Art in Cardiff refers to the culture of visual arts in Cardiff, capital city of Wales. The visual arts in Cardiff have a much more recent history than many British cities, due to it being a very small town until rapid growth took place in the mid nineteenth century.

Cardiff School of Art Cardiff School of Art & Design (CSAD) is one of the five schools that comprise Cardiff Metropolitan University. It originated as the Cardiff School of Art in 1865. History Cardiff School of Art & Design opened in 1865 as the Cardiff School of S ...

originated in 1865 and the first major public art exhibition took place in 1870. The town became a city in 1905, after which time it gained further importance, for example with the creation of a new

National Museum A national museum is a museum maintained and funded by a national government. In many countries it denotes a museum run by the central government, while other museums are run by regional or local governments. In other countries a much greater numb ...

. Into the 21st century it has a thriving art scene.

Background

Cardiff did not become a large town until rapid industrial expansion took place during the second half of the nineteenth century. Artists had visited the town from an earlier date, particularly Paul Sandby (1725/6-1809) painted a number of watercolours of South Wales during his second tour of Wales (1773, published 1775), including of Cardiff's North and West Gates. Wales was unusual because its concentration of visual artists occurred in rural areas (rather than urban centres), drawn there by the impressive scenery. The Cambrian Academy of Art was founded by artists in the Conwy Valley and Betws-y-Coed and art was exhibited at established commercial galleries in

Llandudno Llandudno (, ) is a seaside resort, town and community in Conwy County Borough, Wales, located on the Creuddyn peninsula, which protrudes into the Irish Sea. In the 2011 UK census, the community – which includes Gogarth, Penrhyn Bay, Craigsi ...

, on the North Wales coast.

Late 19th century

In 1858 the idea of a town museum for Cardiff had been raised and, in 1861, a museum was created in temporary rooms based on subscriptions, sharing accommodation with the Cardiff Free Library in St Mary Street. In 1870 Cardiff's first large-scale public art exhibition, the Fine Art and Industrial Exhibition, took place. Bequests to the art collection, particularly sculpture (for example from Milo ap Griffith) began to come in. Central to the town's artistic community at the time were artist

T. H. Thomas Thomas Henry Thomas (31 March 1839 – 9 July 1915) was a Welsh artist particularly active in Cardiff. He was also interested in botany, geology, history, and archaeology which were often the subjects of his art works. He was a Fellow of the Roya ...

(1834–1915) and architect

Edwin Seward Edwin Seward (1853–1924) was an architect based in Cardiff, Wales. Biography Born in Somerset, Seward came to Cardiff aged 16 and studied at the School of Art. He began work as an assistant to architect G. E. Robinson. Seward was one of th ...

(1853–1924). Thomas exhibited at the 1870 exhibition. Seward studied at Cardiff's College of Art and later designed the town's new Free Library on The Hayes. Both became Presidents of the Cardiff Naturalists' Society and when Thomas inherited a house on The Walk in 1880 this also became a place for intellectual discussion. Seward tried unsuccessfully to establish an art institution in Cardiff to represent the whole of Wales. Exhibitions were held in 1884 and 1885 to raise money for a headquarters for the Cambrian Academy. Instead, Seward and a group of artists created the South Wales Art Society in 1888, with an annual exhibition and lecture programme. To help fund a new Free Library a second Fine Art and Industrial Exhibition took place in Cardiff's Drill Hall in 1881. T. H. Thomas and Cardiff painters B. S. Marks and Richard Short were on the organising committee. The event attracted further donations to the town's art collection, including the entire collection of William Menelaus after his death in 1882. In 1883 the National Eisteddfod visited Cardiff and Thomas organised the art and craft exhibition and competition, the largest ever event of its kind in Wales at the time. Local painter Edgar Thomas came to the attention and the Marquess of Bute sponsored his continuing art education as a result. Discussions began in the early 1890s to create a far larger museum and art gallery for Cardiff. The idea that it became a ''national'' museum was soon mooted, to rival those in England and Scotland. A site was secured at Park Place for the new building, and the design commissioned from Edwin Seward. In 1896 Cardiff's third Fine Art and Industrial Exhibition took place (with the pavilion designed by Seward), which further brought together a substantial public collection of art, for example from the works of painter Charles Jones (d. 1892). Plans for a new museum were superseded by grander ambitions for new civic buildings on a much larger site, and it was not realised until after Cardiff achieved city status (1905). Seward's designs were used for the application for government funds, but not used for the final building.

Cardiff School of Art

A School of Science & Art was established in Cardiff in 1865, with lessons taking place on the top floor of the Cardiff Free Library and Museum. In 1867 a distinct School of Art was formed, based on the Art Night School. The first South Kensington examinations took place (and prizes awarded) in 1868 (in 1869 the prizes were handed out by Lord Bute). It became the Cardiff Technical School in 1889 (and eventually Cardiff College of Art in 1949). A purpose built city centre site was opened in May 1970 in Howards Gardens. This was closed in 2014 as the remaining courses were moved to Cardiff Metropolitan University's newly built art college building in Llandaff, bringing all the art and design courses together for the first time in decades.

