Twenty five or so years ago a group of artists known as the Young British Artists - among them Damien Hirst and Tracey Emin - were creating shock waves in the art world. Their work was brash, irreverent and challenging.
- Twenty five shows have been held since 1990. (No exhibition was held in 1993 or 1994)
- Around 50,000 works of art have passed through the selection process
- A total of 3,315 artists have exhibited
- Almost twelve thousand works (11,753 to be precise) have been hung
- Around £300,000 has been awarded as prizes to exhibiting artists
- More than £1,000,000 of art has been sold on behalf of artists
Painter Michael Reynolds, a Rome Scholar and noted art historian, a member of the Royal Society of Portrait Painters and a more traditional artist by far, thought much of the art of the time meretricious. He and a group of friends decided to champion 'domestic' art - works that were well executed, small in scale, accessible to all and, most importantly, could be bought and carried back from the gallery 'under arm' and hung in any home or office space'.
A charity was formed and in December 1990 The Discerning Eye held the first of its annual exhibitions to support and promote artists. Six individuals, each an expert in their area of the art world, were asked to select work submitted by artists in open submission. Only one limitation was set: works had to be no larger than twenty inches square.
The selectors were at the same time encouraged to invite artists they admired, many of whom were well known, to show, so giving the unknown artist the opportunity to hang alongside the known.
The responsibility then fell to both selector and visitor to apply a discerning eye in choosing or buying a work.
Michael Reynolds wrote at the time: 'The organisers had the hope that the unknown would mingle with the famous and be seen as no worse, that the public would ignore names and buy their choice, that at last there would be some representation of art to suit the domestic situation'.
Selectors for that first show were art collector and former Chairman of the Arts Council Lord Palumbo, art critic Brian Sewell, landscape painter and former President of the Royal Academy Sir Roger de Grey PPRA, gallery owner Odette Gilbert, artist and critic Giles Auty and artist and former President of the Royal Society of Portrait Painters David Poole.
Unsurprisingly, there wasn't a pickled shark in sight.
Within a year or two of the launch of the Discerning Eye Michael Reynolds wrote that he thought the exhibition might be improved by including what he termed a 'lay selector'. As you will see from the list of past selectors elsewhere in this catalogue, the panels now invited to sit in judgement have been widened to include many household names: Big Brother presenter Davina McCall has found herself sitting alongside Royal Academy Chief Executive Charles Saumarez Smith, Sir Michael Parkinson next to Sir Peter Blake.
It could be said that the Mall Galleries, a short walk from Clarence House, is HRH The Prince of Wales' local art gallery. He has been a long term supporter of Discerning Eye, exhibiting his watercolours on three occasions, the first in 1991, opening the 1996 exhibition and serving as a selector the following year.
Some facts and figures from the last quarter century:
- Twenty five shows have been held since 1990. (No exhibition was held in 1993 or 1994)
- Around 50,000 works of art have passed through the selection process
- A total of 3,315 artists have exhibited
- Almost twelve thousand works (11,753 to be precise) have been hung
- Around £300,000 has been awarded as prizes to exhibiting artists
- More than £1,000,000 of art has been sold on behalf of artists
Michael Reynolds died in 2008 but is remembered by the Founder's Prize, first established by Brian Sewell, his friend and collaborator and strong DE advocate, who himself died last year. His work is held in the Discerning Eye Collection, of which a report by Chief Executive Tony Humphreys is carried elsewhere in this catalogue.
Tony has been for some twenty years the guiding force behind the charity and has championed many developments and initiatives. An untold number of artists owe him a debt of gratitude for his enthusiasm and backing.
Thanks must also go to this year's selectors who have wholeheartedly given their time and commitment to ensure that the 2016 Discerning Eye Exhibition is a success. Thanks, too, to the Mall Galleries, and Parker Harris, our exhibition organisers.
An undertaking such as the Discerning Eye annual exhibition is not possible without generous sponsorship and for the last eighteen of our twenty-five years that has come from ING Wholesale Banking.
As we celebrate our Silver Jubilee I offer the heartfelt thanks of the Directors of The Discerning Eye to ING for its staunch support.
