Imperial Arts League

The Imperial Arts League also known as The Artists' League of Great Britain was founded in London in 1909 as an advisory bureau for artists working in Britain. Its avowed aim was to 'protect and promote the interests of Artists and to inform, advise and assist Artists, who have enrolled as members, in matters of business connected with the practice of the Arts'. This included providing advice on legal matters, insurance for works of art, copyright, export regulations, etc. It also acted as a pressure group, representing the interests of artists to Government departments. The League was directed by a Council of experienced artists and arts administrators who offered their services on a voluntary basis. Among the original members of the Council were Sir Charles Holroyd, Director of the National Gallery, Count Plunkett, Director of the National Museum of Science and Art in Dublin and the artists Laurence Alma-Tadema and George Clausen. By 1910, the League had some 600 members; by 1912 over 800 members and by 1921 1,100 members. Membership was open to practitioners of the fine and applied arts and individuals interested in the arts. Members included Ivon Hitchens, Blair Hughes-Stanton, potter Bernard Leach, Eduardo Paolozzi, Michael Rothenstein, Keith Shackleton, E.H. Shephard.

In 1914, the League held a conference at Leighton House, London on the proposal to create a Ministry of Art. The League issued a journal which ran from 1910 to 1925 and occasional publications. In 1915, in collaboration with the Royal Institute of British Architects, it organised the Artists War Relief Exhibition at Maddox Street Galleries in London. The Imperial Arts League changed its name to The Artists' League of Great Britain in 1971 and ceased to function in 1985. The League's archives are held at the London Metropolitan Archives.