The Exhibition of 1761 was the inaugural

art exhibition An art exhibition is traditionally the space in which art objects (in the most general sense) meet an audience. The exhibit is universally understood to be for some temporary period unless, as is occasionally true, it is stated to be a "permanen ...

staged by the

Society of Artists of Great Britain The Society of Artists of Great Britain was founded in London in May 1761 by an association of artists in order to provide a venue for the public exhibition of recent work by living artists, such as was having success in the long-established P ...

(SAGB), a group of

painters Painting is a Visual arts, visual art, which is characterized by the practice of applying paint, pigment, color or other medium to a solid surface (called "matrix" or "Support (art), support"). The medium is commonly applied to the base with ...

architects An architect is a person who plans, designs, and oversees the construction of buildings. To practice architecture means to provide services in connection with the design of buildings and the space within the site surrounding the buildings that h ...

and

sculptors Sculpture is the branch of the visual arts that operates in three dimensions. Sculpture is the three-dimensional art work which is physically presented in the dimensions of height, width and depth. It is one of the plastic arts. Durable ...

. The exhibition opened on 9 May 1761 and was held at

Spring Gardens Spring Gardens is a dead-end street at the south east extreme of St. James's, London, England, that crosses the east end of The Mall between Admiralty Arch and Trafalgar Square. Part of the old liberty of Westminster and the current City of ...

Westminster Westminster is the main settlement of the City of Westminster in Central London, Central London, England. It extends from the River Thames to Oxford Street and has many famous landmarks, including the Palace of Westminster, Buckingham Palace, ...

, London.

Background

The previous year the First Exhibition of contemporary art was staged in London. Organised by the

Society for the Encouragement of Arts, Manufactures and Commerce The Society for the Encouragement of Arts, Manufactures and Commerce, founded in 1754, was the precursor of The ''Royal'' Society for the Encouragement of Arts, Manufactures and Commerce now more usually known as the RSA. The original Society gaine ...

, it had been regarded as a success. However, there were objections to the management by

William Shipley William Shipley (baptised: 2 June 1715 – 28 December 1803) was an English drawing master, social reformer and inventor who, in 1754, founded Society for the Encouragement of Arts, Manufactures and Commerce, an arts society in London that be ...

. Disputes amongst the participants saw the artists split into two factions. A large body of leading artists left to form their own organisation, the Society of Artists of Great Britain (with Shipley's supporters forming the separate Free Society of Artists). Two prominent members of the Society of Artists the painter

Joshua Reynolds Sir Joshua Reynolds (16 July 1723 – 23 February 1792) was an English painter who specialised in portraits. The art critic John Russell (art critic), John Russell called him one of the major European painters of the 18th century, while Lucy P ...

and architect James Paine sought out a new exhibition space, which they found at Spring Gardens close to the

Strand Strand or The Strand may refer to: Topography *The flat area of land bordering a body of water, a: ** Beach ** Shoreline * Strand swamp, a type of swamp habitat in Florida Places Africa * Strand, Western Cape, a seaside town in South Africa * ...

. To suggest continuity with the previous year, it was referred to as the Second Exhibition. The rival Free Society of Artists also held their own exhibition.

Exhibition

The exhibition featured works from leading British painters including

William Hogarth William Hogarth (; 10 November 1697 – 26 October 1764) was an English painter, engraving, engraver, pictorial social satire, satirist, editorial cartoonist and occasional writer on art. His work ranges from Realism (visual arts), realistic p ...

Francis Hayman Francis Hayman (1708 – 2 February 1776) was an English painter and illustrator who became one of the founding members of the Royal Academy in 1768, and later its first librarian. Life and works Born in Exeter, Devon, Hayman begun his arti ...

, Richard Wilson,

Thomas Gainsborough Thomas Gainsborough (; 14 May 1727 (baptised) – 2 August 1788) was an English portrait and landscape painter, draughtsman, and printmaker. Along with his rival Sir Joshua Reynolds, he is considered one of the most important British artists o ...

and the

sculptor Sculpture is the branch of the visual arts that operates in three dimensions. Sculpture is the three-dimensional art work which is physically presented in the dimensions of height, width and depth. It is one of the plastic arts. Durable sc ...

