Leeds Fine Artists Club

This 'Club' was founded in 1874 as Leeds Fine Artists Club and soon established itself as an important cultural aspect of the city’s life. Its held meetings and discussions, known as ‘conversaziones’, together with annual exhibitions were staged in the Philosophical Hall and were well attended with up to 300 carriages containing the great and the good arriving at the Hall – sometimes requiring police assistance to control them! An enthusiastic group of members kept the Club running during World War I. The final ‘conversazione’ was held in 1921 at Leeds City Art Gallery thus beginning a close association between Club and Gallery. The Club’s activities were maintained in the interwar years and during World War II but the peace brought with it social changes that resulted in the club becoming more outward-looking and professional. It thus gained the support of Ernest Musgrave, (1901-1957) who was appointed Director of the Leeds City Gallery in 1945. He became Club President in 1949 and, on his death in 1957, was succeeded by Eric Taylor, Principal of the Leeds School of Art.

The centenary in 1974 was marked by three exhibitions at different venues in addition to the annual exhibition. From then on up to the present the Club has continued to prosper and now has exhibiting members of skill and ability, During its long history, the Club has been associated with various artists of renown, perhaps the most famous being Jacob Kramer. Others included Ernest Sichel, Mary Hunter and Ina Kitson Clark. Leeds Fine Artists constantly moves forward and as a nod to modernity, in 2010 dropped the word “Club” from its title. Its members live throughout greater Yorkshire and it strives to attract active artists of the highest ability to its membership.