Review: Neac Annual Exhibition 2013

I've been trying to function out how to discussion this review of the 2013 Annual Exhibition of the New English linguistic communication Art Club 2013.  It mightiness to a greater extent than accurately live described every bit a postal service mortem.

I've come upwards to the decision that it's best but to highlight a salutary tale which is relevant to all fine art societies.  They all receive got their ups together with downs - together with this is a tale of a large dip.

Cover of the catalogue for the New English linguistic communication Art Club's Annual Exhibition 2013
painting past times Michael Whittlesea

This yr I've been preoccupied alongside the majority I've been commissioned to write together with thus visited the Annual Exhibition of the New England Art Club on the lastly twenty-four hr catamenia rather than nearer the beginning.

Normally I'm walking into an exhibition which already has lots of reddish dots.

This yr every bit I started to acquire round, I began to realise that something really strange had happened.

I started inwards the Threadneedle Space. It's a infinite inwards which to a greater extent than contemporary styles practise specially good but is difficult on function which is non strong. I wasn't specially enamoured alongside what I saw (although it included some really proficient paintings) - but that happens inwards many exhibitions. You come upwards across a room where the function has been selected together with hung past times somebody who has a really different oculus for what he or she likes compared to you. That's OK - it's but a different way of looking at art. I don't facial expression everybody to similar what I similar either!

Threadneedle Space - included some really nighttime paintings together with 2 prizewinners
BUT no function sold
I recall really nighttime artwork has to live hung alongside a lot of infinite roughly it
otherwise it has a style to 'kill' other work.
(compare this to the same sentiment inwards the 2012 Annual Exhibition
- see Review: New English linguistic communication Art Club Annual Exhibition 2012 )

I kept looking together with so started upwards the stairs - together with that's when it struck me. I went dorsum downward the stairs together with slow went circular the room.

There wasn't a unmarried reddish dot.

Absolutely no sales - on the really lastly twenty-four hr catamenia of the exhibition.

So, that's when I pulled out my pen together with started to tour the exhibition slowly, looking for all the sales to encounter if I could encounter a pattern.

View of the West Gallery

NEAC 2013 - West Gallery, South Wall

By the fourth dimension I got to the destination I had my answer.  Below are the factors I identified.

• This was an exhibition which, to me, didn't facial expression similar a NEAC exhibition. That's said from the perspective of this beingness an exhibition that I actually facial expression forrad to seeing every year. It's likewise an exhibition past times an fine art fellowship which is highly rated together with that a lot of my creative individual friends aspire to acquire into.  It certainly included quite a lot of function I liked even so it likewise seemed to include many to a greater extent than nighttime paintings compared to previous years.  It lacked large "punctuation" pieces which were colourful together with packed a punch - what I telephone telephone the "come together with facial expression at me" paintings - or at to the lowest degree the hang didn't present them off if they were there. I looked dorsum at lastly yr together with encounter I noted something quite similar.  The experience of the exhibition was quite different to previous years (see for event my review of New English linguistic communication Art Club Annual exhibition 2010). This suggested to me something had changed inwards the choice process.
• So - if something had changed on the choice forepart - what was it?

A bay which looked much to a greater extent than similar the NEAC exhibitions of old

• a LOT less sales than usual! This was actually really strange indeed.  This is an exhibition which sells consistently good yr on year. In fact so far every bit I'm aware this is commonly ane of the best selling exhibitions held inwards the gallery. Based on the quantity of reddish dots, if I'd walked inwards a yoke of days afterwards the PV I'd live thinking something had gone incorrect together with sales were slow. However, I was walking circular inwards the lastly hours of a 10 twenty-four hr catamenia exhibition.  Something was definitely very, really wrong. 398 paintings, prints together with drawings were hung. I counted 44 sales although it's possible I may receive got missed some.  That represents 11% of the exhibition sold.  
• So - was it but that the choice looked different this year?  
• Could it live the economy? (That mightiness live an like shooting fish in a barrel excuse but is non a element inwards my majority given I review all the other exhibitions inwards this gallery)
• Had the Affordable Art fair over at Battersea depleted fine art collectors' funds?
• Or was at that spot another factor? Did they receive got bad conditions on the PV twenty-four hr catamenia maybe?

Judith Gardner had a proficient exhibition - 4 out of 5 paintings sold.
She sold 4 pocket-size plant all priced nether £1,000 together with ane unsold large painting
She's likewise a fellow member of The Small Paintings Group
- I've been a fan of Judith's function for a long time.

