Glasgow Art Club

Last updated

Glasgow Art Club
Formation1867
Type The Arts
Headquarters Glasgow, Scotland
Location
  • 185 Bath Street, Glasgow G2 4HU
Coordinates 55°51′52″N4°15′45″W / 55.8645°N 4.2626°W / 55.8645; -4.2626
President
Robert Ferguson
Website www.glasgowartclub.co.uk

Glasgow Art Club is a club in Glasgow for artists and non-artists interested in the creation and enjoyment of art - all illustrative arts, sculptures, poetry, prose, plays, music, song, choreography and dance. To advance, promote and encourage the arts in all forms. [1] Each year it has a range of exhibitions, events and concerts, open to the public for their enjoyment; and, subject to club events, a number of its rooms are available as venues for social occasions. [2]

Contents

Overview and premises

Ground floor dining room The Glasgow Art Club 17 - ground floor dining space.jpg
Ground floor dining room

One of Glasgow and Scotland's most creative institutions, Glasgow Art Club was founded in 1867. Membership is open to ladies, gentlemen, students and corporate organisations. The club premises include function rooms, studios, library, dining room and Gallery. Extensive exhibitions and events are programmed each year. [3] It is based in Bath Street close to Blythswood Square.

History

Following initial discussions by artists William Dennistoun, {Sir} David Murray and friends at a tea room above a baker's shop in Candleriggs, Glasgow, on the proposal to form a club, the first formal meetings of the club were held at the Waverley Temperance Hotel, on Buchanan Street, Glasgow, with Dennistoun elected the club's first president. [4] Membership was to grow during the 1870s, with more artists joining and exhibitions being held and in 1875 the club moved to another hotel called the Waverley, this time one on the city's Sauchiehall Street. From there the club was to relocate to the Royal Hotel on the city's George Square, renting rooms for six months at a time, where life and sketching classes were held.

Membership of the club began to be extended beyond painters (in 1881 the pioneering photographer James Craig Annan was admitted as a ‘'photographic artist'’ [5] and in 1903 John M. Crawford (another former pupil of Hamilton Academy), Fellow of the Royal Institute of British Architects, became the first architect to be elected President of Glasgow Art Club.) [6]

In 1878 the club moved to rented premises at 62 Bothwell Street [4] and the need to raise funds led to a change in the club’s constitution and the admission in 1886 of male lay members with an interest in the arts (admission of women was not extended until 1982). [4] [7] With membership burgeoning new premises were rented at 151 Bath Street on Blythswood Hill, originally developed by William Harley in the early 19th century. [8] These formally opened on 12 November 1886 [9] but soon afterwards two adjacent townhouses at 185 Bath Street were purchased, these converted by the architect John Keppie, a member of the club, also creating an exhibition gallery in what were the back gardens of the houses. It has recently been confirmed that the young Charles Rennie Mackintosh was involved in the decorative details of the renovations and created a mural. [10] The club’l's new premises were formally opened on 14 June 1893 [11] [12] (in the same period the Glasgow Society of Lady Artists was formed, and came to be based nearby at Blythswood Square).

In 2011, the club undertook and completed a major programme of renovation of its historic category A Listed building on Bath Street. [13] including the restoration of the Gallery frieze designed by Charles Rennie Mackintosh, who assisted John Keppie and John Honeyman in the design of the Gallery saloon.

The club has a range of memberships for all ages. It first admitted women as members in 1984, electing its first female president, Efric McNeil, in 2015. [14]

In 2022, Westbourne Music moved their base for lunchtime mid-week concerts to the Club. [15]

Exhibitions and notable exhibitors

The ground floor gallery space features a frieze by Charles Rennie Mackintosh The Glasgow Art Club 02 - gallery space on ground floor.jpg
The ground floor gallery space features a frieze by Charles Rennie Mackintosh