John Penrose
October 2016
October 2016
CHIEF EXECUTIVE'S STATEMENT
Tony Humphreys
As part of our celebrations, the Discerning Eye Collection visited former education committee member Anita Taylor's new gallery in Trowbridge, back in May, and in October, we mounted a DE former winners' exhibition at the Triforium, Temple Church. The works on show in this exhibition have all been included in a special Silver Anniversary catalogue and works will be available to purchase on the DE website until the end of November. Each participating artist will receive a copy of the catalogue, which will also be given out to guests at our anniversary dinner to be held in the main gallery, during this year's exhibition, at The Mall Galleries, on Wednesday 23rd November.
Tickets for this dinner have already sold out, but anybody still interested in coming, might like to check for returns or cancellations with me during the various Private Views this week.
Once again, huge thanks are due to ING and, in particular, the communications team and ING's in-house catering department who have been enthusiastic and supportive from the first moment the idea of a dinner was mentioned. Chef and staff will 'up ladles' from the kitchen at ING's splendid new offices at 8-10 Moorgate to set up for service at The Mall for the evening. As I have said many times before, having a great sponsor is not just about the hard cash they make available but also about having shared objectives and a real interest in wanting to succeed. There can't be many companies with this level of employee engagement, so a big and special thanks to the staff of ING!
As the Chairman mentions in his piece, we have over the years initiated a number of new activities to benefit artists. None of this happens overnight, but we hope that artists appreciate that the DE charity exists to offer them more opportunities and benefits wherever possible. We appreciate it can be expensive to submit to open exhibitions, which is why we continue to subsidise collection of works from around Britain and also run a members' scheme to reduce the submission costs of submitting the maximum number of works. We are constantly trying to increase the number of prizes and are proud of the number of purchase prizes, cash prizes, bursaries and awards we have generated over the years.
Whilst being an exhibitor in the DE exhibition has helped many emerging artists over the years, we are just as satisfied when an established artist supports the exhibition by submitting his or her work through the open submission process, knowing that our truly independent approach offers no guarantee of acceptance.
We believe that this level of integrity, endorsed by the fact that six individual selectors make their own very personal choices, is valued by the artists who this year submitted works for consideration in record numbers. As you will see when you tour the galleries, this has resulted in there probably being a greater number of artists on the walls than in previous years. This was not intentional, it simply reflects the tastes of the selectors.
I would like to take this opportunity to thank all the artists who submitted works this year and wish those of you who were unsuccessful, better luck next year.
Finally, the selectors of course need to be thanked and applauded, not only for the time they give up but for the seriousness with which they approach their task. When Celia Imrie agreed to be a selector in the early part of the year, she had no idea she would be rehearsing for a major production of Shakespeare at the same time. Of course, we always know when approaching great actors and actresses like Celia that their availability is highly unpredictable. However, and notwithstanding how all-consuming a short rehearsal period can be, because Celia's rehearsals were in London she still found time to participate as a selector. I hope that the artists she has selected, along with all the others in the exhibition, enjoy their side of the experience. Let us hope they'll have fewer works but more cheques to take home at the end of the exhibition!
Tony Humphreys
October 2016
October 2016
The 2016 exhibition will comprise over 700 works by over 400 artists.
70% of the artists and 60% of the works will be from the open submission.
Painting and drawing make up about 70% of the works, mixed media and sculpture about 13%, printmaking a further 7%, and photography about 5% this year.
70% of the artists and 60% of the works will be from the open submission.
Painting and drawing make up about 70% of the works, mixed media and sculpture about 13%, printmaking a further 7%, and photography about 5% this year.
SACHA CRADDOCK
Discerning Eye provides the opportunity to consider a broad range of painting and sculpture, albeit of a prescribed scale. Once immersed so much can and does emerge.
I of course enjoyed choosing the artists I admire to contribute, but I also always cherish the opportunity to select from an open send in. The fellow selectors and I spent an intense good natured and often competitive day together...
I wonder how it will turn out, while not pretending to actually curate the mass of work I have selected and asked for, I look forward to attempting to bring forward the quality in each.