Polytechnic Chelsea College of Arts was originally an integral school of the
South-Western Polytechnic, which opened at
Manresa Road,
Chelsea, in 1895 to provide scientific and technical education to Londoners. Day and evening classes for men and women were held for the
domestic economy, mathematics, engineering,
natural science, art, and music. Art was taught from the beginning of the
Polytechnic and included design,
weaving,
embroidery, and
electrodeposition. The South-Western Polytechnic became the
Chelsea Polytechnic in 1922 and taught a growing number of registered students at the
University of London. At the beginning of the 1930s, the School of Art began to widen, including courses in
craft training and commercial design from 1931. H.S Williamson, the school's appointed headmaster from 1930 to 1958, introduced sculpture shortly after
World War II. Notable artists from this period were employed as teachers such as
Henry Moore and
Graham Sutherland. Alumni from this period included
Elisabeth Frink,
Edward Burra,
Patrick Caulfield,
Ethel Walker,
Dirk Bogarde,
Robert Clatworthy,
John Latham, and
John Berger. The School of Science separated and became known as the
Chelsea College of Science and Technology in 1957, and was later admitted as a constituent College of the
University of London in 1966. The Chelsea College of Science and Technology was granted its
royal charter in 1971 and merged with
King's College London and
Queen Elizabeth College in 1985.
Chelsea School of Art The School of Art merged with the
Hammersmith School of Art, founded by Francis Hawke, to form the
Chelsea School of Art in 1908. The newly formed school was taken over by the
London County Council and a new building was erected at Lime Grove, which opened with an extended curriculum. A trade school for girls was erected on the same site in 1914. The school acquired premises at
Great Titchfield Street, and was jointly accommodated with
Quintin Hogg's
Polytechnic in
Regent Street (a forerunner of the
University of Westminster). The campus at Manresa Road introduced painting and
graphic design in 1963, with both disciplines being particularly successful.
Lawrence Gowing, painter and
art historian, was appointed as the first principal of the Chelsea School of Art. He was responsible for the integration of history and theory with practice, employing artists rather than art historians to teach art history and theory. This approach remains intrinsic to Chelsea's teaching philosophy today. Under Gowing, an option program was introduced, which encompassed workshops in experimental music, poetry,
psychoanalysis, philosophy, and
anthropology. A basic design course, pioneered by
Victor Pasmore and
Richard Hamilton, was also developed during the same period, becoming the basis of the college's current
foundation course in art and design. Professor William Callaway (Head of the School from 1989 to 1992), Colin Cina (appointed Dean of School of Art), and Bridget Jackson (Dean of the School of Design) reformed the school and ensured the redevelopment of the entire academic program, introducing courses at multiple levels from
HND to accredited honors and postgraduate degrees. Initially, these were validated by the UK Council for National Academic Awards; i.e. in the short period before the London Institute gained degree-awarding powers. Bridget Jackson was appointed Head of the College in 1993, retiring in 1997 to be succeeded by Professor Colin Cina who led the college until his retirement in 2003.
London Institute The Chelsea School of Art became a constituent College of the
London Institute in 1986, formed by the
Inner London Education Authority to associate London's art, design, fashion, and media schools into a collegiate structure. The school was renamed
Chelsea College of Art and Design in 1989. The London Institute was granted University status and was renamed University of the Arts London in 2004. In 2013, the college was renamed Chelsea College of Arts. In 2002–2003, Professor Roger Wilson was appointed as the Head of College until his retirement in 2006. He led the relocation to the
listed Royal Army Medical College, renovated as a purpose-built art college by the architects
Allies and Morrison in 2005. With this move, the Chelsea College of Arts presently resides next to
Tate Britain at
Millbank, returning to one standalone campus. ==Exhibition spaces==