New English Art Club

The New English Art Club (NEAC) was founded in London in 1885 as an alternate venue to the Royal Academy.

History

Young English artists returning from studying art in Paris mounted the first exhibition of the New English Art Club in April 1886. Among them were Thomas Cooper Gotch, John Singer Sargent, Philip Wilson Steer, George Clausen and Stanhope Forbes.

Early exhibitions were held in the Egyptian Hall.

The Impressionist style was well-represented at the NEAC, in comparison to the old-school academic art shown at the Royal Academy. For a time, the NEAC was seen as a stepping-stone to Royal Academy membership. Today the NEAC continues in a realistic, figurative style, while the Royal Academy has embraced abstract and conceptual art.

Current NEAC members include Peter Brown, Frederick Cuming, Ken Howard and Charles Williams.

Historic NEAC members and exhibitors include Thomas Kennington (founder member and first secretary), Alfred William Rich, Margaret Preston, Walter Sickert, Augustus John, Charles Wellington Furse, William Rothenstein, Lindsay Bernard Hall, Thomas Cooper Gotch, Mary Sargant Florence, Henry Strachey, Clare Atwood, Eve Garnett, Frank McEwen, James Jebusa Shannon,...
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