• virtually all the sales were pocket-size plant selling for less than a £1,000.  It was really clear that £1,000 was a meaning threshold.  It was every bit if somebody had diverted all the fine art collectors alongside funds somewhere else! That to me meant that those fine art collectors alongside coin had, for whatever reason, non turned upwards this yr - or didn't similar what they saw or didn't similar the prices listed for larger pieces. If I sat downward together with counted the value of the function hung together with so worked out the exhibition value, the per centum of sales to exhibition value would live a lot lower than the 11% calculated for the expose of plant sold.  Those artists who did good alongside honor to 2 or to a greater extent than sales of pocket-size plant are:
• Diana Calvert
• Judith Gardner
• Charles Hardaker
• Anthony Morris
• Lorna Vahey
• Michael Whittlesea

Michael Whittlesea ever manages to attain paintings which appeal to buyers
This yr he sold iii of his 4 pocket-size works

[Note: I worked for many years inwards a diversity of roles involving line organization together with functioning analysis from management consultant for ane of the "big" firms to senior director inside large organisations. My roles invariably had a focus on functioning analysis together with I was something of a specialist at ane phase inwards functioning indicators.  For me, the iii primary line organization functioning indicators for whatever fine art fellowship exhibition are (1) expose of plant sold expressed every bit a percentage; (2) value of plant sold expressed every bit a per centum of the value of plant on sentiment together with (3) the average cost of plant sold.  Any creative individual fellow member of an fine art fellowship should facial expression that a study to members on the functioning of an exhibition should include these iii functioning indicators.  A pop exhibition alongside lots of sales agency to a greater extent than artists acquire to part the benefits of fine art collectors who are buying!  I'd likewise desire to know who were the pinnacle selling artists.]

• I likewise noticed that a lot of plant past times fellow member artists were priced rather high.  In fact I'd acquire so far to state that inwards an era of really depression inflation, the increases inwards the prices of paintings over the lastly v years or so has been absolutely huge.  
• There plainly had to live a argue why large paintings were non selling - could this live it? Price inflation on paintings was out of kilter alongside existent inflation
• Are artists selling less together with thus trying to maintain income past times pricing higher?
• Are artists pricing higher to attract the type of fine art collector who tin dismiss afford this kind of price?  It's certainly a strategy which has worked for some inwards the recent past times - but certainly non all. It's likewise a strategy which requires targeted marketing to those fine art collectors alongside the funds to pay the prices.  They don't but plough upwards on the off chance!

Six artworks past times Diana Armfield RA RWS NEAC PS
No sales

• I spotted iii NEAC members of the Royal Academy of Arts alongside no sales at all. Two of them - Ken Howard OBE PPNEAC RA RBA ROI and Diana Armfield RA RWS NEAC RWA Hon PS - receive got consistently sold good inwards the past. My jaw literally dropped when I saw Diana Armfield had no sales. I receive got been next her function for many years inwards exhibitions past times different societies together with receive got NEVER been to an exhibition which included function past times Diana Armfield and seen a grouping of her plant on the lastly twenty-four hr catamenia alongside no reddish dots. Her normal runway tape is 30-100% of plant sold
• The expose of plant past times non-members selected from the opened upwards entry was really low.  I receive got asked earlier together with I volition inquire over again - tin dismiss an exhibition actually live considered an opened upwards exhibition when a tiny per centum of plant are selected from the opened upwards entry? Also, inwards other exhibitions I've seen at the Mall Galleries some of the most interesting together with appealing function came from non members! (see Review: Royal Society of Portrait Painters - Annual Exhibition 2013)
• I wasn't wowed past times the hang. I couldn't acquire my caput circular the hang until I realised that those hanging the exhibition had been faced alongside the challenge of having to function out where to house several really large sombre, really nighttime or really depression primal paintings. What was strange was they seemed to pose these centre phase together with give them prominence. By way of contrast, those paintings which were lighter, high primal ikon - specially those which receive got demonstrated inwards the past times the powerfulness to elevator together with lighten a wall (eg paintings past times Ruth Stage) - were squeezed into a corner where their comport upon was compressed rather than expanded!
• So - was it the choice or was it the hang - or peradventure a chip of both?

Wonderful artwork (yet again) inwards egg tempera by Ruth Stage NEAC
The function bottom left should receive got been occupying the centre of a large wall - it won The David Messum Prize

I met upwards alongside some of the members earlier I left together with confirmed it wasn't my imagination that at that spot were many fewer sales this year.

I likewise learned that:

• newly elected members were responsible for the pre-screening phase of the opened upwards entry. While I fully empathize the demand to induct novel members into the screening together with choice process, for sure this likewise needs to live likewise informed past times the involvement of to a greater extent than senior members? This could live a to a greater extent than meaning element BUT for the fact that this exhibition forthwith includes so few plant from artists submitting via the opened upwards entry. 
• members hang the exhibition - but are they experienced members who are proficient at hanging exhibitions?  It takes a lot of science to hang an exhibition effectively.  Some parts worked amend than other parts.
• this yr NEAC cancelled their Annual Dinner for friends together with collectors - usually held earlier the exhibition opened, inwards the Galleries.  In the past times I was told that it has really oftentimes generated a lot of sales - specially of larger works. It likewise meant that the exhibition got off to a proficient start because it opened to Blue Planet alongside reddish dots already inwards place.  It creates the correct psychological context for creating a disposition to buy.  This yr that was missing.

