New Contemporaries

Last updated

New Contemporaries is an organisation in the UK that works to support emerging artists at the beginning of their careers by introducing them to the visual arts sector and to the public through a variety of platforms, including an annual exhibition. Artists, whether still studying or having recently graduated, are given opportunities to make contacts and gain professional experience outside of their educational institutions. For the annual exhibition, artists are invited to submit a portfolio of work, from which a selection is made by a panel of judges. The selection is made by artists and writers, and often the selector will have previously been exhibited in a New Contemporaries show.

Contents

Founded in 1949 as the "Young Contemporaries", the exhibition has run annually as a means to provide an impartial and democratic stepping stone from arts education to the professional art sector. Established hierarchies that might otherwise become set within the art school system are able to be assessed without bias through the anonymous selection process.

Selectors have in the past included Ryan Gander (2013), Rosalind Nashashibi (2012), Pablo Bronstein (2011), Michael Landy (2007), Angus Fairhurst (2006), Jane and Louise Wilson (2005), Tacita Dean (2004), Rebecca Warren (2003), Sarah Lucas (2002), Chris Ofili (2001), Gavin Turk (2000) and Susan Hiller (1999).

An annual exhibition for the final selection of New Contemporaries is staged in a leading UK arts venue; New Contemporaries has exhibited as part of the Liverpool Biennial since its launch in 1999. The importance of regional impartiality is recognised in the anonymity of the contributor's school, age, and nationality during the selection process and by the annual exhibition having no fixed location. A catalogue is printed to accompany the exhibition each year.

Background

1949–1970

The first annual exhibition, initiated by Carel Weight for the British Society of Artists Galleries, was established in 1949 and known as 'Young Contemporaries'. In the foreword to the 1949 exhibition catalogue, Philip Hendy, then Director of the National Gallery, wrote of his "hope that it is only the first of many. That it may grown into an annual event." [1] The early exhibition gathered much critical and audience attention. Howard Hodgkin recollected that “the most memorable event at the opening of the first show was the speech made by Philip Hendy. With extraordinary generosity and frankness and somehow with a lot of sympathy as well, he compared what he felt to be the bleak but possible heroic fate awaiting us when we left Art School to the cosy, hierarchical life of an Art Historian.” [2]

From 1949 until 1969, the contributors were selected by artists and art specialists, but then in 1969 and 1970 students controlled selection themselves. Notable artists who participated in these early exhibitions include Eduardo Paolozzi (1958), Dorothy Mead (1959, the first woman president and later the first woman president of the London Group), David Hockney (1960), Patrick Caulfield (1961), Ray Atkins (1964), Robyn Denny (1964), Keith Milow (1967), Derek Jarman (1967) and Gerard Hemsworth (1967). Andrew Lambirth wrote in 1986 that “it wasn't until 1969 that the year that the colour cover of the catalogue looked like an Alpine Advertisement for poster paint – that the students decided to take over selection themselves. This controversial move was the logical if belated reaction to establishment colonization of the YC. Wasn't the whot supposed to be for the students, by the students?” [3] The 1970 exhibition, held at the Royal Academy, caused great controversy with one of the events nearly setting fire to the Royal Academy. Other sources claim funding was withdrawn because the organisation had dissolved into strife between college factions. [4] The exhibition was not staged again until 1974.

1974–1986

In 1973, tutors from some London colleges - including Gillian Ayres, Paul Huxley and William Tucker – grouped together to restore the exhibition. They took a year to draw up a new constitution, arrange a willing venue, and organise the selection process. Taking place at the Camden Arts Centre in 1974, the exhibition was renamed New Contemporaries.

The Guardian reviewed the 1975 show as being “low on razzmatazz and high on endeavour”. William Tucker wrote in the catalogue introduction that “the successful student these days is likely to be persuaded that is he an artist. Nothing could be further from the truth. What the NC should do is enable students, for a moment at last as artists, to take public responsibility for what that have made – absolutely... This is not an exhibition of protest, but could become the opportunity for commitment. It is the harder role.” [5]

The 1976 exhibition was staged at the Acme Gallery, 43 Shelton Street, Covent Garden

Poster for the exhibition NEW Contemporaries LIVE SHOW - Poster at Acme Gallery 1978.jpg
Poster for the exhibition

and included a programmes of Live Art,(May 31 until June 5), from Jeremy Diggle, Terry Duffy, Marty St James, Charlie Process, Elaine Shemilt, et al.

