Biography
An inaugural meeting took place in Paddington, London in April 1937 after a series of successful exhibitions of contemporary art selected by the Wels artist Augustus John (1878-1961) to establish the Contemporary Art Society for Wales (CASW) which was to 'link up the Welsh artmovement with any cultural movement in the distressed areas in Wales. Since 1938 the the have gifted more than 900 works of art to museums and galleries across Wales. The Society was formed under the chairmanship of Thomas Evelyn Scott-Ellis, Lord Howard de Walden (1880-1946) of Chirk Castle (now National Trust), a distinguished collector and President of the Contemporary Art Society since its foundaton in 1910. From the outset the CASW, whose activities were modelled on the UK Contemporary Art Society, regarded the purchase of works of contemporary art, their exhibition and subsequent donation to appropriate Welsh institutions as prime functions. An annual buyer was elected and given ‘free range of choice’, with a presumption to purchase works by Welsh artists or those with significant association with the Principality.
The first work acquired by CASW was not by purchase but was a fraternal gift in 1938 from the Contemporary Art Society, David Jones’s Petra. Not surprisingly, a work by Augustus John was an early acquisition when in 1942 his Lyndra (c.1920) was purchased by Lord Howard de Walden, though an example of his sister Gwen’s work, Girl in profile, was an even earlier purchase (1940) and donated to the National Museum of Wales in the Society’s first distribution exercise of 1947. The main aims of the society were topurchase works of art by contemporary artists, to hold exhibitions, and toplace the works in institutions where they would be on public view. The method of purchasing was defined at the outset. Half of the Purchasing Fund was placed at the disposal of the Purchaser (elected by the committee,serving for one year) and the other half was retained as a Reserve Fund. Because the minimum annual subscription had been set at one guinea (£1 1s,= £1.05), post-War inflation severely affected the society's purchasing power.The society received a measure of financial assistance from the Welsh Committee of the Arts Council. Later, the society ceased to organise touring exhibitions, and concentrated on displays of its recent purchases. Lord Snowdon acted as President of the Society, 1962-1991; purchasers have included Kyffin Williams (1986-1987) and Diana Armfield (1990-1991). The society celebrated its jubilee year in 1987 with an anniversary exhibition in Cardiff.
