Sir Gerald Kelly wrote to Humphrey Brooke in August 1956 providing a the history of the Academy's involvement with exhibiton making and his analysis of the current challenges facing such a programme (see RAA/PC/14/5). He urged that an advisory committee of experts be formed, to better guide the Academy's decision making. This proposal was put to Council in late 1956 and acted on with rapidity. The President invited participants, who included Sir Kenneth Clark, Sir Anthony Blunt, Sir E.K. Waterhouse, Sir Trenchard Cox and Sir Francis Watson. The committee continued to meet several times a year and grew in number until its dissolution in 1972.