The Royal Manchester Institution (RMI) was founded 1 October 1823 as a learned society in England. Though the initial meeting occurred in a public meeting room, it was housed in Mosley Street in a building designed by the noted Charles Barry in 1824. For the next 60 years, the institution held regular art exhibitions. In 1882, it became the Manchester Art Gallery. The gallery today is housed in three interconnected buildings, including the Manchester Athenaeum, also designed by Charles Barry. The gallery boasts over 5000 paintings and 1000 prints, including Ford Madox Brown’s 1865 painting "Work."