London Group

The London Group is an artists' exhibiting society based in London, England founded in 1913 when the Camden Town Group came together with the English Vorticists and other independent artists to challenge the domination of the Royal Academy which had become unadventurous and conservative. The Group has organised exhibitions, usually once a year, since 1913, even through the two World Wars. When resources permit the Group holds open submission exhibitions to encourage and support other artists struggling to get their work shown in public.

The London Group is composed of working artists, has a written constitution, annually elected officers, working committees and a selection committee. There are usually between 90 and 100 members and an annual fee to cover gallery hire and organisational costs is charged. The Group has no permanent exhibition venue and rents gallery space in London, most recently at the Menier Gallery and Bankside Gallery. Members of the group have included: Walter Sickert, William Roberts, Percy Wyndham Lewis, Robert Polhill Bevan, Stanisława de Karłowska, Henry Moore, Vanessa Bell, David Hockney, Paula Rego, Paul Nash& John Copnall. The London Group continues to exist as of 2008, when its members organised a highly successful open submission exhibition at the Menier Gallery in London.

History

1913 - 1939

This short history is a précis of a part of: "The London Group, The Artists and their Works" by Denys J. Wilcox published by the Scolar Press in 1995.

The origins of the Group lie between 1908-1914 and sprang from an amalgamation of Frank Rutter’s Allied Artists’ Association, modelled on the Salon des Independants in Paris, and the Camden Town Group. At this time the main exhibition opportunities for artists were the New English Art Club and the Royal Academy both of whom were largely resistant to the new ideas about painting percolating in from Europe. There had been many reactions against the Royal Academy in the past, notably an exhibition organised by William Holman-Hunt at the Cosmopolitan Club in 1863. Holman-Hunt put together an exhibition of refused work after a Pre-Raphaelite colleague had his ‘radical’ painting rejected by the RA Committee. However,in the early 1910s, the AAA was huge and too cumbersome, attracting 3000 exhibits to its’ 1908 exhibition. The Camden Town Group, formed in 1911, was a small group of young, progressive artists who met in Sickert’s studio at 19 Fitzroy Street. Both groups were trying to bring a new intelligence and understanding to British Art based on the work of Cezanne, Gaugin and Van Gogh. In 1910 Roger Fry organised the ‘Manet and the Post-Impressionists’ at the Grafton Galleries, an event inspirational to a large number of emerging artists. In 1912 Fry was again instrumental in organising the Second Post-Impressionist Exhibition at the Grafton Galleries exposing the work of Cezanne, Picasso, Matisse, Derain and Vlaminck to the British public.

The first minuted meeting of the embryonic London Group was the 25th October, 1913. In a November meeting Jacob Epstein had the vision, “Let us call it ‘The London Group’” and by November 29th the rules and constitution of the Group were drawn up, mainly by the newly appointed Secretary, J.B. Manson. Harold Gilman was appointed President and Robert Bevan Honorary Treasurer. The first official London Group exhibition, ignoring the ‘dry run’ exhibition in Brighton the year before, was in March 1914 at the Goupil Galleries. It opened to great acclaim and critical success, as did the next exhibition. Even at this early point in the Group’s history, arguments and tensions arose. Wyndham Lewis, quarrelled with Roger Fry of the Omega Workshop (and his supporters) over the awarding of lucrative Interior Decoration contracts from the Dail Mail’s Ideal Home Exhibition. Then, a further crisis, in 1914 Spenser Gore died. He had been able to keep the two factions together which left Harold Gilman to calm the troubled waters. Gilman’s premature death in 1919 was a further blow to London Group stability. The second exhibition in March 1915 received much attention, notably the Vorticists and Cubists. The feeling in the country at that moment, bearing in mind the horrors of the Great War, was for stability and an opposition to foreign influences. The War itself was the biggest influence on the Group. Henri Gaudier-Brzeska was killed in 1915 and many members were caught up in the fighting. In June 1916, due to the lack of work submitted by members, the London Group made the decision to exhibit the work of selected non-members, a policy to be repeated in the future. The November 1916 exhibition saw another important precedent. William Marchant, owner of the Goupil Galleries, refused to show the work of, “enemy aliens, conscientious objectors or sympathisers with the enemy”. Members Adrian Allinson and Mark Gertler were both conscientious objectors. The London Group voted unanimously to support these members and refused to show with Marchant, leaving the Group without an exhibition space. A brave decision, supporting the Group’s democratic and liberal stance. Ambrose Heal (of Heals Furnishings) came to the rescue offering the Mansard Galleries for this and future London Group exhibitions. It was Mark Gertler who again provoked controversy in 1917 with his ‘Merry-Go-Round’, thought to be too modern and provocative. No sculpture was shown in this exhibition and the decline continued into 1918 when less than half the members exhibited and it appeared that the group would drift apart. Despite the awful social deprivations of the Great War the London Group had organised two exhibitions a year and had made the public aware, through sketches and paintings sent from the trenches, of the horrors of war. As a group of artists they had survived with integrity and had demonstrated an ability to organise in the face of great adversity.The year 1919 was a low point, Harold Gilman died in February and the Vorticists, led by Wyndham Lewis, refused to take part in London Group exhibitions in protest at the growing Bloomsbury domination centred on Roger Fry. Although Fry never took up any officers’ post, his friends and colleagues, heavily influenced by the seminal figure of Cezanne, controlled the London Group exhibitions and policy decisions for the next decade. Derain were shown round the 1919 annual exhibition by Roger Fry whilst Derain and Picasso were visiting London. Derain thought Fry’s work (anonymous to Derain) to be the best in the show, Picasso preferred the Omega Workshop pottery. With the avant-garde Futurists forming their own “Group X” in 1920, the London Group lost its’ radical and pioneering edge and lapsed into a period of ‘French’ influence. Similarly the 7 & 5 Society, led by Ben Nicholson, took a lot of attention away from the London Group in the mid thirties and became an attractive alternative exhibition organisation for younger artists, as the London Group had itself been in the previous decade. The London Group exhibitions between 1919 and 1921 were well received by the public, in that they liked the ‘still life’ content of the Bloomsbury painters, whereas the critics felt that the London Group had lost its’ dynamic progressive quality after losing the Futurists. Nevinson finally resigned in 1921 and the London Group took on the aesthetic identity of the Bloomsbury circle. The French influence was further exemplified by Maurice Utrillo and Raoul Dufy exhibiting with the London Group in the mid 1920s.