Joseph Nollekens Joseph Nollekens R.A. (11 August 1737 – 23 April 1823) was a sculptor from London generally considered to be the finest British sculptor of the late 18th century. Life Nollekens was born on 11 August 1737 at 28 Dean Street, Soho, London, ...

. Catherine Read was a notable female exhibitor. Alongside a portrait of the Irish writer

Laurence Sterne Laurence Sterne (24 November 1713 – 18 March 1768) was an Anglo-Irish novelist and Anglican cleric. He is best known for his comic novels ''The Life and Opinions of Tristram Shandy, Gentleman'' (1759–1767) and ''A Sentimental Journey Thro ...

, Reynolds displayed his ''

Portrait of Robert Orme ''Portrait of Robert Orme'' is a portrait of British Army officer Robert Orme, painted in 1756 by the British painter Joshua Reynolds, the year after Orme returned from North America. The artist shows him in the uniform of the Coldstream Guards ...

'', a military-themed painting he had produced several years earlier. He also submitted a full-length equestrian portrait of Lord Ligonier, for which he may have received assistance from

George Stubbs George Stubbs (25 August 1724 – 10 July 1806) was an English painter, best known for his paintings of horses. Self-trained, Stubbs learnt his skills independently from other great artists of the 18th century such as Joshua Reynolds and Thoma ...

. Stubbs also submitted a painting ''A Stallion Called Romulus''. Hogarth exhibited eight works; notable amongst them was '' Sigismunda Mourning over the Heart of Guiscardo'', based on

Boccaccio Giovanni Boccaccio ( , ; ; 16 June 1313 – 21 December 1375) was an Italian writer, poet, correspondent of Petrarch, and an important Renaissance humanist. Born in the town of Certaldo, he became so well known as a writer that he was s ...

's ''

Decameron ''The Decameron'' (; or ''Decamerone'' ), subtitled ''Prince Galehaut'' (Old ) and sometimes nicknamed ''l'Umana commedia'' ("the Human comedy", as it was Boccaccio that dubbed Dante Alighieri's ''Comedy'' "''Divine''"), is a collection of ...

''. Although he had high hopes for the work, it received widespread ridicule. By 20 May he had withdrawn the painting and replaced it with '' Chairing the Member''. Gainsborough, then based in

Bath Bath may refer to: * Bathing, immersion in a fluid ** Bathtub, a large open container for water, in which a person may wash their body ** Public bathing, a public place where people bathe * Thermae, ancient Roman public bathing facilities Plac ...

and establishing himself as a fashionable portrait artist, sent a painting of the Irish

politician A politician is a person who participates in Public policy, policy-making processes, usually holding an elective position in government. Politicians represent the people, make decisions, and influence the formulation of public policy. The roles ...

Lord Nugent.

Andrea Casali Andrea Casali (17 November 1705Some sources (e.g. Bryan and Hobbes) erroneously claim a birthdate of 1720. – 7 September 1784) was an Italian painter of the Rococo period. He was also an art dealer in England. ''Angelica e Medoro'', Bemberg Fon ...

exhibited a now-lost

history painting History painting is a genre in painting defined by its subject matter rather than any artistic style or specific period. History paintings depict a moment in a narrative story, most often (but not exclusively) Greek and Roman mythology and B ...

featuring King Edgar and Alfrida. The Exhibition took place during the

Seven Years' War The Seven Years' War, 1756 to 1763, was a Great Power conflict fought primarily in Europe, with significant subsidiary campaigns in North America and South Asia. The protagonists were Kingdom of Great Britain, Great Britain and Kingdom of Prus ...

and the Society attempted to associate itself with patriotic themes. For the one

shilling The shilling is a historical coin, and the name of a unit of modern currency, currencies formerly used in the United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand, other British Commonwealth countries and Ireland, where they were generally equivalent to 1 ...

exhibition catalogue Hogarth designed a frontispiece featuring the young

George III George III (George William Frederick; 4 June 173829 January 1820) was King of Great Britain and King of Ireland, Ireland from 25 October 1760 until his death in 1820. The Acts of Union 1800 unified Kingdom of Great Britain, Great Britain and ...

and

Britannia The image of Britannia () is the national personification of United Kingdom, Britain as a helmeted female warrior holding a trident and shield. An image first used by the Romans in classical antiquity, the Latin was the name variously appli ...

