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 Academy of Art, The Hague teachers of the avant-garde like Gerrit Kiljan (1881-1961), Paul Schuitema (1897-1973), Paul Citroen (1896-1983) and Cor Alon (1892-1967) dominated. The Academy expanded its curriculum as one of the first Dutch schools by teaching in the field of industrial design. In 1938 a new building erected on the site of the old house. The design was by the architectural firm "Plantenga, Buijs & Lürsen". In 2000 a general overhaul was carried out. For this project was the architect "Van Mourik Vermeulen" responsible - even the complex was enlarged. In 1990 the Academy merged with the Royal Conservatory to the "Hogeschool van