Contemporary Art Society Annual Report 1968-69
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Front Cover: Bridget Riley - Untitled Screenprint 1965 (acquired 1966) Chairman's Report 27 June 1969 Patron My report which I have pleasure in guinea. As you will know the new rate presenting covers the Society's activities Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother of two guineas was introduced in 1963 from June last year until today. Mr. and is modest enough. I must appeal Peter Meyer our Treasurer will cover Executive Committee to anyone who has not already done the Society's financial year which ended so to put things right as soon as Whitney Straight CBE MC DFC Chairman in December 1968 in his speech which possible because we badly need the Anthony Lousada Vice-Chairman follows mine. Peter Meyer Honorary Treasurer money in order to maintain, and if The Hon John Sainsbury Honorary Secretary The buyers for 1968, Michael Astor, possible expand our buying programme. G. L. Conran Norman Reid and myself, spent just When we arranged the presentation to The Hon Michael Astor (until June 1968) under £4,000 and acquired between us the Nation of Henry Moore's magnificent The Lord Croft (until June 1968) 22 works. This year the Buyers are sculpture it was also our intention to Alan Bowness David Sylvester and David Thompson. acquire for subsequent presentation a James Melvin We were very sorry to lose Lord Croft, work by one of the younger generation. Dr Kenneth Marsh and Michael Astor when they retired Norman Reid We bought "Span" by Philip King. David Sylvester from the Committee in accordance with Pending a decision on the final David Thompson Article 41 and this year we are to lose location "Span" was shown at the Nancy Balfour James Melvin and Alan Bowness. All Venice Biennale and later toured Joanna Drew these members have served the Europe. It is presently on loan to the Committee admirably during their terms Tate. of office. We gave the first evening party to be During the later part of last year and held at the wonderful new Hayward Pauline Vogelpoel MBE Organising Secretary earlier part of 1969 we presented 120 Gallery. This was for the Matisse works to 97 member galleries both here Exhibition. Later we gave further and abroad. This, I hope you will agree, evening parties at the Hayward to see is an excellent performance even though the Van Goghs, Anthony Caro's it does mean that our stock is Sculpture, and the marvellous temporarily depleted and we must ask Florentine Frescoes. the many organisations who borrow In September last year we were works from us to be patient. disappointed and surprised to have to I am sorry to have to report that some cancel the party we had planned to members, despite repeated requests, mark the close of the Henry Moore have not altered their Banker's Standing Exhibition at the Tate Gallery. This was Order and are still paying their due to insufficient support. Unfortunately subscriptions at the old rate of one increased expenses in connection with the hire of the required number of men at the British Museum. As this is soon to invigilate exhibitions at the Tate; to be vacated by them it was a rare and insurance, electricity, and catering costs fortunate chance of seeing this mean that we must achieve a certain collection so interestingly housed. minimum attendance to ensure that On June 12th, we were once again these basic expenses are covered. Miss allowed to use Britannic House, by kind Vogelpoel tries very hard to keep the permission of British Petroleum, to give price of all tickets as low as possible, a reception followed by a film show in at the same time endeavouring to make their splendid cinema. The films a small contribution to our funds. shown were Lichenstein in London, On October 19th a most successful Robert Rauschenberg, and Frank Stella and interesting visit was arranged to and Larry Poons, which were most enable members to see the studios of interesting in the light of the recent Art Bridget Riley; F. E. McWilliam and of the Real Exhibition at the Tate Eileen Agar all of whom were at home Gallery and the forthcoming Exhibition to members throughout the day. All of Pop Art at the Hayward Gallery. We the studios were within walking are grateful to National Educational distance of each other and of the home Television in America for making some of the Marquis and Marchioness of of the films available to us. We are of Dufferin and Ava who very kindly course greatly indebted to British allowed members to see their fine Petroleum for their generosity and for collection. We also visited Mr and Mrs making us feel so much at home in Peter Meyer's collection in Alexander Britannic House. Square, combined with one to learn the On June 14th and 15th five young mysteries of the Circulation Uruguayan artists kindly