Scan of typewritten document showing a running order of live performances at Acme Gallery LiveShowRunning Order.jpg
Scan of typewritten document showing a running order of live performances at Acme Gallery

From 1978, the exhibition had an established exhibition venue in the Institute of Contemporary Arts (ICA) and a Permanent Committee supported the exhibition management until 1983. The selection of contributors was made by panels of students, divided between the specialisms of painting, sculpture, and performance/film. However, the students soon began to realise that the current format for the exhibition was unsustainable, and many organisers were left with personal debt. In one interesting movement toward complete democratisation, the 1981 committee “in order to encourage a larger entry of works” asked for all submissions to be made in the form of slides and then created a slideshow that could be arranged at will “to give a more complete idea of what is going on in art colleges at the moment.” The final exhibition in this student-led format was staged in 1986 with a catalogue which contained a historical introduction (and post-script), to the exhibition by Andrew Lambirth, New Contemporaries Past and Present. [6] This essay also includes a number of published letters from previous contributors such as RB Kitaj, Bert Irvin, Michael Sandle, Richard Wentworth, and Derek Jarman. Artists who participated in the exhibition during this period include Helen Chadwick, Anish Kapoor (both 1977), Antony Gormley (1978), Mark Wallinger (1981), Peter Doig (1982), Dexter Dalwood (1983), and Catherine Yass (1984).

1988–present

In 1987, the Arts Council of Great Britain commissioned a feasibility report on New Contemporaries to look into the future viability of the exhibition. Published by Richard Shone, who has since become the Chair of a Volunteer Board of Directors, the report proposed a new structure and constitution for the organisation. For the first time, the exhibition was made independent from the art colleges, and supported by professional administration, inviting a panel of selectors each year to pick contributors. The exhibition was relaunched at the ICA in 1989 and toured to four regional centres. From 1989-1994, the exhibition was sponsored by British Telecom and since 2000 has been sponsored by Bloomberg. In 1996, the exhibition was invited to become an component of the Liverpool Biennial of Contemporary Art and has since been staged in the city every two years. New Contemporaries is also supported by the Arts Council England. During this recent period participants have included Damien Hirst, Glen Brown (both 1989), Simon Starling (1994), Natalie Finnemore (2012) and Hardeep Pandhal (2013).

In 2020, due to the Covid-19 pandemic, and the impact it had on the arts, New Contemporaries staged an online platform, selected by artists Alexandre da Cunha, Anthea Hamilton and Linder. [7]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Slade School of Fine Art</span> Art school of University College London, England

The UCL Slade School of Fine Art is the art school of University College London (UCL) and is based in London, England. It has been ranked as the UK's top art and design educational institution. The school is organised as a department of UCL's Faculty of Arts and Humanities.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Whitechapel Gallery</span> Art gallery in London

The Whitechapel Gallery is a public art gallery in Whitechapel on the north side of Whitechapel High Street, in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets. The original building, designed by Charles Harrison Townsend, opened in 1901 as one of the first publicly funded galleries for temporary exhibitions in London. The building is a notable example of the British Modern Style. In 2009 the gallery approximately doubled in size by incorporating the adjacent former Passmore Edwards library building. It exhibits the work of contemporary artists and organizes retrospective exhibitions and other art shows.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bryan Robertson</span> British art curator

Bryan Robertson OBE was an English curator and arts manager described by Studio International as "the greatest Director the Tate Gallery never had".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">David Inshaw</span>

David Inshaw is a British artist who sprang to public attention in 1973 when his painting The Badminton Game was exhibited at the ICA Summer Studio exhibition in London. The painting was subsequently acquired by the Tate Gallery and is one of several paintings from the 1970s that won him critical acclaim and a wide audience. Others include The Raven, Our days were a joy and our paths through flowers, She did not turn, The Cricket Game, Presentiment and The River Bank (Ophelia).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Marcia Tucker</span> American art historian, critic and curator (1940–2006)

Marcia Tucker was an American art historian, art critic and curator. In 1977 she founded the New Museum of Contemporary Art, a museum dedicated to innovative art and artistic practice in New York City, which she ran as the director until 1999.

Janine Burke is an Australian author, art historian, biographer, novelist and photographer. She also curates exhibitions of historical and contemporary art. She is Honorary Senior Fellow, Faculty of Fine Arts and Music, University of Melbourne. She was born in Melbourne in 1952.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Iwona Blazwick</span> British art critic

Iwona Maria Blazwick OBE is a British art critic and lecturer. She is currently the Chair of the Royal Commission for Al-'Ula’s Public Art Expert Panel. She was the Director of the Whitechapel Art Gallery in London from 2001 to 2022. She discovered Damien Hirst and staged his first solo show at a public London art gallery, Institute of Contemporary Arts in 1992. She supports the careers of young artists.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">William G. Tucker</span> British sculptor

William G. Tucker is a modernist British sculptor and modern art scholar.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">John Hoyland</span> English painter (1934–2011)

John Hoyland RA was a London-based British artist. He was one of the country's leading abstract painters.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Robert Bevan</span> British painter

Robert Polhill Bevan was a British painter, draughtsman and lithographer who was married to the Polish-born artist Stanisława de Karłowska. He was a founding member of the Camden Town Group, the London Group, and the Cumberland Market Group.