The club’s stature in Glasgow was confirmed when on the occasion of the official opening by the Prince of Wales of the Glasgow International Exhibition of Science, Art and Industry in 1888, the Lord Provost of Glasgow presented the Prince and Princess of Wales with an album of paintings by members of the Glasgow Art Club. [16] In the succeeding years the club has played host to many events, including, on the evening of 28 October 1932 a dinner honouring Dr. Pittendrigh Macgillivray RSA, King’s Sculptor in Ordinary for Scotland a member of the Club for some fifty years, and club member James B. Anderson ARSA. [17]

Initially the Club’s exhibitions were open only to members, in later years admission extended also to the general public. In 2008 Glasgow Art Club exhibited the jewelled panel The White Rose and The Red Rose by Margaret Macdonald Mackintosh, wife of Charles Rennie Mackintosh, before its sale for £1.7 million at Christie's on 30 April 2008. [18] Since 2010 the club has opened its exhibition spaces and collections to the public on a regular basis (i.e. not just when specific exhibitions are being held.) [19]

Many notable member artists have exhibited at the club's exhibitions, including:

The club's Winter exhibition of 1909 included works by: Sir James Guthrie, E A Hornel, Muirhead Bone (Britain's first official War Artist, knighted 1937 [20] ) Sir David Murray RA [21]

The club's Spring exhibition of 1923 included works by: E A Hornel, Sir David Murray RA, James Kay [22]

The club's Memorial Exhibition of 1935 included works by: E A Walton, Sir James Guthrie, W Y Macgregor, James Paterson, Maurice William Greiffenhagen, Leslie Hunter, Stuart Park, E A Hornel [23]

The club's exhibition April 1939 included works by: Sir John Lavery (exhibiting his The Lake at Ranelagh,) and J W Ferguson, who submitted a portrait [24]

The Club also hosts touring exhibitions each year.

Notable members

Notable members include:

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Charles Rennie Mackintosh</span> Scottish architect and artist (1868–1928)

Charles Rennie Mackintosh was a Scottish architect, designer, water colourist and artist. His artistic approach had much in common with European Symbolism. His work, alongside that of his wife Margaret Macdonald, was influential on European design movements such as Art Nouveau and Secessionism and praised by great modernists such as Josef Hoffmann. Mackintosh was born in Glasgow and died in London. He is among the most important figures of Modern Style.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Glasgow School of Art</span> Fine arts school in Glasgow, Scotland

The Glasgow School of Art is a higher education art school based in Glasgow, Scotland, offering undergraduate degrees, post-graduate awards, and PhDs in architecture, fine art, and design.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hunterian Museum and Art Gallery</span> Museum in Glasgow, Scotland

The Hunterian is a complex of museums located in and operated by the University of Glasgow in Glasgow, Scotland. It is the oldest museum in Scotland. It covers the Hunterian Museum, the Hunterian Art Gallery, the Mackintosh House, the Zoology Museum and the Anatomy Museum, which are all located in various buildings on the main campus of the university in the west end of Glasgow.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">James Pittendrigh Macgillivray</span> Scottish sculptor (1856-1938)

James Pittendrigh MacGillivray was a Scottish sculptor. He was also a keen artist, musician and poet. He was born in Inverurie, Aberdeenshire, the son of a sculptor, and studied under William Brodie and John Mossman. His works include public statues of Robert Burns in Irvine, Lord Byron in Aberdeen, the 3rd Marquess of Bute in Cardiff, John Knox in Edinburgh's St Giles Cathedral, and William Ewart Gladstone in Coates Crescent Gardens, Edinburgh.

The Glasgow School was a circle of influential artists and designers that began to coalesce in Glasgow, Scotland in the 1870s, and flourished from the 1890s to around 1910. Representative groups included The Four, the Glasgow Girls and the Glasgow Boys. Part of the international Art Nouveau movement, they were responsible for creating the distinctive Glasgow Style.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">James Guthrie (artist)</span> Scottish painter (1859–1930)

Sir James Guthrie was a Scottish painter, associated with the Glasgow Boys. He is best known in his own lifetime for his portraiture, although today more generally regarded as a painter of Scottish Realism.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Muirhead Bone</span>

Sir Muirhead Bone was a Scottish etcher and watercolourist who became known for his depiction of industrial and architectural subjects and his work as a war artist in both the First and Second World Wars.

