Royal Glasgow Institute of the Fine Arts
Encyclopedia
The Royal Glasgow Institute of the Fine Arts (RGI) is an independent organisation in Glasgow
, founded in 1861, which promotes contemporary art
and artists in Scotland
. It is the third largest organization of its kind in the United Kingdom. The Institute organizes the largest and most prestigious annual art exhibition
in Scotland - open to all artists and with some 17 awards of cash prizes on offer.
and C N Woolworth - met to discuss the establishment of an annual Art exhibition of the works of contemporary artists.
The Glasgow Institute of the Fine Arts was duly founded and the first exhibition took place that very same year at the (hired) Corporation Galleries (now the McLellan Galleries) in Sauchiehall Street
. It was an artistic and popular success, attracting nearly 40,000 visitors, though financially it made only a small profit. Subsequent exhibitions achieved similar success: Over 45,000 visited the second exhibition, 53,000 the third and the numbers of visitors increased steadily over the next twenty years.
The Institute continued to exhibit at the Corporation galleries until 1879 when it opened its own Gallery in Sauchiehall Street - designed by architect J J Burnet.
The governing body (council) of the Institute decided that it should open its reach to encompass not only local artists but also the best in modern painting from the whole of Britain and beyond. Paintings were loaned from local collections and agents sent out to London to acquire new pictures. By the 1880s, some of the most famous English artists of the day were regularly shown at the Institute's annual exhibition. Notable French and Dutch artists also featured, either on loan or contributed for sale.
By 1880, the Institute had become an influential and well-established venue on the British art exhibition circuit. It helped to inspire the group of painters known as the Glasgow boys
who in turn helped steer the Institute towards more avant-garde painting. From this period up until the outbreak of World War I
, in Britain the Institute was second only to the Royal Academy
in the diversity of work on show.
In 1896 it received a royal statute
and could now call itself the Royal Glasgow Institute of the Fine Arts.
However, the financial cost of running its own gallery proved to be too much of a burden and the Institute was forced to sell its premises and revert to hiring exhibition space from the Corporation again at the McLellan galleries.
(RA), George Henry
(RA), David Gauld, Stuart Park, James Guthrie
, Edward Arthur Walton
, Edward Atkinson Hornel
etc., but also younger artist such as Samuel Peploe
, Leslie Hunter
and Francis Cadell
who had connections with the art of pre-war Paris and the paintings of Matisse and Picasso.
After the war, French art was rarely seen in the Institute's exhibitions and avant-garde work from the South was not so much in evidence. Now seen as part of the art establishment, the Institute (like other established art bodies) found it harder to attract work by younger artists, and adopted a more conservative stance which lasted until the 1950s.
Since the 1950s a considerable effort has been expended to rekindle the original spirit of the Institute. A new gallery, The Kelly Gallery, was opened in 1965 offering exhibitions throughout the year, lectures and demonstrations. The Institute continues to show and promote a wide range of contemporary art from the west of Scotland and beyond.
Glasgow
Glasgow is the largest city in Scotland and third most populous in the United Kingdom. The city is situated on the River Clyde in the country's west central lowlands...
, founded in 1861, which promotes contemporary art
Contemporary art
Contemporary art can be defined variously as art produced at this present point in time or art produced since World War II. The definition of the word contemporary would support the first view, but museums of contemporary art commonly define their collections as consisting of art produced...
and artists in Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
. It is the third largest organization of its kind in the United Kingdom. The Institute organizes the largest and most prestigious annual art exhibition
Art exhibition
Art exhibitions are traditionally the space in which art objects meet an audience. The exhibit is universally understood to be for some temporary period unless, as is rarely true, it is stated to be a "permanent exhibition". In American English, they may be called "exhibit", "exposition" or...
in Scotland - open to all artists and with some 17 awards of cash prizes on offer.
History
Early days
By the middle of the 19th century, Glasgow had become the most important center for trade and industry in Scotland. The city had numerous theatres, concert halls and libraries, but no regular exhibitions for the works of contemporary painters and sculptors. From the 1780s onwards, various organizations had unsuccessfully tried the to fill this gap but failed through lack of finance or direction. In 1861 a group of Glasgow's prominent citizens - including the artists John Graham, John MossmanJohn Mossman
John Mossman was one of a number of English sculptors who dominated the production and teaching of sculpture in Glasgow for 50 years after his arrival with his father and brothers from his native London in 1828...
and C N Woolworth - met to discuss the establishment of an annual Art exhibition of the works of contemporary artists.
The Glasgow Institute of the Fine Arts was duly founded and the first exhibition took place that very same year at the (hired) Corporation Galleries (now the McLellan Galleries) in Sauchiehall Street
Sauchiehall Street
Sauchiehall Street is one of the main shopping/business streets in the city centre of Glasgow, Scotland. Along with Buchanan Street and Argyle Street, it forms the main shopping area of Glasgow, containing the majority of Glasgow's high street and chain stores.Although commonly associated with the...
