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Abstract
The formation of the Arts Council of Great Britain (ACGB) in 1945 marked the introduction of official state patronage for the arts in Britain. But while research has focused on ACGB's contribution to English cultural life, little has been written about its influence throughout the rest of Great Britain. This paper addresses this gap by examining ACGB's Welsh Committee's contribution to the visual arts in post-war Wales. It argues the Welsh Committee not only helped develop greater ‘knowledge, practice and interest’ in contemporary Welsh art, but also strengthened Welsh national identity, thereby illustrating the ‘plurinational’ character of British cultural policy.
Notes
Huw David Jones is a Research Assistant at the Cardiff School of Creative & Cultural Industries. His research focuses on the history of British cultural policy, with particular reference to Wales and Scotland.
[1] CitationMarwick, British Society, 52–72; CitationShaw and Shaw, ‘Cultural and Social Setting’, 2–27.
[2] CitationStrong, Spirit of Britain, 644.
[3] CitationGray, Politics of the Arts, 36–40.
[4] CitationMinihan, Nationalization of Culture.
[5] CitationLeventhal, ‘CEMA and State Sponsorship’, 289–317.
[6] CitationHewison, Culture and Consensus, xv.
[7] ACGB was only responsible for the arts in Great Britain rather than the United Kingdom as a whole. Northern Ireland established its own Arts Council in 1962.
[8] Royal Charter cited in CitationWhite, Arts Council, 294.
[9] Strong, Spirit of Britain, 642.
[10] Calculated using accounts in ACGB Annual Reports 1945–1967.
[11] See Hewison, Culture and Consensus; CitationSinclair, Arts and Culture; White, Arts Council; CitationWitt, Artist Unknown. One exception to this trend is CitationGalloway and Jones, ‘Scottish Dimension of British Arts Governance’.
[12] CitationWeight, Patriots, 187.
[13] Royal Charter cited in White, Arts Council, 300.
[14] Hewison, Culture and Consensus, 15.
[15] White, Patriots, 92.
[16] CitationJohnes, ‘Wales, History and Britishness’, 602–10.
[17] CitationDavies, Broadcasting and the BBC in Wales, 51–5.
[18] White, Patriots, 53.
[19] Galloway and Jones, ‘Scottish Dimension of British Arts Governance’, 26.
[20] CitationKeynes, ‘Arts Council’, 31.
[21] Wales received about 4.5 per cent of ACGB's grant-in-aid, slightly more per capita than Scotland and England.
[22] House of Commons Parliamentary Papers. Eighth Report from the Estimates Committee, together with minutes of evidence taken before Subcommittee B on 1st of April and following days, Appendix and Index (1967–1968 Grants for the arts), col. 3576.
[23] The Independent, 10 December 1999.
[24] ACGB Annual Report Citation 1955 –56, 1–2.
[25] Keynes, ‘Arts Council’, 31.
[26] ACGB Annual Report Citation 1952 –53, 16.
[27] Lord, Industrial Society, 224–5.
[28] CitationBell, ‘Contemporary Welsh Painting’, 17.
[29] CitationBell, ‘Contemporary Welsh Painting’, 17
[30] CitationLord, Aesthetics of Relevance, 18–21.
[31] Bell, ‘Contemporary Welsh Painting’, 17.
[32] CitationBell, South Wales Group.
[33] Lord, Industrial Society; Imaging the Nation; CitationHarvey, Art of Piety.
[34] Lord, Aesthetics of Relevance, 41–3.
[35] CitationRowan, Art in Wales, 11.
[36] CitationLord, Imaging the Nation, 280–310.
[37] CitationCleaver, Contemporary Art Society for Wales.
[38] Rowan, Art in Wales, 11.
[39] CitationDowding, ‘Music and Art Clubs’, 44.
[40] Morris quoted in CitationLord, Industrial Society, 230.
[41] Bell, South Wales Group.
[42] Bell, South Wales Group
[43] NLW, WAC, A/E/27, Owen, ‘Foreword’, Picture from the Welsh Collection, 1957.
[44] CitationBell, Artist in Wales, 174.
[45] Lord, Industrial Society, 183–99.
[46] CitationBell, ‘ Art of Josef Herman’, 108.
[47] CitationHerman, Josef Herman, 86.
[48] Unidentified newspaper cited in Lord, Industrial Society, 239. Arthur Giardelli encountered similar reactions at Herman's exhibition in Ebbw Vale. See CitationShiel, Arthur Giardelli, 59–60.
[49] Roberts quoted in CitationCurtis, Welsh Painters Talking, 98.
[50] Lord, Industrial Society, 244.
[51] Bell, ‘Contemporary Welsh Painting’, 28.