, with a

preface __NOTOC__ A preface () or proem () is an introduction to a book or other literature, literary work written by the work's author. An introductory essay written by a different person is a ''foreword'' and precedes an author's preface. The preface o ...

Samuel Johnson Samuel Johnson ( – 13 December 1784), often called Dr Johnson, was an English writer who made lasting contributions as a poet, playwright, essayist, moralist, literary critic, sermonist, biographer, editor, and lexicographer. The ''Oxford ...

. Later, during the Coronation of George III in September 1761, the Society illuminated the building in Spring Gardens with images associating the new monarch with Britain's naval victories and artistic success.

Aftermath

The following year the SAGB held a second successful exhibition, again at Spring Gardens. The SAGB then held exhibitions annually but suffered a major blow following the Exhibition of 1768 when leading members defected to found the

Royal Academy The Royal Academy of Arts (RA) is an art institution based in Burlington House in Piccadilly London, England. Founded in 1768, it has a unique position as an independent, privately funded institution led by eminent artists and architects. Its ...

. Supported by

, the Royal Academy staged its first

Summer Exhibition The Summer Exhibition is an open art exhibition held annually by the Royal Academy in Burlington House, Piccadilly in central London, England, during the months of June, July, and August. The exhibition includes paintings, prints, drawings, sc ...

Somerset House Somerset House is a large neoclassical architecture, neoclassical building complex situated on the south side of the Strand, London, Strand in central London, overlooking the River Thames, just east of Waterloo Bridge. The Georgian era quadran ...

in 1769. SAGB exhibitions continued with decreasing frequency until the organisation was disbanded in 1791. Hargreaves p 2

Gallery

File:William Hogarth - The Lady's last stake, c.1759.jpg, ''

The Lady's Last Stake ''The Lady's Last Stake'', originally entitled ''Piquet: or Virtue in Danger'', is a painting by William Hogarth, . The work is a conversation piece, capturing the moment when the woman has to make a fateful decision: to be ruined financially, ...

'' by

File:William Hogarth 029.jpg, '' Chairing the Member'' by

File:Robert Orme, by Joshua Reynolds.jpg, ''

'' by

File:Equestrian Lord Ligonier.jpg, ''Lord Ligonier'' by

File:Laurence Sterne by Sir Joshua Reynolds.jpg, ''Portrait of Laurence Sterne'' by

File:Richard Wilson (1713-1714-1782) - The Valley of the Dee, with Chester in the Distance - NG6197 - National Gallery.jpg, '' The Valley of the Dee, with Chester in the Distance'' by Richard Wilson

References

{{Reflist

Bibliography

* Black, Jeremy. ''Culture in Eighteenth-Century England; A Subject for Taste''. Bloomsbury Academic, 2005. * Egerton, Judy. ''George Stubbs, Painter''. Yale University Press, 2007. * Fordham, Douglas. ''British Art and the Seven Years' War: Allegiance and Autonomy''. University of Pennsylvania Press, 2010. * Hamilton, James. ''Gainsborough: A Portrait''. Hachette UK, 2017. *Hargreaves, Matthew. ''Candidates for Fame: The Society of Artists of Great Britain, 1760-1791''. Paul Mellon Centre for Studies in British Art, 2005. * Haywood, Ian, Matthews, Susan & Shannon, Mary L. (ed.) ''Romanticism and Illustration''. Cambridge University Press, 2019. * Hoock, Holger. ''Empires of the Imagination: Politics, War, and the Arts in the British World, 1750–1850''. Profile Books, 2010. * Uglow, Jenny. ''William Hogarth: A Life and a World''. Faber & Faber, 2011. Arts in the United Kingdom 1760s in London 1761 in England Art exhibitions in London

Background

Exhibition

Aftermath

Gallery

See also

References

Bibliography