. It was an artistic and popular success, attracting nearly 40,000 visitors, though financially it made only a small profit. Subsequent exhibitions achieved similar success: Over 45,000 visited the second exhibition, 53,000 the third and the numbers of visitors increased steadily over the next twenty years.
The Institute continued to exhibit at the Corporation galleries until 1879 when it opened its own Gallery in Sauchiehall Street - designed by architect J J Burnet.
The governing body (council) of the Institute decided that it should open its reach to encompass not only local artists but also the best in modern painting from the whole of Britain and beyond. Paintings were loaned from local collections and agents sent out to London to acquire new pictures. By the 1880s, some of the most famous English artists of the day were regularly shown at the Institute's annual exhibition. Notable French and Dutch artists also featured, either on loan or contributed for sale.
By 1880, the Institute had become an influential and well-established venue on the British art exhibition circuit. It helped to inspire the group of painters known as the Glasgow boys
Glasgow School
The Glasgow School was a circle of influential modern artists and designers who began to coalesce in Glasgow, Scotland in the 1870s, and flourished from the 1890s to sometime around 1910. Representative groups were: The Four , the Glasgow Girls and the Glasgow Boys...
who in turn helped steer the Institute towards more avant-garde painting. From this period up until the outbreak of World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
, in Britain the Institute was second only to the Royal Academy
Royal Academy
The Royal Academy of Arts is an art institution based in Burlington House on Piccadilly, London. The Royal Academy of Arts has a unique position in being an independent, privately funded institution led by eminent artists and architects whose purpose is to promote the creation, enjoyment and...
in the diversity of work on show.
In 1896 it received a royal statute
Royal Charter
A royal charter is a formal document issued by a monarch as letters patent, granting a right or power to an individual or a body corporate. They were, and are still, used to establish significant organizations such as cities or universities. Charters should be distinguished from warrants and...
and could now call itself the Royal Glasgow Institute of the Fine Arts.
However, the financial cost of running its own gallery proved to be too much of a burden and the Institute was forced to sell its premises and revert to hiring exhibition space from the Corporation again at the McLellan galleries.
World War I to the present day
The Institute's exhibition program continued despite the outbreak of war in 1914. It continued to attract painters from the south: both the older established "Glasgow boys" such as Sir John LaveryJohn Lavery
Sir John Lavery was an Irish painter best known for his portraits.Belfast-born John Lavery attended the Haldane Academy, in Glasgow, in the 1870s and the Académie Julian in Paris in the early 1880s. He returned to Glasgow and was associated with the Glasgow School...
(RA), George Henry
George Henry (painter)
George Henry was a Scottish painter, one of the most prominent of the Glasgow School. He was born in Irvine, North Ayrshire, and studied at the Glasgow School of Art, later in Macgregor's studio, but learned most from his nature studies at Kirkcudbright.He was influenced also by his collaboration...
(RA), David Gauld, Stuart Park, James Guthrie
James Guthrie (artist)
Sir James Guthrie was a Scottish painter, best known in his own lifetime for his portraiture, although today more generally regarded as a painter of Scottish Realism.-Life and work:...
, Edward Arthur Walton
Edward Arthur Walton
Edward Arthur Walton was a Scottish painter of landscapes and portraits. Edward was one of twelve children of Jackson Walton, a Manchester commission agent and a competent painter and photographer...
, Edward Atkinson Hornel
Edward Atkinson Hornel
Edward Atkinson Hornel was a Scottish painter of landscapes, flowers, and foliage, with children. He was a cousin of James Hornell....
etc., but also younger artist such as Samuel Peploe
Samuel Peploe
Samuel John Peploe was a Scottish Post-Impressionist painter, noted for his still life works and for being one of the group of four painters that became known as the Scottish Colourists...
, Leslie Hunter
Leslie Hunter
George Leslie Hunter , commonly just called Leslie Hunter, was a self-taught Scottish painter and one of the artists of the Scottish Colourists school of painting. He spent much of his early life in California, USA, but returned later to Scotland and traveled widely in Europe, especially in the...
and Francis Cadell
Francis Cadell (artist)
Francis Campbell Boileau Cadell RSA was a Scottish Colourist painter, renowned for his depictions of the elegant New Town interiors of his native Edinburgh, and for his work on Iona....
who had connections with the art of pre-war Paris and the paintings of Matisse and Picasso.
After the war, French art was rarely seen in the Institute's exhibitions and avant-garde work from the South was not so much in evidence. Now seen as part of the art establishment, the Institute (like other established art bodies) found it harder to attract work by younger artists, and adopted a more conservative stance which lasted until the 1950s.
Since the 1950s a considerable effort has been expended to rekindle the original spirit of the Institute. A new gallery, The Kelly Gallery, was opened in 1965 offering exhibitions throughout the year, lectures and demonstrations. The Institute continues to show and promote a wide range of contemporary art from the west of Scotland and beyond.
