ROYAL SOCIETY OF MARINE ARTISTS
The Royal Society of Marine Artists, R.S.M.A., was founded in 1939 but due to the outbreak of the Second World War it was not until 1946 that the Society's first exhibition was opened in the Guildhall Art Gallery. The Society is an association of artists in London that promotes contemporary marine art including painting, drawing, printmaking, and sculpture. In 1966, Queen Elizabeth II granted assent for the title 'The Royal Society of Marine Artists'. The Guildhall became the venue for the Society's annual exhibitions until 1981 from when the exhibitions were held at the Mall Galleries. In 1996, a 176-page book 'A Celebration of Marine Art: Fifty Years of the Royal Society of Marines Artists' was published. The society is a registered charity and is one of the nine member societies that form the Federation of British Artists, which is based at the Mall Galleries in London.