A Brief History

THE LAKE ARTISTS’ SOCIETY was founded in 1904 largely on the initiative of W. G. Collingwood, the well known artist, local historian and secretary to John Ruskin, to promote the work of its members.

Members in the early years included Cuthbert Rigby, Fred Yates, Arthur and Fred Tucker and Hubert Coutts (Tucker), who was the first President. Invited exhibitors have included Frank Bramley, Sir William Russell Flint and Julius Olsson.

The first exhibition was in Coniston in 1905, and exhibitions have been staged every year since then, except for four years during the Second World War. Initially the exhibitions were in various centres, but later at the New Hall in Grasmere which is now the regular venue. The Summer Exhibition has become an established event in Cumbria, attracting over 10,000 visitors each year.

Many societies disappear when the enthusiasm of their founder members is not matched by their successors. However, the Lake Artists Society has not only survived through a century of many cultural and artistic changes, wars and economic crises, but has grown from strength to strength, continuing to present an annual exhibition which is recognised and enjoyed as of great importance in the artistic life of the North of England.

The early exhibitions were devoted almost exclusively to Lakeland landscapes. The first president, Hubert Courts, asserted that “…visitors to the Exhibition naturally looked for some relation between the choice of subjects and the name of the Society and if members would bear this in mind it might tend towards success”. Landscape remains a particular strength, but the exhibitions now include a wide range of subject matter and a variety of personal expression using many different mediums.

Members have come from many walks of life, including a secretary of Ruskin and a mountaineer who climbed on Everest with Mallory and Irvine. In the early years the exhibitions consisted of work only by members and other notable invited artists. This practice gave way gradually to the open exhibition of today to which anyone resident in Cumbria may submit work. Membership is limited to 45 and high standards are maintained through careful selection of works and a rigorous procedure for the election of new members.

The centenary of the Lake Artists Society in 2004 represented a rare achievement: the success and popularity of an arts organisation which has remained entirely independent of funding or sponsorship and completely self-sufficient. The book The Lake Artists’ Society – A Centenary Celebration is a tribute to all members past and present, whose work has enriched the culture of the Lake District and given pleasure to many thousands.
Copies are available at the Summer Exhibition