Blythswood Hill, crowned by Blythswood Square, is an area of central Glasgow, Scotland. Its grid of streets extend from the length of the west side of Buchanan Street to Gordon Street and Bothwell Street, and to Charing Cross, Sauchiehall Street and Garnethill. Developed from 1800 onwards, its Georgian and Victorian architecture is a Conservation Area. It started as the "Magnificent New Town of Blythswood", becoming a part of the city-centre's business and social life.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sauchiehall Street</span> Shopping street in Glasgow city centre

Sauchiehall Street became one of the main shopping streets in the city centre of Glasgow, Scotland, along with Buchanan Street and Argyle Street.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Allan Glen's School</span> Secondary school in Scotland

Allan Glen's School was, for most of its existence, a local authority, selective secondary school for boys in Glasgow, Scotland, charging nominal fees for tuition.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Edward Atkinson Hornel</span> Scottish painter (1864–1933)

Edward Atkinson Hornel was a Scottish painter of landscapes, flowers, and foliage, with children. He was a cousin of James Hornell. His contemporaries in the Glasgow Boys called him Ned Hornel.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">David Murray (painter)</span> Scottish landscape painter

Sir David Murray was a Scottish landscape painter.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Glasgow Society of Lady Artists</span>

The Glasgow Society of Lady Artists was founded in 1882 by eight female students of the Glasgow School of Art with the aim of affording due recognition to women in the field of art. It has been described by Jude Burkhauser as "the first residential club in Scotland run by and for women". In the early days of the club, they met at 136 Wellington Street, Glasgow.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">James Paterson (painter)</span> Scottish painter (1854–1932)

James Paterson PRSW RSA RWS, was a Scottish landscape and portrait painter associated with The Glasgow Boys movement of artists. He is best known for his landscape paintings of Dumfriesshire, where he lived, at Moniaive from 1885 to 1905.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">St. Vincent Street</span> Street in central Glasgow, Scotland, UK

St. Vincent Street, is one of the major streets in the city centre of Glasgow, Scotland. It was formed in the early 1800s as part of the residential New Town of Blythswood developed by William Harley of Blythswood Square. St. Vincent Street was named to commemorate the victory of Sir John Jervis, on 15 February 1797, off Cape Saint Vincent, Portugal. when the Royal Navy defeated the Spanish fleet which was on its way to join Napoleon's French fleet. The first part of the street, from George Square to Buchanan St, containing numbers up to 41, is named St Vincent Place.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">John Keppie</span> Scottish architect and artist (1862–1945)

John Keppie was a Glasgow architect and artist. From an early age he was a close friend of Edward Atkinson Hornel and would often bring in New Year with him in Kirkcudbright. Within the architectural profession, he was closest to John Archibald Campbell, and is credited with training Charles Rennie Mackintosh.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Stansmore Dean Stevenson</span> Scottish painter (1866–1944)

Stansmore Richmond Leslie Dean Stevenson was a Scottish artist known for her oil paintings. She was a member of a group of women artists and designers known as the Glasgow Girls.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">William Somerville Shanks</span> Scottish artist (1864–1951)

William Somerville Shanks ARSA, RSA, RSW was a Scottish artist who was a tutor in painting and drawing at the Glasgow School of Art for 29 years. His painting Tiddley Winks sold for £181,250 at Sotheby's in 2008, a record for the artist.

William Drummond Bone was a Scottish painter, born in Ayr. He won the Guthrie Award in 1939 with his work, the oil painting Leisure.

