Glasgow Art Club

The Glasgow Art Club is an association of Scottish artists and art enthusiasts. It was founded in 1867 and is based at 185 Bath Street in Glasgow . The club has its own studios , galleries and conference rooms there and regularly hosts art exhibitions , concerts and dinner parties.

history

The Glasgow Art Club was founded in 1867 by William Dennistoun, a young amateur artist. Because of his poor health, Dennistoun was forced to leave Glasgow and seek relief in the country. His friends, who visited him regularly at his cottage in Kilpatrick , suggested that they set up an arts club. Dennistoun held introductory discussions with about 10 other amateur artists in a tea room above a bakery. The inaugural session was held at the Waverley Temperance Hotel on Buchanan Street. At their monthly meetings, all members brought paintings, mostly watercolors , on which others commented and criticized. Of course, there were occasional tangible arguments.

In the 1870s, the number of members grew steadily, so that professional artists also asked to join the club. Requests from some of the young artists who would later become known as the Glasgow Boys were initially rejected. These included James Guthrie , Edward Arthur Walton , William York MacGregor and James Paterson . The space constraints at the Waverley Temperance Hotel became so apparent that in 1875 the club moved to the Sauchiehall Street Hotel , also known as The Waverly , where larger events could now be held.

At the end of the 1870s it became necessary to find permanent premises for the club's activities. In 1878 rooms were rented in 62 Bothwell Circus. Paying the rent and buying the furniture had become possible because the club had made enough money from selling pictures in recent years. The high fixed costs forced the club to constantly gain new members, including the initially rejected Glasgow Boys. In the mid-1880s, a group of influential members around James Guthrie even managed to get amateurs interested in art to join the club. However, it was not until 1983 that women could join the club.

In the late 1880s the club moved again, this time to 151 Bath Street. The rapidly growing number of members made it necessary to buy their own rooms. As a result, the club bought two adjoining townhouses on Bath Street in the early 1890s. John Keppie , a member of the club, was entrusted with organizing the move. He also set up a gallery in the small backyard gardens of the buildings. According to the latest findings, the young Charles Rennie Mackintosh helped with the decorating of the gallery. Numerous dinners, dances, concerts, lectures and, last but not least, exhibitions were held in the rooms in the following decades.

Glasgow Art Club

contents

history

Significant members

literature

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