Brighton Art Club

Founded in 1895 by a few local practising artists it was a male only establishment as many 'clubs' of that era were. From the beginning, the club was a professional body with only painters, art teachers and designers being admitted to membership. It was expanded later to include sculpture, wood carving and photography. Founder members included William H. Bond, head of Brighton Art School, Conrad Heighton Leigh, Ralph Glanville Greysmith, Robert Charles Goff, Charles Harrington, Charles H.H. Burleigh, Louis Ginnett, Alfred H. Hart and Joseph Longhurst. The first meetings were held, in the studio of fellow artist, Gerald E. Harrison who was a painter of miniatures. In 1903 the Club staged its first exhibition which was held in the large studio of local lady portrait painter artist Gertrude Mary Saville. It is believed to have been the first professional art exhibition held in Brighton of works by living artists. Other exhibitions followed and by the end of the decade, membership had grown to around 36 with newcomers such as Alexander Mavrogordato, Fred Stratton, Frederick Lessore and Eric Gill having joined the ranks. In 1912 Brighton Corporation offered, the Brighton Museum and Art Gallery for annual exhibitions and for the next two decades, the Club flourished. Major exhibitions were also held in Hove and an invitation by the Goupil Gallery in 1925, was the first exhibition offered to a provincial art group in the capital. By the outbreak of World War II, the Sussex Women's Art Club was invited to exhibit and the last known exhibition was I believe held under its original auspices in 1951 in Brighton Art Gallery. There is currently at the time of writing a Brighton Arts Club. To my knowledge are not a continuation of the original but a much newer club in the city of Brighton.