National Museum of Wales

Art Groups

South Wales Art Society

The South Wales Art Society (SWAS) was formed in 1888 by a group of Cardiff-based members of the art scene, including artists T. H. Thomas and Parker Hagarty, art collector

James Pyke Thompson James Pyke Thompson (1846–1897) was a British corn merchant who is best known for his philanthropic work towards the people of Cardiff and Penarth in South Wales. Born into a wealthy family in Bridgwater, Somerset, Thompson joined his father ...

, architects J. A. Sant and

and watercolourist Clarence Waite. SWAS planned to have an annual exhibition, a lecture programme and a sketching club and "offering to those who admire or appreciate, rather than practise, a means of cultivating a taste for Art". SWAS has continued to hold an annual exhibition in a variety of locations in

Penarth Penarth (, ) is a town and Community (Wales), community in the Vale of Glamorgan ( cy, Bro Morgannwg), Wales, exactly south of Cardiff city centre on the west shore of the Severn Estuary at the southern end of Cardiff Bay. Penarth is a weal ...

and Cardiff. Its 100th exhibition took place at the Turner House Gallery, Penarth and its 127th took place in the Pierhead Building,

Cardiff Bay Cardiff Bay ( cy, Bae Caerdydd; historically Tiger Bay; colloquially "The Bay") is an area and freshwater lake in Cardiff, Wales. The site of a former tidal bay and estuary, it serves as the river mouth of the River Taff and Ely. The body of w ...

in 2014.

56 Group

The ''56 Group'' was conceived in 1956 by a small group of Cardiff-based artists, Eric Malthouse and

David Tinker ''A Message from the Falklands: The Life and Gallant Death of David Tinker'' is a book about Lieutenant David Hugh Russell Tinker (14 March 1957 – 12 June 1982), a Royal Navy supply officer who was killed in action during the Falklands War. H ...

(who both worked at the Art College) together with Michael Edmonds (an artist/architect). The name ''56 Group'' was conceived at a meeting in a Llandaff pub and the loose organising committee was based in Cardiff. However the group had national ambitions to promote radical and abstract Welsh art and its other founding members were associated with areas outside of Cardiff, such as

Newport Newport most commonly refers to: *Newport, Wales *Newport, Rhode Island, US Newport or New Port may also refer to: Places Asia *Newport City, Metro Manila, a Philippine district in Pasay Europe Ireland *Newport, County Mayo, a town on the ...

, Carmarthen,

Aberystwyth Aberystwyth () is a university and seaside town as well as a community in Ceredigion, Wales. Located in the historic county of Cardiganshire, means "the mouth of the Ystwyth". Aberystwyth University has been a major educational location in ...

and the Rhondda valleys.

Arts centres and Galleries

Private galleries

A small number of private art galleries continue to operate in Cardiff. ''Art in Wales: an illustrated history 1850–1980'' describes the standard of exhibitions in Wales private galleries as "uneven", but singles out the Howard Roberts Gallery in Cardiff as one of the "two outstanding private galleries in Wales". In 1956 the Howard Roberts Gallery was created by artist Howard Roberts in four large rooms on St Mary Street. The gallery exhibited established Welsh painters and helped develop the careers of others. It became known as a centre for modernism, signing Ceri Richards and John Piper to its books. The gallery was eventually forced to close in 1970, but left a legacy of art bequests to major Welsh galleries. Other notable private galleries include the Albany Gallery, Roath, which was opened in 1965 by Mary Yapp and became the agent for Kyffin Williams. The Martin Tinney Gallery opened in 1989 in the city centre, later moving to St Andrews Crescent, and represents major Welsh artists such as

Shani Rhys James Shani Rhys James MBE (born 1953)BBC Wales ArtShani Rhys James last updated 28 September 2010. Retrieved 6 November 2011. is a Welsh painter based in Llangadfan, Powys. She has been described as "arguably one of the most exciting and successful p ...

. G39 is a contemporary art gallery which opened on Mill Lane in the centre of Cardiff in 1998. It moved to larger premises in Roath in 2012.

Oriel

'' Oriel'' was an art gallery and bookshop in Charles Street, founded by the Welsh Arts Council in 1975 as its ''"Window on the Arts in Wales"''. It mounted influential exhibitions of contemporary art and had a publishing operation. In the late 1980s it moved to the corner of The Friary and Greyfriars Road. It closed in the 1990s when the Welsh Arts Council withdrew funding.

