Royal Academy of Arts to that drawn up by Cheere in 1755. It was Sir William Chambers, a prominent architect and head of the British government's architects' department, the Office of Works, who used his connections with George III to gain royal patronage and financial support for the Academy in 1768. The painter Joshua Reynolds was made its first president, and Francis Milner Newton was elected the first secretary, a post he held for two decades until his resignation in 1788. The instrument of foundation, signed by George III on 10 December 1768, named 34 founder members and allowed for a total membership of
Royal Hibernian Academy placed satirical naked paintings of Brian Cowen in the National Gallery of Ireland and the gallery of the Royal Hibernian Academy. The painter was subsequently discovered to be Conor Casby. This caused some controversy at the time, as the matter was investigated by the Gardaí, and the state broadcaster RTÉ was forced to apologise for showing the pictures in a news broadcast. There are three instances of post-nominal letters used by Academicians. Royal Hibernian Academy The Royal Hibernian Academy (RHA) is an artist-based and artist-oriented institution in Ireland, founded in Dublin in 1823. The RHA was founded as the result