In September 1768, the Society organised a special exhibition held in honour of
Christian VII of Denmark, the brother-in-law of
George III, who was visiting London. Lasting two days and not open to the public, it featured paintings from leading members. It was the last exhibition held before a major split among Society members that led to the creation of a new rival organisation, the
Royal Academy of Arts, which secured backing from the king. Two leaders of the dispute were rival architects
James Paine and
William Chambers. Joshua Reynolds, absent in France during much of the dispute, was elected the first President of the Royal Academy. The breakaway group involved many of the most successful members of the Society. They staged the inaugural
Royal Academy Exhibition of 1769 in
Pall Mall which proved a success. Despite this, the Society held its own major exhibitions in
1769 and
1770 and even started work on a new headquarters in the
Strand. However, further defections of prominent artists to the Royal Academy weakened it and, by the mid-1770s, it was in sharp decline and ceased regular exhibitions, finally disbanding in 1791. ==Gallery==