Contemporary Art Society Annual Report 1995
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THE CONTEMPORARY ART SOCIETY The Annual General Meeting of the Contemporary Art Society will be held on Thursday 16 May. 1996 at The Clore Auditorium. Tate Gallery, Millbank, London swi 4RG, at 6.30pm. Agenda 1. To receive and adopt the report of the Committee and the accounts for the year ended 31 December 1995. together with the auditors' report. 2. To reappoint Neville Russell as auditors of the Society in accordance with section 384 (1) of the Companies Act 1985 and to authorise the Committee to determine their remuneration for the coming year. 3. To acknowledge the retirement from the Committee of Edward Lee. 4. To appoint Janice Blackburn to the Committee. 5. Any other business. By order of the Committee GEORGE YATES-MERCER Company Secretary 22 April 1996 Company Limited by Guarantee. Registered in London N0.255486, Charities Registration No. 208178 The Contemporary Art Society Annual Report & Accounts 1995 PATRON I REPORT OF THE COMMITTEE Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother PRESIDENT Nancy Balfour OBE The Committee present their report and the financial collections in Great Britain and elsewhere. Both the level VICE PRESIDENTS statements for the year ended 31 December 1995. of activities and the year end financial position were The Lord Croft satisfactory and the Committee expect that the present Edward Dawe STATEMENT OF COMMITTEE'S RESPONSIBILITIES level of activity will be sustained for the foreseeable Caryl Hubbard CBE Company law requires the Committee to prepare future. The Lord McAlpine of West Green financial statements for each financial year which give a The Lord Sainsbury of Preston Candover KG true and fair view of the state of affairs of the company RESULTS Pauline Vogelpoel MBE and of the profit or loss of the company for that period. The results of the Society for the year ended In preparing those financial statements the Committee 31 December 1995 are set out in the financial statements COMMITTEE MEMBERS are required to: David Gordon Chairman on pages 24 to 30. Jim Moyes Vice-Chairman • select suitable accounting policies and then apply them FIXED ASSETS Rupert Gavin Honorary Treasurer consistently; Details of changes in fixed assets are given in note 2 to Cecily Lowenthal Honorary Secretary • make judgements and estimates that are reasonable and the financial statements. Mark Stephens Honorary Solicitor prudent: COMMITTEE MEMBERS Edward Lee • state whether applicable accounting standards have The Committee set out in the table below have held Sean Rainbird been followed, subject to any material departures office during the whole of the period from 1 January Hezlett Colgan disclosed and explained in the financial statements; and 1995 to the date of this report unless otherwise stated. Richard Cork • prepare the financial statements on the going concern David Gordon (Chairman); Jeremy Rees (Vice Robert Hopper basis unless it is inappropriate to presume that the Chairman) resigned 22 June 1995 ; Rupert Gavin DIRECTOR company will continue in business. (Honorary Treasurer); Mark Stephens (Honorary Gill Hedley The Committee are responsible for keeping proper Solicitor); Cecily Lowenthal (Honorary Secretary) PROJECT MANAGERS accounting records which disclose with reasonable appointed 16 January 1995; John Keatiey. resigned 22 Leah Byrne and Edmund Hubbard until 30 November 1 accuracy at any time the financial position of the June 1995 : Anthony Oppenheimer, resigned 22 June PROJECT DIRECTOR company and to enable them to ensure that the financial 1995 ; Sarah Wilson, resigned 22 June 1995 ; Jim Moyes; Leah Byrne/rom 1 December 1995 statements comply with the Companies Act 1985. They Richard Cork; Edward Lee: Sean Rainbird; Hezlett MUSEUMS LIAISON are also responsible for safeguarding the assets of the Colgan; Robert Hopper Mary Doyle company and hence for taking reasonable steps for the AUDITORS prevention and detection of fraud and other ACCOUNTANT AND COMPANY SECRETARY The auditors. Neville Russell, have signified their George Yates-Mercer FCA irregularities. willingness to continue in office and a resolution ADMINISTRATOR REVIEW OF THE BUSINESS proposing their reappointment will be put to the Sara Grant Thorold The principal activity of the Society continued to be the forthcoming Annual General Meeting. DAVID GORDON Chairman ASSISTANT promotion of contemporary art and the acquisition of Kieranne Hind from 5 June 1995 works by living artists for presentation to public 19 April 1996 REPORT AND ACCOUNTS 1995 7 II • CHAIRMAN'S REPORT III • DIRECTOR'S REPORT We made our first public appearance of 1995 at ART95, we do, how and why we do it, seems necessary so that all There has been a clear sense during 1995 that the staff and proved to be a very active Committee member, agreed to the London Contemporary Art Fair in Islington, which our members and supporters can proselytise on our Committee have established not only a new identity for