Chapter Arts Centre

Chapter is an arts centre in the

Canton Canton may refer to: Administrative division terminology * Canton (administrative division), territorial/administrative division in some countries, notably Switzerland * Township (Canada), known as ''canton'' in Canadian French Arts and ent ...

district of the city which includes two gallery spaces.

21st century

Artes Mundi

Artes Mundi is an international biennial contemporary art exhibition and prize, held at the National Museum since 2004.

Street art and graffiti

The 'Roxe Jam' hip-hop and graffiti festival took place annually from July 2008 in Sevenoaks Park, Grangetown. The event was set up in memory of a young graffiti writer, Bill Lockwood aka Roxe, who was killed in a road accident. The main street art highlight of the event was the legal painting of a 140 m long wall which runs parallel to the Cardiff to Penarth railway line. The festival last took place in 2012. In October 2013 the ''

Made in Roath Made in Roath is an annual arts festival that takes place every October in Roath, a neighbourhood just adjacent to the city centre of Cardiff, Wales. The event showcases art, music, performance, literature and food in a variety of venues including ...

'' collaborated with the ''Empty Walls'' project with the intention of painting murals and street art on neglected buildings. The event was brought into

Cardiff city centre Cardiff city centre ( cy, Canol Dinas Caerdydd) is the city centre and central business district of Cardiff, Wales. The area is tightly bound by the River Taff to the west, the Civic Centre to the north and railway lines and two railway sta ...

in 2014. Empty Walls festival sponsored by the

Arts Council of Wales The Arts Council of Wales (ACW; cy, Cyngor Celfyddydau Cymru) is a Welsh Government-sponsored body, responsible for funding and developing the arts in Wales. Established within the Arts Council of Great Britain in 1946, as the Welsh Arts ...

took the project to the city centre. The Project was organised b
Sam Worthington
(Wasp Elder/Colour Doomed) an
Helen Bur
( HB) whom formed the arts collective Modern Alchemists, Empty Walls Street Art Festival and the Abacus arts space in Wood Street. It brought together 20 local and international street artists and over 40 murals were painted over the two festivals, together with an indoor exhibition at Abacus.

Made in Roath

Made in Roath is an annual arts festival held in the Roath district of Cardiff.

Public art and sculpture

Sources

* *

References

{{reflist, refs= {{cite book , chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=SScGAAAAQAAJ&dq=%22Milo+ap+Griffith%22&pg=PA52 , title=Sixth Annual Report 1867–68 , chapter=The Headmaster's Report , publisher=Cardiff Free Library and Museum and Science and Art Schools , date=1868 , pages=13–14 , access-date=2014-11-16 {{cite book , url=https://books.google.com/books?id=SScGAAAAQAAJ&dq=%22Milo+ap+Griffith%22&pg=PA52 , title=Sixth Annual Report 1867–68 , publisher=Cardiff Free Library and Museum and Science and Art Schools , date=1868 , pages=6–8 , access-date=2014-11-16 {{cite web, title=Our history , url=http://www.cardiffmet.ac.uk/alumni/Pages/Our-History.aspx , publisher= Cardiff Metropolitan University , access-date=16 November 2014 Peter Lord, ''The Visual Culture of Wales: Imaging the Nation'', pages 131–132 Peter Lord, ''The Visual Culture of Wales: Imaging the Nation'', pages 298–299 Peter Lord, ''The Visual Culture of Wales: Imaging the Nation'', page 301–303 Peter Lord, ''The Visual Culture of Wales: Imaging the Nation'', page 303–304, includes membership certificate (1888) of H. Clarence Waite Peter Lord, ''The Visual Culture of Wales: Imaging the Nation'', pp. 304–306 Moore, David, ''A Taste of the Avant-garde: 56 Group Wales'', pages 6–7 Moore, David, ''A Taste of the Avant-garde: 56 Group Wales'', pages 8–13 {{Citation, editor=Matthew Potter , title=The Concept of the 'Master'in Art Education in Britain and Ireland 1770 to the Present , chapter=Struggling with the Welsh Masters (footnotes), chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ZATXKWdEKikC&dq=%22Cardiff+School+of+Art%22+1865&pg=PA163 , publisher=Ashgate Publishing , page=163 , year=2013, isbn=978-1-4094-3555-6 {{cite web, title=South Wales Art Society - Our History , url=http://www.southwalesartsociety.co.uk/?page_id=6 , publisher=South Wales Art Society , access-date=18 November 2014 {{cite news, author=Karen Price , title=Discover new art at the degree shows , url=http://www.walesonline.co.uk/whats-on/arts-culture-news/discover-new-art-degree-shows-7221419 , work=Wales Online , date=6 June 2014 , access-date=17 November 2014 {{cite news, title=The long-running South Wales Art Society announces its 127th annual exhibition , url=http://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/local-news/long-running-south-wales-art-society-7634354 , work=Wales Online , date=18 August 2014 , access-date=18 November 2014 Arts in Cardiff Cardiff Cardiff