[52] National Library of Wales (hereafter NLW), Welsh Arts Council Archive (hereafter WAC), A/E/10, Charlton and Powell, ‘The Visual Arts in Wales’, 21 December 1951.
[53] National Library of Wales (hereafter NLW), Welsh Arts Council Archive (hereafter WAC), A/E/10, Charlton and Powell, ‘The Visual Arts in Wales’, 21 December 1951
[54] NLW, WAC, A/E/10, Petts, ‘Foreword’, Welsh Open Exhibition, 1953.
[55] NLW, WAC, A/E/10, Petts, ‘Foreword’, Welsh Open Exhibition, 1953
[56] NLW, WAC, A/E/10, Petts, Transcript of Speech, 3 October 1953.
[57] Zimmern quoted in CitationSmith, Aneurin Bevan.
[58] NLW, WAC, A/E/10, ‘Selectors Comments’, Welsh Open Exhibition, 1953.
[59] Western Mail, 5 October 1953.
[60] NLW, WAC, A/E/11, Lewis, ‘Foreword’ (trans. Lewis), 30 Welsh Paintings of Today, 1954 (emphasis added).
[61] NLW, WAC, A/E/10, James, ‘Comments on Art Paper’, 17 October 1952.
[62] NLW, WAC, A/E/15, Petts, ‘Foreword’, Welsh Open Exhibition, 1955.
[63] NLW, WAC, A/E/15, Levy, Transcript of Broadcast Talk, 15 March 1955.
[64] CitationCouncil for Wales, Report on the Arts, 140–1.
[65] Western Mail, 6 March 1959.
[66] NLW, WAC, A/E/15, ‘Selectors’ Comments', Welsh Open Exhibition, 1955; NAW, WAC, A/E/22, ‘Selectors’ Comments', Welsh Open Exhibition, 1956.
[67] CitationSmith, Movements in Art, 25–39.
[68] CitationGreenberg, ‘Modernist Painting’, 308–14.
[69] Tinker quoted in CitationPiercy, ‘Atrocities Over There’, 90–1.
[70] Lord, Imaging the Nation, 406.
[71] Piercy, ‘Atrocities Over There’, 92.
[72] The Times, 11 July 1957.
[73] Wolverhampton Chronicle, 6 March 1963.
[74] NLW, WAC, A/E/48, Press Notice, c.1963.
[75] CitationBohana, ‘Welsh Committee’, 63–73.
[76] CitationWebster, ‘National Tradition’, 109.
[77] CitationWebster, ‘National Tradition’, 114.
[78] CitationMorgan, Rebirth of a Nation, 340–75.
[79] NLW, WAC, A/E/28, Press Release, December 1959.
[80] NLW, WAC Archive A/E/28, Cross, Transcript for BBC Topical Organisation, c.1960.
[81] NLW, WAC Archive A/E/28, Cross, Transcript for BBC Topical Organisation, c.1960
[82] CitationRoberts, ‘Howard Roberts Gallery’, 173.
[83] Rowan, Art in Wales, 153.
[84] NLW, WAC, A/E/69/1-6, Flyer, c.1966.
[85] NLW, WAC, A/E/52, Webster, Note for the Ministry of Welsh Affairs, 6 February 1964.
[86] The Guardian, 15 June 1966.
[87] The Times, 16 June 1966.
[88] CitationSandbrook, White Heat; CitationBlack, ‘Making Britain a Gayer More Cultivated Society’, 323–42.
[89] Cmnd. Citation2601, Policy for the Arts, para. 100.
[90] South Wales Evening Post, 1 May 1964.
[91] Express and Times Gazette, 21 August 1965.
[92] South Wales Echo, 23 June 1966.
[93] South Wales Echo, 23 June 1966
[94] NLW, WAC, A/E/132/1-4, Survey of Three Welsh Arts Council Exhibitions, 12–18 July 1969.
[95] CitationBourdieu and Darbel come to a similar conclusion in their classic survey of European museum visitors. See Bourdieu and Darbel, Love of Art.
[96] CitationWakelin, Art-Accustomed Eye, 12.
[97] CitationWakelin, Art-Accustomed Eye, 12
[98] Western Mail, 6 March 1965.
[99] The Guardian, 8 March 1965.
[100] The Times, 26 April 1967.
[101] CitationHumphreys, ‘Images of Wales’, 140–1.
[102] NLW, WAC, A/E/103, Redfern, Memorandum, c.1968.
[103] CitationJones, ‘War Declared’, 47–56.
[104] Welsh Arts Council Annual Report Citation 1972 –73.
[105] CitationRoms, ‘Retracing the Spiral’.
[106] CitationWelsh Arts Council, Next Steps.
[107] CitationKeating, Plurinational Democracy, 1.
[108] ACGB Annual Report Citation 1964 –65, 55