become Vice-Chairman in March 1996. gave us the opportunity to highlight many of our behalf. the Contemporary Art Society but also an efficient and Edmund Hubbard, one of the Project Managers for activities. The Contemporary Art Society stand was the coherent strategy for putting it into practice. We are Contemporary Art Society Projects since 1992, left at the The Contemporary Art Society promotes the collecting first to which visitors were directed and we displayed a working on a plan for a Lottery application for a sizeable end of 1995 to create his own company. However, we are of contemporary art on three fronts: as a patron, a selection of the purchases made on behalf of museums fund for buying works of art for our member galleries. We pleased that he is working with us on several projects in a membership society and an advisory service. during 1994 by Angela Weight and Edward Lee. The are particularly grateful to Nancy Balfour, the Arnold Lee freelance capacity. Leah Byrne has been appointed Projects It acquires work by living artists which it gives to display continued downstairs in the company of a group Charitable Trust and the Harold Hyam Wingate Founda Director and we offer our congratulations to her. public collections; encourages its individual members to of galleries, renowned for their cutting-edge artists and tion for their generous response to our fundraising drive. There are only six members of staff at the CAS. With collect through its annual Art Market and its programme showing for the first time at the Art Fair under our of visits and events; it provides an advisory service for The Director's Report deals with the substantive part the help of some marvellous volunteers, whose work and auspices. companies that wish to collect or commission works of art. of the work of the CAS. I will deal with some organisa support is much valued, a remarkable amount is achieved It uses fees earned, membership and corporate subscrip tional matters. each year by very dedicated and determined individuals Museums' Day at the Art Fair has become an annual feature, organised by CAS, and over 90 delegates from tions and a percentage of sales at the Art Market to run a The Memorandum and Articles of the CAS were who are committed to the idea and values of the CAS and museums, galleries and other institutions listened to talks small office and buy works of art for nearly one hundred drawn up and signed in March 1931 and have not been work long hours to push us all forward to greater success. on the topic of public and private gallery collaborations. museums. All purchases are entrusted to invited changed since. With the help of our Honorary Solicitors, Projects - the Art Market and work with corporate clients individuals and grants, from the Arts Council of England, Stephens Innocent, the Honorary Secretary has updated - earn us income; our Museums Liaison work, for which Such public occasions give the staff and volunteers a the Henry Moore Foundation, the Crafts Council, the and modernized them, resulting in a rather forbidding Mary Doyle is primarily responsible, provides encourage platform on which to explain the many enterprises that we Elephant Trust and others, enable us to buy broadly and looking Special Resolution. An explanatory note to the ment and support to our member museums and galleries. undertake. It is a valuable opportunity to introduce new to work closely with curators in member museums. The Resolution has been printed under it. The staff, Committee and members are organised with members, to explain that we are the only charity that buys contemporary art for museums, that we also advise Contemporary Art Society is independent, innovative and Given the work she has already done I am particularly great good humour by Sara Grant Thorold, assisted by companies on their collections and on commissions and represents a wide range of supporters of contemporary delighted that Cecily Lowenthal, who bought works for us Kieranne Hind. Gill Hedley, our doughty and formidable that we organise a range of social and educational events art. during 1993 with sensitivity and flair, agreed to take on Director, has worked with tremendous energy to raise the for all members to introduce them to what is new in the role of Honorary Secretary at the beginning of 1995. CAS flag higher and higher. On your behalf I would like to How else did we put this into practice during 1995? contemporary art. She joins the small team of Executive Committee members thank them most sincerely. The programme of events and visits that we arranged for who meet regularly to offer challenge and expertise to the For as long as anyone can remember the CAS has been How else can we get our message across, apart from in members is listed on page 11. We invited Jane Lee. an art Director and Chairman; we are grateful for their time and fortunate enough to have been housed rent free by the Tate conversation? We are so multifarious: museum curators, historian who teaches at Glasgow School of Art, and their ideas.