References

  1. ↑ https://www.oscr.org.uk/charityDocuments/signed-accs-oct-2022-redacted-56a3417e-842c-ee11-bdf4-002248c6f976.pdf
  2. ↑ https://glasgowartclub.co.uk/
  3. ↑ https://glasgowartclub.co.uk/
  4. 1 2 3 Glasgow Herald article 6 June 1893 Glasgow Art Club Retrieved 2011-08-17
  5. ↑ Article Sunday Herald 5 March 2006 Retrieved 2011-08-17
  6. 1 2 University of Strathclyde – Who’s Who in Glasgow 1909 Retrieved 2011-08-17
  7. ↑ Glasgow Herald article 27 March 1982 Club opens its doors to women after 100 years Retrieved 2011-08-17
  8. ↑ Glasgow's Blythswood by Graeme Smith, 2021, www.blythswoodsmith.co.uk
  9. ↑ Glasgow Herald article 13 November 1886 Glasgow Art Club Retrieved 2011-08-17
  10. ↑ The Herald, Glasgow, article 29 December 2009 Treasures of a city institution to be shared as art club opens its doors Retrieved 2011-08-17
  11. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Mapping the Practice and Profession of Sculpture in Britain & Ireland 1851-1951 Retrieved 2011-08-17
  12. ↑ Glasgow Art Club history Retrieved 2011-08-17
  13. ↑ The Herald Scotland article 5 March 2011 Bankers in the frame to help out historic art institution Retrieved 2011-08-17
  14. ↑ Custom byline text:  Phil Miller. "First woman elected president of illustrious art club". Herald Scotland. Retrieved 14 February 2015.
  15. ↑ https://www.westbournemusic.org/
  16. ↑ The Sydney Mail article 21 July 1888 The Glasgow Exhibition Retrieved 2011-08-17
  17. ↑ Glasgow Herald article 29 October 1932 Glasgow Art Club Two Members Honoured Retrieved 2011-08-17
  18. ↑ The Herald article 1 May 2008 Retrieved 2011-08-17
  19. ↑ The Herald Scotland article 29 December 2009 Retrieved 2011-08-17
  20. 1 2 First World War pictures, biography Sir Muirhead Bone Retrieved 2011-08-17
  21. ↑ Glasgow Herald article 4 December 1909 The Glasgow Art Club – Interesting Exhibition Retrieved 2011-08-17
  22. ↑ Glasgow Herald article 3 March 1923 Glasgow Art Club - a notable spring show Retrieved 2011-08-17
  23. ↑ Glasgow Herald article 9 April 1935 Glasgow Art Club – Memorial Exhibition Opened Retrieved 2011-08-17
  24. ↑ Glasgow Herald article 1 April 1939 Glasgow Art Club Annual Exhibition Retrieved 2011-08-17
  25. ↑ Glasgow Herald article 29 October 1932 Glasgow Art Club Two Members Honoured Retrieved 2011-09-04
  26. ↑ Article Sunday Herald 5 March 2006 Retrieved 0211-09-04
  27. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Glasgow Herald article 4 January 1943 Glasgow Art Club Exhibition Retrieved 2011-08-17
  28. ↑ "Muirhead Bone". britishmuseum.org. Retrieved 12 June 2020.
  29. ↑ Evening Times 29 July 1971 Retrieved 2011-08-17
  30. 1 2 Glasgow Herald article 1 April 1939 Glasgow Art Club Annual Exhibition Retrieved 2011-09-04
  31. ↑ The Alexander Goudie Trust - Biographical Notes
  32. 1 2 3 4 Glasgow Herald article 9 April 1935 Glasgow Art Club – Memorial Exhibition Opened Retrieved 2011-09-04
  33. 1 2 Glasgow Herald article 4 December 1909 The Glasgow Art Club – Interesting Exhibition Retrieved 2011-09-04
  34. ↑ Glasgow Herald article 9 April 1935 ‘’Glasgow Art Club – Memorial Exhibition Opened’’ Retrieved 2011-09-04
  35. ↑ Glasgow Herald article 3 March 1923 Glasgow Art Club - a notable spring show Retrieved 2011-09-04
  36. ↑ Glasgow Arts Club Retrieved 2011-09-04
  37. ↑ On-line biography, John McGhie 1868 – 1952 Retrieved 2011-08-17
  38. ↑ On-line biography Retrieved 2011-08-17
  39. ↑ The Herald article 21 March 1929 New ARSAs Retrieved 2011-08-17

Additional sources

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.