The most successful event of the twenties was the 1928 London Group Retrospective held at the New Burlington Galleries organised by Roger Fry and the President Rupert Lee. The summing up of the last fifteen years brought the Camden Town group, the Vorticists and the Bloomsbury group back in one exhibition and clearly demonstrated the importance of the London Group in the development of recent British Art. This heightened interest had the effect of increasing young artists interewst in the Group and resulted in a number of well supported non-member exhibitions. The January 1929 exhibition had 65 non-member exhibitors and Group membership was up to 54. In 1930 there was an exhibition of sculpture in the Roof Gardens of Selfridges largely organised by Adrian Allinson and Rupert Lee. This exhibition affirmed the renaissance of sculpture within the London Group (Frank Dobson had been President between 1924-26) and also had the beneficial effect of bringing in new mebers. However, as with the Vorticists and the 5 & 7 Society, the forming of Unit One in 1933 enticed many important young artists away.

Despite the general history of artistic movements within the Group, individuals still made an impact on the Group and the gallery going public. Notable were Matthew Smith, Paul and John Nash, David Bomberg, Mark Gertler and Bernard Meninsky.

In the 1930s the London Group held a large number of exhibitions with non-member exhibitors and had become rather too big and unwieldy. It refused to espouse any political cause but kept its principle of fairness and open-mindedness. Roger Fry died in 1934 which left the Group somewhat adrift. A further significant event in 1936 was the Professor Hellwag affair. Professor Hellwag was a German official who had a genuine interest in contemporary art activity. Hellwag indicated that he would like to tour the London Group exhibition to Berlin, all expenses paid. When the official invitation from the German authorities arrived it came with a number of conditions which the London Group found unacceptable, particularly the anti-semitic nature of their demands. Conversely, Hellwag was guest of honour at a dinner given by the Royal Society of Portrait Painters. In 1937 the German authorities put on the famous degenerate art exhibition where many important avant-garde artists were mocked and defiled. At the 1937 London Group Annual General Meeting, David Bomberg put forward the motion that: ‘the London Group members … be prohibited from exhibiting with reactionary groups: that the London Group … consolidate with the Artists International Association and Surrealist Groups in their support of Anti-Fascism in politics and art; and that Honorary membership in the London Group … be extended to certain left-wing poets and writers’, but his motion was voted down. The members only exhibition in 1937 received good press notices and toured to North England. However the non-member exhibitions of 1938 and 1939 were not so well received and appeared to dilute the cutting edge of the group’s radical members. The Royal Academy was also becoming more amenable to modern painting thus undermining the group’s role as an outlet for contemporary work. The London Group had survived an intensely fragile birth and been involved in some important artistic and social events. It now faced the trial of the Second World War and the change of cultural influence from Europe to America.

1939 - 1960

a short overview of the whole period beginning in 1939 where Denys J. Wilcox's book: "The London Group, 1913-1939" left off.

