In years gone by these were words guaranteed to send a pulse of excitement through the veins of any artist who might wish for their work to be more widely seen and appreciated, and of art lovers eager to follow the latest styles, trends and ideas in the visual arts.
The London Group Open shows of the 1950’s and 60’s were events at which many later luminaries of British art took their early formative steps on the public stage. They provided a unique platform on which work by emerging artists could be viewed alongside that of the more established community of London Group members. Indeed, some of those external exhibitors would themselves later be elected to membership of the Group. The shows continued to be eagerly anticipated and followed in the ensuing decades.
In the 1990’s, however, the combined pressure of financial constraints and a diminishing range of suitable, affordable London venues for large mixed shows such as the Open made it no longer feasible for The London Group to mount such exhibitions.
Gratifyingly, this hiatus ended in 2007 when the Group took the decision to re-establish the Open exhibition at the Menier Gallery. This brave move was greeted with acclaim from both the artistic and critical communities, as by then there were all too few opportunities for artists to exhibit work in open submission shows in central London.
The decision proved to be more than justified. Almost 500 submissions were received, from which 60 were selected to show with a similar number from Group members.
The hope was that the Open exhibition could be made, once again, a regular biennial event and its success in 2007 was such that the Group felt that its repetition in 2009 would be more than justified. Indeed, thoughts are even now being turned towards planning for the Open in 2013, which will mark the centenary of the Group’s formation in 1913.
Ray Atkins, a member of The London Group since 1978, wrote these words when he recently, and regretfully, retired from the Group:
“I was proud when still a student to show alongside Bomberg, Matthew Smith and other considerable artists and later, when elected, always felt I was part of something very special. The full size London Group shows always had a sense of occasion”
These sentiments will be endorsed by all who have participated in or seen a London Group Open, and the event now being planned for 2009 promises to deliver a punch as strong as any that have gone before.
