Chelsea College Of Art

Although it takes its name from the original Manresa Road campus, Chelsea College of Arts now sits inside a former military hospital in Pimlico, just opposite Tate Britain. The school originally taught trade professions but now offers courses on everything from fine arts to curating and graphic design. Notable alumni include Elisabeth Frink and Edward Burra, while celebrated sculptor Henry Moore, whose Two Piece Reclining Figure No 1 was bought by the college in the 1950s and remains on-site, taught here.

Chelsea College of Arts has a reputation for producing some of today’s leading artists and designers. Our teaching focuses on material-based investigation and creative process.

We offer fine art, design and curating courses. At Chelsea College of Arts, we look at art and design in a social, cultural and political context. We are particularly interested in the effects of globalisation. This  could either be on creative practice itself or its response to it.

Chelsea College of Arts has 2 university research centres that specialise in these areas. They are Transnational Art, Identity and Nation (TrAIN) and the Centre for Circular Design (CCD). We are also home to Iniva (Institute of International Visual Arts). Our Chelsea Space gallery programme is international and interdisciplinary. Exhibitions cover art, design and popular culture.

As a city London offers a platform for building new networks. Our staff will encourage you to test your ideas out both on and off site. We want you to embrace a spirit of investigation and inventiveness. These are characteristics that drive and inform the work of many of our graduates.

Our alumni include Mariko Mori, Rose Finn-Kelcey, Haroon Mirza, Steve McQueen, Rana Begum, Chris Ofili, Margaret Calvert, Mark Wallinger, James Richards and Helen Chadwick.

We want you to realise your potential as an artist, designer or creative practitioner. Chelsea College of Arts aims to provide you with a stimulating space to do that.