Important exhibitors
- Jules Bastien Lepage
- Dorothy BrettDorothy BrettDorothy Brett British-American painter, remembered as much for her social life as for her art. Born into an aristocratic British family she associated with such notables and Virginia Woolf, John Huxley, Gilbert Cannan, and George Bernard Shaw. Her sister Sylvia became Ranee of Sarawak.In 1924...
- Edward Burne Jones
- Francis CadellFrancis Cadell (artist)Francis Campbell Boileau Cadell RSA was a Scottish Colourist painter, renowned for his depictions of the elegant New Town interiors of his native Edinburgh, and for his work on Iona....
- Léon Comerre
- John ConstableJohn ConstableJohn Constable was an English Romantic painter. Born in Suffolk, he is known principally for his landscape paintings of Dedham Vale, the area surrounding his home—now known as "Constable Country"—which he invested with an intensity of affection...
- Thomas Millie DowThomas Millie DowThomas Millie Dow was a Scottish artist, a member of the Glasgow Boys school. He was a member of The Royal Scottish Society of Painters in Watercolour and the New English Art Club....
- Norah Neilson GrayNorah Neilson GrayNorah Neilson Gray was a British artist of the Glasgow School. She was a member of The Glasgow Girls whose paintings were exhibited in Kirkcudbright in July and August 2010.-Biography:...
- George Henry
- William Holman HuntWilliam Holman HuntWilliam Holman Hunt OM was an English painter, and one of the founders of the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood.-Biography:...
- George HunterGeorge HunterGeorge Hunter may refer to:* George Hunter , Canadian journalistic photographer* George Hunter , businessman and philanthropist who made his fortune bottling Coca-Cola* George Hunter...
- John LaveryJohn LaverySir John Lavery was an Irish painter best known for his portraits.Belfast-born John Lavery attended the Haldane Academy, in Glasgow, in the 1870s and the Académie Julian in Paris in the early 1880s. He returned to Glasgow and was associated with the Glasgow School...
- Frederic Leighton
- Frances MacDonaldFrances MacDonaldFrances MacDonald was a Scottish artist whose design work was a prominent feature of the "Glasgow Style" during the 1890s.The sister of better known artist Margaret MacDonald, she was born near at Tipton, near Wolverhampton, and moved to Glasgow with her family in 1890...
- Margaret MacDonaldMargaret MacDonald (artist)Margaret MacDonald Mackintosh was a Scottish artist whose design work became one of the defining features of the "Glasgow Style" during the 1890s....
- Bessie MacNicol
- Alexander MannAlexander MannAlexander Mann was a Scottish landscape and genre painter. He was a member of New English Art Club and Royal Institute of Oil Painters.-Biography:Alexander Mann was born in Glasgow, Scotland on January 22, 1853...
- John Everett MillaisJohn Everett MillaisSir John Everett Millais, 1st Baronet, PRA was an English painter and illustrator and one of the founders of the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood.-Early life:...
- Albert Joseph MooreAlbert Joseph MooreAlbert Joseph Moore was an English painter, known for his depictions of langorous female figures set against the luxury and decadence of the classical world....
- Samuel PeploeSamuel PeploeSamuel John Peploe was a Scottish Post-Impressionist painter, noted for his still life works and for being one of the group of four painters that became known as the Scottish Colourists...
- Edward PoynterEdward PoynterSir Edward John Poynter, 1st Baronet, PRA was an English painter, designer, and draughtsman who served as President of the Royal Academy.-Life:...
- Alexander Roche
- John Singer SargentJohn Singer SargentJohn Singer Sargent was an American artist, considered the "leading portrait painter of his generation" for his evocations of Edwardian era luxury. During his career, he created roughly 900 oil paintings and more than 2,000 watercolors, as well as countless sketches and charcoal drawings...
- William TurnerWilliam TurnerWilliam Turner MA was an English divine and reformer, a physician and a natural historian. He studied medicine in Italy, and was a friend of the great Swiss naturalist, Conrad Gessner...
, - George Frederic WattsGeorge Frederic WattsGeorge Frederic Watts, OM was a popular English Victorian painter and sculptor associated with the Symbolist movement. Watts became famous in his lifetime for his allegorical works, such as Hope and Love and Life...
- James McNeill WhistlerJames McNeill WhistlerJames Abbott McNeill Whistler was an American-born, British-based artist. Averse to sentimentality and moral allusion in painting, he was a leading proponent of the credo "art for art's sake". His famous signature for his paintings was in the shape of a stylized butterfly possessing a long stinger...
Further reading
- Roger Billcliffe: The Royal Glasgow Institute of the Fine Arts, 1861-1989: A Dictionary of Exhibitors at the Annual Exhibitions, (Woodend Press, 1990). ISBN 978-0951594506.