allowed Department at the Victoria and Albert members to see a preview of their Museum. I would like to record how exhibition "Cronus" in their Kensington very grateful we are to all flat, and this was an ingenious and concerned for affording us these interesting combination of sound, light unique opportunities. and machines which was performed Very recently on May 3rd members continuously in one room of the flat were invited to see Mr and Mrs Basil whilst in others individual works by the Gray's fine collection, of chiefly British group were on view. 20th Century paintings, in their house We were very distressed to lose our Hon Treasurer's Report 27 June 1969 Assistant Secretary, Sylvia Wren, who You will see from the Accounts that inevitably die, but it is a cause for died in April this year after many last year we incurred a deficit of £2,637. complaint that we seem to find it so months of illness. She had been with us This, however, is after taking into difficult to attract young members to for six years and will be much missed account the expenditure of £2,938 on take their places. Perhaps our Pop by members who knew her and had the special purchase of the work by Party at the Hayward will prove to be occasion to correspond with her. We Philip King referred to by the Chairman. the turning point, but, in any event, we are pleased, however, to be able to It means, in effect, that for the second are exploring other methods which we welcome Mrs Delia Gould as her year running we have made a surplus hope will achieve some measure of replacement. I must again thank and on our normal running, but have dipped success. congratulate Pauline Vogelpoel on a into our reserves for the purpose of year of successful activity and for her buying an important piece of sculpture devotion to our cause. for erection on a public site in London. We very much appreciate your In order to make this purchase, we had continued support, but we do, more than to sell some of our investments (at a ever, need the encouragement of figure which showed a surplus of £86 increased membership and the additional over cost), so that our reserves are now resources it will provide. May I, down to only £3,605. therefore, ask you once again to try and Turning to the Revenue Account for interest your friends in the aims and the year, there is a depressing sameness activities of the Society and enlist at about most of the items, only two of least one person each to join our ranks. which I feel I should mention. The first is that we have started a pension scheme for our staff. It is ridiculous at the present time to think about our Organising Secretary arriving in some distant future at retirement age, but these extraordinary things do happen and we thought we ought to be prudent. The second is our subscriptions which, I am sorry to say, are lower for the second year running. This is disappointing. We cannot grumble at the fact that our older members List of Purchases for the year 1968 Buyer/Michael Astor Special Committee Purchase Patrick Heron Silhouettes in ceruleum (gouache) Phillip King Span (Sculpture) Krishen Khanna Standing figure (oil) Rory Mc Ewen Construction (glass) Special Grant made by the Committee John O'Connor August River (oil) National Portrait Galley (Grant in aid) John Wolseley Maltese Landscape (oil) John Minton Self portrait (oil) Buyer/Norman Reid Loans made by the Society to Exhibitions Prunella Clough Untitled, No 1,1967 (oil) British Pavillion, Venice Biennale (and subsequent tour) Patrick Heron Blue and brown going across, 1967 (gouache) Phillip King Span (Sculpture) John Hoyland Untitled 1967 (gouache) John Hoyland Untitled No 2,1967 (gouache) Paul Huxley Untitled No 90, 1968 (oil) Loans to Colleges, Universities, Hospitals etc. Krishen Khanna Musician with a sarod, 1968 (oil) London University: Department of Extra Mural Studies Mary Martin Dispersal on black, 1967 (construction) London University: Senate House Derek Southall Compass (oil) London University: Queen Mary College Guy Warren Flag Day (oil) London University: Westfield College Alan Wood Kirkstall (oil on paper) London University: Royal Free Medical School Middlesex Hospital London School of Business Studies Buyer/Whitney Straight Dickin Moore Exhibitions for schools Carlene Brady Untitled (oil) Nicholas Georgiadis Posts, 1968 (oil) Bryan lllsley Green on red, 1968 (oil) Brendan Neiland Boring (water-colour/collage) Rama Rao Untitled (gouache) Jack Simcock Cottage and head (oil) Bryan Wynter Untitled (drawing) Works Presented to galleries 1968/1969 Aberdeen: Roy de Maistre/The Machine Shop 1963/Oil Dundee: David Bomberg/Drawing 1919 Bath: Henry Mundy/Dark Magnet/Oil Eastbourne: Gillian Wise/Double cube and prism, 1964/Construction Batley: Peter Oliver/Marsh Morning/Oil Eccles: Alexander Mackenzie/Relief painting, 1963/Oil