooms on Waterloo Bridge, Edinburgh, attended by thirteen founding Academicians. Its aims were to hold an annual exhibition, open to all artists of merit; to provide free education for artists by founding an academy of fine arts; to build a collection of artworks and a fine arts library; and to provide financial support to less fortunate artists. The RSA's first Annual Exhibition was held in the rented rooms at 24 Waterloo Place. From 1835, the group leased gallery space in the Royal Institution building to mount exhibitions of its growing art collection, and in 1838 the group received a royal charter and became the Royal Scottish Academy (RSA). The RSA was formerly housed in the National Gallery of Scotland until it moved to the Royal Institution building in 1911. One of the aims of the RSA was to found a national art gallery for Scotland, this was realised in 1859, when a new gallery building was built by Playfair, the National Gallery of Scotland, adjacent to the RI building. The building housed RI's collection of Old Master paintings along with the RSA collection. The RSA continued to share space in the National Gallery building until 1911. At the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries, the arts organisations relocated; the Society of Antiquaries moved its museum to new premises on Queen Street, that building now houses the Scottish National Portrait Gallery, the Royal Society moved to 22-24 George Street and in 1907, the Royal Institution moved to the new Edinburgh College of Art. In 1911, the RSA was granted permanent tenancy of the old RI building and the right to hold its annual exhibition there. The building became known as the Royal Scottish Academy.