Overall, I concluded that it was really unlikely to live ane unmarried factor. It was much to a greater extent than probable that all the factors identified past times me addition those identified past times members in all probability conspired to attain a miserable resultant inwards terms of sales.

What's missing for me

The New English linguistic communication Art Club started life every bit the English linguistic communication equivalent of the Impressionists.  This was the grouping that broke away from the Royal Academy.  It has for the most work maintained its tradition every bit beingness a grouping which is non aiming to live inwards the same house every bit the RA or its summertime show.

However the RA used to receive got a tradition of filling the Small Wesson Room at the Summer Exhibition alongside pocket-size paintings past times really proficient painters. It was a room which was non similar the residual of the exhibition together with ever used to live jam packed alongside visitors together with total of reddish dots.  Latterly, the RA receive got abandoned this tradition. This yr selectors chose to include plant which may receive got produced a conceptual contention but left some of us wondering whether it was a joke to mix upwards paintings past times accomplished painters alongside those of rank amateurs.  For me it emphasised that the tradition of the Small Wesson Room is no more.

Today the focus of the New English linguistic communication Art Club is supposed to live on contemporary figurative ikon - except it I don't recall it is. It's missing something.

For me the exhibition of the New English linguistic communication Art Club must drib dead along to live the exhibition that people aspire to live in.  It should be:

• the exhibition that takes over together with continues the tradition of the Small Wesson Room past times focusing on the pocket-size paintings much loved past times those who receive got a passion for collecting figurative fine art past times accomplished artists together with desire to purchase pocket-size paintings at affordable prices.   The far rooms of the North Gallery should live packed alongside paintings alongside reddish dots past times those accomplished at packing a lot of lineament into a pocket-size painting.
• an exhibition that finds together with highlights the emerging artists alongside something novel to state inwards the acre of figurative art.  This shouldn't live left to the novel competitions such every bit the Threadneedle.
• an exhibition that has a wonderful mix of the former together with the novel - inwards terms of painters together with printmakers together with draughtsman who receive got together with are making their score on the fine art basis - together with those who volition practise inwards future
• an exhibition alongside a meaning proportion of function coming from the juried opened upwards entry. This should live the exhibition where the experienced should live applying themselves to finding the future.

I was impressed past times the drawings of Adele Henderson inwards the North Gallery who lastly yr was awarded the New English linguistic communication Art Club drawing schoolhouse scholarship. Here to me was an event of an creative individual who nosotros should encounter a lot to a greater extent than of inwards the future.

Drawings inwards pencil together with charcoal past times Adele Henderson
- work of the exhibition of function past times the New English linguistic communication Drawing School founded past times Jason Bowyer.

Prizewinners

There were a expose of prizewinners - this ane caught my oculus earlier I realised it was a prizewinner. It shouted 'prizewinner' from its wall inwards the Threadneedle Space.

Winner of the Doreen Macintosh Prize
Drawing Class by Michael Kirkpride NEAC

However, I observe it really disappointing that despite the 2013 exhibition having shut that the NEAC website soundless lists together with displays the prizewinners from the 2012 exhibition!  One of my perennial comments inwards recent years has been that Art Societies must acquire amend at marketing online every bit good every bit off!

Bottom line - this has non been a successful exhibition for many of the participating artists or the fellowship or the Mall Galleries.

Some may state that a review should focus on the art.  For me the focus on the fine art should fall out when I focus on the artist.  This is my review of 'the line organization end' of an exhibition - together with what went wrong.

Let us never forget that practising artists demand exhibitions to live successful. Art Societies must hold on pinnacle of making sure they deliver the benefits of association to their members. One of the first-class ways of doing this is through the exhibition every bit another fine art societies (eg SWLA) demonstrate consistently yr on year.

I wouldn't accept the fourth dimension alongside this review that I receive got if I didn't recall a lot of the New English linguistic communication Art Club whose function has delighted me inwards the past.

I propose that the NEAC Executive Committee recall really carefully nearly how it organises (in terms of who does what) together with markets its exhibition - together with fellow member artists - for the 2014 exhibition.

In the past times I've really much regarded them every bit a leading fine art fellowship inside the UK.  It feels to me every bit if they stumbled together with lost their way this year. I'm forthwith thinking that they receive got a lot of basis to brand upwards inwards the side past times side year.

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