LAW SOCIETY ART GROUP

1960 - ?

The Law Society’s Art Group was formed in 1960 through the combined efforts of Law Society Council members and the first full-time editor of the Law Society’s Gazette, Tom Harper (1922-1983). Prior to this, in 1958, the Law Society had stimulated lawyers’ interest in the arts with an exhibition of members’ paintings and drawings at the annual conference at Eastbourne. In the Group’s early years, the Society gave support by providing annual grants and prize money for the Group’s annual exhibition. A past president, Sir David Napley (1915–1994), and other leading lawyers became members. These included Sir Anthony Baruh Lousada (1907–1994), sometime president of the Royal College of Art and Tate Britain, and Edgar Duchin (1909–1991). The initial aim of the Group was to give members an opportunity to exhibit their art, but it soon extended to one of fostering a more general interest in the arts within the profession. The annual exhibition of the group was held at the Law Society’s Hall in Chancery Lane for some sixty years until 2020, but physical exhibitions no longer take place at the Law Society, so the annual physical exhibition are now being held elsewhere. Suffolk artists who exhibited with the Law Society Art Group include Sarah Bourne and Michael Flint.
Website: https://lawsocietysartgroup.co.uk