Victor Arthur James Willing was a British painter, noted for his original nude studies. He was a friend and colleague of many notable artists, including Elisabeth Frink, Michael Andrews and Francis Bacon. He was married to Portuguese feminist artist Paula Rego.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Keith Milow</span> British artist (born 1945)

Keith Milow is a British artist. He grew up in Baldock, Hertfordshire, and lived in New York City (1980–2002) and Amsterdam (2002–2014), now lives in London. He is an abstract sculptor, painter and printmaker. His work has been characterised as architectural, monumental, procedural, enigmatic and poetical.

Timothy Hyman is a British figurative painter, art writer and curator. He has published monographs on both Sienese Painting and on Pierre Bonnard, as well as most recently The World New Made: Figurative Painting in the Twentieth Century. He has written extensively on art and film, has been a regular contributor to The Times Literary Supplement (TLS) and has curated exhibitions at the Tate, Institute of Contemporary Arts and Hayward galleries. Hyman is a portraitist, but is best known for his narrative renditions of London. Drawing inspiration from artists such as Max Beckmann and Bonnard, as well as Lorenzetti and Brueghel, he explores his personal relationship, both real and mythological, with the city where he lives and works. He employs vivid colours, shifting scale and perspectives, to create visionary works. He was elected an RA in 2011.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Charles Hadcock</span> British sculptor (born 1965)

Charles William George Hadcock is a British sculptor known for his monumental sculptures that incorporate elements of geology, engineering, and mathematics. Hadcock's work also draws inspiration from music, philosophy, and poetry. He is a Deputy Lieutenant of Lancashire.

Christopher Bramham is a painter from Britain.

Ken Kiff, was an English figurative artist, who was born in Dagenham and trained at Hornsey School of Art 1955-61. He came to prominence in the 1980s thanks to the championship of art critic Norbert Lynton, and a cultural climate intent on re-assessing figurative art following the Royal Academy's ‘New Spirit in Painting’ exhibition in 1981. He started exhibiting at Nicola Jacob's gallery, moved to Fischer Fine Art in 1987, and finally to the Marlborough Gallery in 1990, by which time he had begun exhibiting internationally and had work in major public collections. He was elected to the Royal Academy of Arts in 1991 and became Associate Artist at the National Gallery 1991–93. His 30-year teaching career at Chelsea School of Art and the Royal College influenced a generation of students.

The Lynn Painter-Stainers Prize is an annual art award, intended to encourage creative representational painting and draughtsmanship. It gives out prizes totalling £25,000. The prize originated in London in 2005, with a collaboration between the Worshipful Company of Painter-Stainers and the Lynn Foundation. The final exhibition has been held at the Mall Galleries, London, since 2012.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ivor Abrahams</span>

Ivor Abrahams was a British sculptor, ceramicist and print maker best known for his polychrome sculptures and his stylised prints of garden scenes. His career long exploration of new subject matter, novel techniques and materials made his art dealer, James Mayor, describe him as Europe's equivalent of Robert Rauschenberg.

Alexandra Sophia Handal is a Haiti-born Palestinian artist, filmmaker and essayist. Handal has been Based in Europe since 2004, but spends extended periods of time in Palestine. After living for ten years in London, Handal moved for a time to Amsterdam, the Netherlands, before residing in Berlin, Germany with her family, where she has established her studio.

Lynda Morris is a British curator who has worked with numerous significant artists including Richard Hamilton and Gilbert and George and given several internationally-renowned artists, such as Agnes Martin, Bernd and Hilla Becher and Gerhard Richter, their first exhibitions in the United Kingdom. Morris has made a significant contribution to the development of contemporary art in the UK through her commitment to supporting emerging artists and through the organisation of EASTinternational, an annual open submission exhibition that took place in Norwich from 1991–2009. Morris is emeritus professor of curation and art history at Norwich University of the Arts.

References

  1. James, Phillip Bruton (1949). Young contemporaries 1949. London: Arts Council of Great Britain. p. 1.
  2. Hodgkin, Howard (1986). New Contemporaries Past and Present. London: Arts Council of Great Britain. p. 1.
  3. Lambirth, Andrew (1986). New Contemporaries Past and Present. London: Arts Council of Great Britain. pp. 10–11.
  4. Lambirth (1986). New Contemporaries Past and Present. p. 16.
  5. Tucker, William (1975). New Contemporaries 1975. London: Camden Arts Centre. pp. 1–2.
  6. Lambirth (1986). New Contemporaries Past and Present.
  7. "Bloomberg New Contemporaries 2020 Digital Platform". New Contemporaries. Retrieved 2021-01-29.