Royal Academy of Arts as somewhat anachronistic. But efforts are made to award each prize to a student producing work that bears a relation to the intentions of the original benefactor. The Royal Academy has an important collection of books, archives and works of art accessible for research and display. A large part of these collections have been digitised and can be investigated through the Collection website. The first president of the Royal Academy, Sir Joshua Reynolds, gave his noted self-portrait, beginning the Royal Academy collection. This was followed by gifts from other founding members, such as Gainsborough and Benjamin West. Subsequently each elected
Royal Academy of Arts December 2011, Christopher Le Brun was elected president of the Royal Academy on the retirement of Sir Nicholas Grimshaw. In March 2014, critic and broadcaster Tim Marlow was appointed the Royal Academy's first director of artistic programmes. The Royal Academy Schools form the oldest art school in Britain. They offer a three-year postgraduate art course to students. The Royal Academy Schools was the first institution to provide professional training for artists in Britain. The Schools' programme of formal training was modelled on that of the French Académie de peinture et de sculpture, founded by Louis XIV in 1648. It was