Ulster Society of Painters

This Society founded in 1921 by a group of Northern Ireland painters elected Humbert Craig as the Society's first President. Others of the original twenty-five members included Frank Eggington, Frank McKelvey and Rendle Wood. However in a little over a decade the Society had evolved into a group of modernistic forward looking artists who modelled the Society on the London based group Unit One. The group’s secretary, poet John Hewitt, described the work of the Ulster Unit as it was commonly known ‘avowedly and demonstrably modern.’ It was officially formed in 1934 and of the artists by then involved Colin Middleton, John Luke, George McCann and Romeo Toogood went on to establish significant national or international reputations.

Also involved were painters Mabel Annesley, Kathleen Bridle, Elizabeth Clements, William Conor, W.R Gordon, Maurice Harding, John Hunter as well as architect Denis O’D Hanna, potter Jean McGregor and printmaker Crawford Mitchell. Most of the younger artists involved in the Ulster Unit's single group exhibition at Locksley Hall, Belfast, in December 1934, had themselves studied or worked in London. Their personal experience of modern British and European art and ideas had been reinforced by the decision of the Belfast City Museum in the late 1920’s to sell the conventional Victorian works they had received from the Lloyd Patterson bequest, and to purchase contemporary work with the proceeds. The Ulster Unit exhibition contained linocuts, sculpture, pottery, etchings and architectural work. The Unit disbanded soon after probably due to an absence of solidarity amongst its members.