Colchester Art Society
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| Established | 1946 |
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| Location | Colchester, Essex, England |
| Coordinates | 51°53′22″N 0°54′18″E / 51.889462°N 0.904957°ECoordinates: 51°53′22″N 0°54′18″E / 51.889462°N 0.904957°E |
| Website | www |
Colchester Art Society was founded in 1946 by a group of artists who lived in Colchester and the nearby areas, many of whom were also linked to the Colchester School of Art, which is part of Colchester Institute. The aim of the society was and still is the promotion of the visual arts.
In 1946, a period of renewed optimism after the Second World War, a group of young artists eager to exhibit together founded the Colchester Art Society. Some of its founding members were Roderic Barrett, Edward Bawden, Henry Collins, Reg Hazel, Cedric Morris, John Nash, Joyce Pallot, Rowland Suddaby, and Sylvia St. George.
The Colchester Art Society was founded following a meeting of local artists called by Reg Hazell who at the time was the head of the Colchester School of Arts. The initial meeting was attended by Henry Collins, Roderic Barrett and the children's illustrator Jenny Ward. Following this initial meeting Cedric Morris and Arthur Lett-Haines who ran the East Anglian School of Painting and Drawing joined the group alongside Joyce Pallot, Sylvia St George and others. The painter John Nash RA was invited to be the Society's first president and remained president until his death in 1977. Other presidents of the Society have included Cedric Morris, Roderic Barrett and Anthony Atkinson. Cedric Morris was a key figure who encouraged the activities of the Colchester Art Society.
The first exhibition of the group showed 37 artists and took place in Colchester Castle. The selection committee decided that the criteria to choose the works would be based purely on merit, regardless of the background, experience or popularity of the artist. This policy remains. The artist and designer Henry Collins designed the posters for the exhibition alongside the society's logo, which is still used today.
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