The Second World War gave an opportunity for some artists to make work commissioned by the War Artists' Advisory Committee which was set up in November 1939. Kenneth Clark was the Chairman of this committee whilst the Secretary was E. M. O'Rourke Dickey (painter and wood engraver) who had been elected to the London Group in 1920 and exhibited with the group between 1916 and 1934. The WAAC met once a week and was well funded by the government. Over 300 artists were supported in some way by the fund, 30 had full time salaries (only for six months), 100 were awarded specific commissions and about 200 had their work purchased. This work was shown in London, nationally and internationally. Prominent artists working as War Artists, many of whom had or were to have London Group membership, were Piper (1933), Sutherland (1937), Moore (1930) and Spencer (1914) who worked on the 'home front' Ardizzone (1949), Bawden and Gross (1948) who were sent overseas. Gross was very positive about his war-time experiences, referring to his subsidised travels as like, "a government magic carpet". Other artists involved were Dobson (1922), Paul Nash (1914), Rosoman (1957), Scott (1949), Trevelyan (1949) and Vaughan (1949). At the end of the War the activities of the WAAC were transferred to the Imperial War Museum and their paintings were distributed across the United Kingdom and the Commonwealth.

The London Group continued to exhibit throughout the Second World War holding an Annual Exhibition each year despite lack of member artists and materials. H.S. Wiliamson (1933) was "Chairman" of the London Group from 1937 to 1943 when Elliott Seabrooke (1920), "assumed the Presidency". Seabrooke's Presidency came to an end in 1948 when Ruskin Spear (1940/43) was elected. Spear oversaw the election of fourteen new members in 1949 indicating a renewed interest in the Group following the Second World War. They were: Robert Adams, Edward Ardizzone, Robert Buhler, Edward Burra, Morris Kestelman, Kenneth Martin, John Minton, F.E. McWilliam, Peter Potworowski, William Scott, Julian Trevelyan, Keith Vaughan and Carel Weight. All men and mostly painters, F.E. McWilliam being a surrealist sculptor. In the 1940s, 33 artists (29 men) were elected to the London Group with Augustus John and Oscar Kokoschka elected as Honorary Members. Notable members elected in the 1940s were Lawrence Gowing, Lynton Lamb, L. S. Lowry, Ruskin Spear and Jack B. Yeats. In 1943, 73 artists were recorded as being members of the London Group. This figure remained constant until 1949 when the election of fourteen new members under the Presidency of Ruskin Spear raised the numbers to 84, a resurgent interest in the immediate post-war period.

Throughout the post-war period Lord Sainsbury’s staff provided administrative back up and secretarial support for the group. Bert Irvin in the 2003 London Group Yearbook makes special mention of this support as being really helpful. Sainsbury’s support came to an end in the 1970s when the Group faced further difficulties as the number of affordable exhibition venues continued to decline.

John Dodgson (1947) was London Group President from 1951 to 1952, replacing Ruskin Spear. Claude Rogers (1938) took over from Dodgson in 1952 and was re-elected every year until 1966, fourteen years as a popular and successful President. These were the Golden Years of the London Group holding regular and large open submission exhibitions, sometimes two in one year. The membership were obviously extremely committed and active backing competent and efficient group officers. Sculptors seem to be well represented in this decade. The New Burlington Galleries was the hired home for five years, 1950 - 54, switching to the RBA Galleries for the last years of the decade. These two reliable, large and regular venues for exhibitions made the annual task of organising open submission exhibitions so much easier. In the 1950s, 33 members were elected to the London Group, 28 of whom were men. Membership rose steadily during this decade, from 83 in 1951 to 93 in 1959.

1960 - 2008

Claude Rogers remained President for the first five years of the 1960s, followed by Andrew Forge (1960) who was President from 1966 to 1971. In the 1960s, 38 members were elected to the London Group, 34 were men. In 1963 the annual membership fee was three guineas but was raised to five by 1964. It was to remain at this level until at least 1978 when its decimal equivalent was £5.25. In 1960 membership stood at a healthy 92, but there was a swift decline in 1963 and 1964 to 86 and 77 respectively. Despite a recovery to 81 in 1965, membership steadily declined, ending the decade at 54 in 1970. There was an Annual Exhbition every year until 1966 when no exhibition took place, neither was there one in 1969. The most important event was the Jubilee Exhibition at The Tate Gallery, “London Group 1914 - 64, Jubilee Exhibition, Fifty Years of British Art”.

