The Leeds Art Fund (LAF), formerly the Leeds Art Collections Fund (LACF) is one of Britain's oldest supporting art gallery "friends" organisations. It was founded in

Leeds Leeds () is a city and the administrative centre of the City of Leeds district in West Yorkshire, England. It is built around the River Aire and is in the eastern foothills of the Pennines. It is also the third-largest settlement (by populati ...

on 11 November 1912 by

Frank Rutter Francis Vane Phipson Rutter (17 February 1876 – 18 April 1937)"Rutter, Frank V. P.", ''Who Was Who'', A & C Black, 1920–2007; online edn, Oxford University Press, Dec 2007. Retrieved froukwhoswho8 August 2008. was a British art critic, curat ...

, who was the newly appointed curator of

Leeds Art Gallery Leeds Art Gallery in Leeds, West Yorkshire, England, is a gallery, part of the Leeds Museums & Galleries group, whose collection of 20th-century British Art was designated by the British government in 1997 as a collection "of national importance" ...

(then Leeds City Art Gallery) at the time, with the support of the Vice-Chancellor of the

University of Leeds , mottoeng = And knowledge will be increased , established = 1831 – Leeds School of Medicine1874 – Yorkshire College of Science1884 - Yorkshire College1887 – affiliated to the federal Victoria University1904 – University of Leeds , ...

, Michael Sadler. The LACF was established to encourage the visual arts in Leeds and, most importantly, to provide a source of funding that was independent of the municipality for the purchase of contemporary and historic works of art and design for the people of Leeds. Other founding members and sponsors included Sydney Kitson (1871–1937), a well-known local architect and collector, and

Frank Harris Fulford Frank Harris Fulford was an entrepreneur, art collector and businessman. Born in Canada in 1868, Fulford was educated in Leipzig then he returned to Brockville, a city in Eastern Ontario, where he worked as a dealer in music. He married sometime be ...

, director of the family firm C. E. Fulford Limited, which manufactured

Bile Beans Bile Beans was a laxative and tonic first marketed in the 1890s. The product supposedly contained substances extracted from a hitherto unknown vegetable source by a fictitious chemist known as Charles Forde. In the early years Bile Beans were m ...

. Today, most of the LAF's work is channelled through the Leeds City Art Galleries. Through subscriptions and fund-raising events the LAF has helped to enrich the visual life of Leeds by making purchases of art works for display in Leeds at the

Leeds City Art Gallery Leeds Art Gallery in Leeds, West Yorkshire, England, is a gallery, part of the Leeds Museums & Galleries group, whose collection of 20th-century British Art was designated by the British government in 1997 as a collection "of national importance" ...

Temple Newsam Temple Newsam (historically Temple Newsham), () is a Tudor- Jacobean house in Leeds, West Yorkshire, England, with grounds landscaped by Capability Brown. The estate lends its name to the Temple Newsam ward of Leeds City Council, in which it ...

House and

Lotherton Hall Lotherton Hall is a country house near Aberford, West Yorkshire, England. It lies a short distance from the A1(M) motorway, equidistant between London and Edinburgh. It is one of nine sites in the Leeds Museums & Galleries group. There has bee ...

. The LAF has, since its inception, purchased art works, often buying art works outright as part of the LAF collection, but also by supporting the purchase of art works through a contribution to the full purchase price. The LACF has also been the recipient of many generous bequests and donations of art works over the years. The art works belonging to the LAF are too numerous to mention in full, but include works by Henry Moore, Barbara Hepworth, Walter Sickert, Pierre Auguste Renoir, Patrick Heron, Alexander Calder, Francis Bacon, Andy Warhol, Stanley Spencer, Terry Frost and Thomas Hearne. The LAF has also contributed towards the acquisition of many artworks on display in Leeds Museums and Galleries, including by such well-known names as

Thomas Chippendale Thomas Chippendale (1718–1779) was a cabinet-maker in London, designing furniture in the mid-Georgian, English Rococo, and Neoclassical styles. In 1754 he published a book of his designs in a trade catalogue titled ''The Gentleman and Ca ...

J.M.W. Turner Joseph Mallord William Turner (23 April 177519 December 1851), known in his time as William Turner, was an English Romantic painter, printmaker and watercolourist. He is known for his expressive colouring, imaginative landscapes and turbulen ...

John Sell Cotman John Sell Cotman (16 May 1782 – 24 July 1842) was an English marine and landscape painter, etcher, illustrator, author and a leading member of the Norwich School of painters. Born in Norwich, the son of a silk merchant and lace dealer, Cot ...

John Atkinson Grimshaw John Atkinson Grimshaw (6 September 1836 – 13 October 1893) was an English Victorian-era artist best known for his nocturnal scenes of urban landscapes.Alexander Robertson, ''Atkinson Grimshaw'', London, Phaidon Press, 1996 H. J. Dyos and ...

