The Women's International Art Club, briefly known as the Paris International Art Club, was founded in Paris in 1900. The club was intended to "promote contacts between women artists of all nations and to arrange exhibitions of their work", and until it dissolved in 1976 it provided a way for women to exhibit their art work. The first exhibition of the club was held in Paris in 1900, and another at the

Grafton Galleries The Grafton Galleries, often referred to as the Grafton Gallery, was an art gallery in Mayfair, London. The French art dealer Paul Durand-Ruel showed the first major exhibition in Britain of Impressionist paintings there in 1905. Roger Fry' ...

in London in the same year. Members of the club included

Elisabeth Frink Dame Elisabeth Jean Frink (14 November 1930 – 18 April 1993) was an English sculptor and printmaker. Her ''Times'' obituary noted the three essential themes in her work as "the nature of Man; the 'horseness' of horses; and the divine in ...

Gwen John Gwendolen Mary John (22 June 1876 – 18 September 1939) was a Welsh artist who worked in France for most of her career. Her paintings, mainly portraits of anonymous female sitters, are rendered in a range of closely related tones. Although s ...

and

Orovida Pissarro Orovida Pissarro (8 October 1893 – 8 August 1968), known for most of her life as Orovida, was a British painter and etcher. For most of her career she distanced herself from the Impressionist and Post-Impressionist styles of her father, Luc ...

History

The Paris International Art Club was founded in Paris in 1900, and changed its name to the Women's International Art Club in the same year. The first exhibition of the club was held at the Grafton Galleries in

Bond Street Bond Street in the West End of London links Piccadilly in the south to Oxford Street in the north. Since the 18th century the street has housed many prestigious and upmarket fashion retailers. The southern section is Old Bond Street and the l ...

, London, in 1900, and was followed by a second show at the same gallery in March and April 1901. Annual exhibitions were held in London until the club dissolved in 1976. Some smaller exhibitions were also held in other parts of Britain and overseas. The membership of the club was international, and there were sections in France, Greece, Holland, Italy and the United States. The club is thought to have dissolved in 1976, but held an exhibition at

Greenwich Greenwich ( , ,) is a town in south-east London, England, within the ceremonial county of Greater London. It is situated east-southeast of Charing Cross. Greenwich is notable for its maritime history and for giving its name to the Greenwich ...

in 1977.

Exhibitors

The early annual exhibitions were held at the

. Later the

Goupil Gallery Goupil & Cie is an international auction house and merchant of contemporary art and collectibles. Jean-Baptiste Adophe Goupil founded Goupil & Cie in 1850. Goupil & Cie became a leading art dealership in 19th-century France, with its headquart ...

was used, and then the galleries of the

Royal Society of British Artists The Royal Society of British Artists (RBA) is a British art body established in 1823 as the Society of British Artists, as an alternative to the Royal Academy. History The RBA commenced with twenty-seven members, and took until 1876 to reach fif ...

. Initially only members of the club could participate in the exhibitions; the club had a limit of 150 members. From 1921, non-members could, for a fee, exhibit one picture each. These exhibitions helped to make up for the lack of opportunity for women to exhibit at mainstream venues such as the

Royal Academy The Royal Academy of Arts (RA) is an art institution based in Burlington House on Piccadilly in London. Founded in 1768, it has a unique position as an independent, privately funded institution led by eminent artists and architects. Its pur ...

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, Anthea Alley, Gwen Barnard,

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, Elinor Bellingham-Smith,

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, Dame

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, Stanisława de Karłowska, Dame

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and Dame

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were among those who exhibited. A full list of exhibitors from 1900 to 1966 was published in 1981.

History

Exhibitors

References

Further reading