At he beginning of the 1970s Andrew Forge (1960) was President until 1971. Dorothy Mead (1960) was elected in 1971 and served until 1973. Neville Boden (1964) occupied the Presidency from 1973 until 1977 and then Peter Donnelly (1973) from 1977 to 1979. In the 1970s, 33 members were elected, 27 of whom were men. Andrew Forge had a busy schedule at the beginning of the decade. Not only was he President of the London Group, he was also involved in organising Art Spectrum London at Alexandra Palace in 1971 as a member of the GLAA Visual Arts Panel. It would appear that the finances of the London Group were not healthy at the beginning of the decade. Andrew Forge had lent the Group £1,000 in previous years, but his loan was repaid by the Group within a year following a timely grant from the Arts Council. Forge’s presidency heralded the last expensive hirings of commercial galleries for a while. These expensive venues nearly bankrupted the group but at least preserved the tradition of open submission exhibitions for non-members. The decade began with an annual membership fee of £5.5.0 and had been decimalised to £5.25 in 1971, a rate still charged in 1978. The year 1970 also saw the lowest membership figure in the whole of the London Group's post-war history. Membership had slowly declined from 92 in 1960 to the all time low of 54 ten years later. The decade commencing in 1970 saw the lowest membership figures bunping along in the 60s. They did, however show a gradual rise, ending with 69 members in 1980. Group activity seemed sluggish with no annual exhibitions in 1972, 1974 and 1976. But the exhibitions which the group did organise were at quite prestigious venues, the Royal Academy Diploma Galleries in 1970 and 1971, The Whitechapel Art gallery in 1973, Camden Arts Centre in 1975 and 1977 and the Royal College of Art in 1978!

Stanley "Stan" Smith (1975) was first elected as President in 1979 and served until 1993. Dennis Creffield (1962) was briefly President in 1983 but resigned after 48 hours. The story is recounted with great glee by members who remember the vote. It appears that Stan Smith was hospitalised at the time of the AGM and Dennis Creffield put himself up for the Presidency. The vote was a draw and John Bellany, probably in his capacity as Vice President, had the deciding vote which went in favour of Creffield. The meeting was stunned and amazed, a polite way of expressing emotions that evening. However, the story goes that when Creffield realised the amount of work involved and the time required to fulfil the role he got cold feet and resigned within a few days of election. Stan Smith was then returned as President. In the 1980s, 40 members were elected, 1 Honorary Member, 29 men. Membership slowly increased throughout this decade beginning with a membership of 69 and ending with 100, the highest figure in post-war history. In 1981 there was a massive intake of new blood, 22 new members in one year. The story goes that President Stan Smith told virtually anyone who applied that they could be a member of the London Group if they wanted to join. He and the officers certainly revitalised the ailing body of the Group. And yet there were four years, 1980, 1983, 1985 and 1986 when, according to material available, no annual exhibitions took place. The Royal College of Art, where Stan Smith taught, was the preferred exhibition venue, hosting 5 open submission exhibitions in 1984, 1987, 1988 (the 75th Anniversary Exhibition), 1989 and 1990. Virtually all of the 1980s exhibitions were held in galleries attached to London art schools, from the RCA to Morley College. These exhibitions indicate the first clear links between the London Group and the art education system.

Stan Smith served 14 years as President and made way for Adrian Bartlett (1981) in 1993, serving 2 years.Phillipa Beale (1977), the second female President, was elected to serve between 1995 and 1998 when Matthew Kolakowski (1990) took on the role until 2000. A series a fairly short Presidential tenures. In the 1990s, 43 members were elected, 31 men. With a huge membership of 100 at the beginning of the decade it was perhaps only natural that membership slowly declined to reach a low of 78 in 1996. However, recruitment improved and by 1999 total membership was healthy again at 89. Highlights of the 1990s were the three large and prestigious open submission exhibitions held in the Concourse Gallery of the Barbican Centre in 1992 (no catalogue),1993 (the 80th Anniversary Exhibition) and 1995. The group showed its true metal in organising these complicated and demanding open submission exhibitions which required both financial sponsorship from business and individual commitment from the organising committees.

The new millennium began with a new President when the group elected Peter Clossick (1999) serving from 2000 until 2005. Philip Crozier (2001) was elected President in 2005. In the early part of the new millennium membership remained steady in the high eighties, but lifted into the mid nineties following a group decision to increase numbers to give more artists opportunity of London Group membership and, of course, to increase funds. The year 2003 brought the 90th Anniversary Exhibition in Bond Street, a professionally published yearbook containing images of all members' work and the launch of the London Group's website at www.thelondongroup.com. Exhibition activity was at an all time high with individuals taking the initiative and curating smaller shows under the unmbrella of the London Group. The group were dismayed that due to prohibitive financial costs no open submission exhibitions could be organised, but at least members had the opportunity of exhibiting in an annual exhibition every year from 2000. In 2006 a small contingent of London Group members exhibited in Amsterdam with a group called Arti et Amicitiae, similar in many ways to the London Group. This was the first European venture for the group and was intended to spearhead further exhibition opportunities in Amsterdam and Europe for all of the membership.

Presidents 1914-2008

Date of election to the London Group in brackets

External links

* [http://www.thelondongroup.com Official site]