Stass Paraskos Stass Paraskos ( el, Στας Παράσκος; 17 March 1933 – 4 March 2014) was an artist from Cyprus, although much of his life was spent teaching and working in England. Early life Paraskos was born in Anaphotia, a village near the city ...

Paula Rego Paula or PAULA may refer to: Arts and entertainment Fictional characters * Paula, in video game ''EarthBound'' * Paula, in ''The Larry Sanders Show'' * Paula Campbell (''EastEnders''), in 2003 Film and television * ''Paula'' (1915 film), a si ...

Bridget Riley Bridget Louise Riley (born 24 April 1931) is an English painter known for her op art paintings. She lives and works in London, Cornwall and the Vaucluse in France. Early life and education Riley was born on 24 April 1931 in West Norwood, No ...

, Grayson Perry and

Auguste Rodin François Auguste René Rodin (12 November 184017 November 1917) was a French sculptor, generally considered the founder of modern sculpture. He was schooled traditionally and took a craftsman-like approach to his work. Rodin possessed a uniqu ...

. The LAF has also supported various educational and publishing activities associated with the visual arts in Leeds, and continues to do so, not only at the Leeds City Art Galleries, but other visual art centres in Leeds, including the

Art Gallery and East Street Arts (Vitrine project). The LAF is an independent registered charity (Registered Charity Number 529300), but it maintains close links with

Leeds City Council Leeds City Council is the local authority of the City of Leeds in West Yorkshire, England. It is a metropolitan district council, one of five in West Yorkshire and one of 36 in the metropolitan counties of England, and provides the majority of l ...

, and with other organisations with an interest in the artistic life of Leeds, including the

, East Street Arts, the

Leeds Philosophical and Literary Society Leeds Philosophical and Literary Society is a Learned society in Leeds, West Yorkshire, England. It was founded in 1819, and its museum collection forms the basis of Leeds City Museum, which reopened in September 2008. The printed works and ...

and local businesses.

Office holders

Since its foundation the Fund has had an almost unbroken series of certain Office Holders.

Patroness

* The Princess Royal, Countess of Harewood: 1949–60

President

* Edward Wood, later 1st Earl of Halifax: 1912–1959 * The Princess Royal, Countess of Harewood: 1960–1965 *

Charles Wood, 2nd Earl of Halifax Charles Ingram Courtenay Wood, 2nd Earl of Halifax, (3 October 1912 – 19 March 1980), 4th Viscount Halifax of Monk Bretton, 6th Baronet Wood of Barnsley in the County of York, and 2nd Baron Irwin of Kirby Underdale in the County of York, was a ...

: 1965–1980 *

Miles Fitzalan-Howard, 17th Duke of Norfolk Major General Miles Francis Stapleton Fitzalan-Howard, 17th Duke of Norfolk, (21 July 1915 – 24 June 2002) was a British Army general and peer. He was the eldest son of Bernard Fitzalan-Howard, 3rd Baron Howard of Glossop, and his wife Mona ...

: 1980–1986 * Lord Martin Fitzalan-Howard: 1986–1996 *

Peter Wood, 3rd Earl of Halifax Charles Edward Peter Neil Wood, 3rd Earl of Halifax, (born 14 March 1944) is a British peer and Conservative politician. Background Lord Halifax is the third child and only son of Charles Wood, 2nd Earl of Halifax, a grandson of Edward Wood ...

: 1996–present

Hon. Secretary

: 1912–17 * Solomon Kaines-Smith: 1924–27 * Frank Lambert: 1927–31 * John Rothenstien: 1932–34 * Philip Hendy: 1934–45 * Ernest Musgrave: 1946–57 * Robert Rowe: 1958–83 * Christopher Gilbert: 1984–94 * Evelyn Silber: 1995–2001 * Nick Winterbotham: 2001–4 * John Roles: 2004–

Hon. Treasurer

* A.J. Sanders: 1912–22 * H.M. Hepworth: 1922–42 * E.M. Arnold: 1944–54 * Martin Arnold: 1955–92 * J.S. Fox: 1992–97 * Liam O'Connor: 1997–2000 * James Beer: 2000–1 * Carole Fletcher: 2001–10 * Tony Mills: 2010–15 * Anne Braithwaite: 2015–

Chair

* Michael Sadler: 1912–24 * James Baillie: 1924–unknown (died 1940) * - * George Black: 1969–86 * Tony Brown: 1986–97 * J.S. Fox: 1997–2003 *

Benedict Read Benedict William Read, BA, FSA (26 March 1945 – 20 October 2016) was an English art historian. Usually known as Ben Read, he was the author of numerous books, essays and articles on nineteenth and twentieth century art history, and was one ...

: 2003–12 * James Lomax: 2012–15 * Mark Westgarth: 2015–

References

Citations

External links

*
Leeds Art Collections Fund
information on Leeds Art Gallery site *{{EW charity, 529300, Leeds Art Collections Fund Arts in Leeds Charities based in West Yorkshire Organisations based in Leeds