Contemporary Art Society

Contemporary Art Society

Artists and Writers

Great Art for Great Places

About us

The Contemporary Art Society exists to encourage an appreciation and understanding of contemporary art by a wide audience and to donate works by important and new artists to museums and public galleries across the UK.

Industry
Artists and Writers
Company size
11-50 employees
Headquarters
London
Type
Nonprofit
Founded
1910
Specialties
Championing new artistic talent, encouraging philanthropy and collecting, supporting curators, and art consultancy services

Locations

Employees at Contemporary Art Society

Updates

  • Yesterday the CAS launched its annual Frieze breakfast, this year at Jikoni to announce the Collections Fund at Frieze 2024, where it was announced that the artists Haegue Yang and Nour Jaouda have been selected by the committee to have work acquired into the Hepworth Wakefield Collection. The Director of The Hepworth Wakefield, Simon Wallis, as well as the Head of Collection and Exhibitions, Eleanor Clayton, the artist Nour Jaouda and Eva Langret of Frieze and the CAS's director Caroline Douglas gave introductory speeches at the event. Speaking about the Collections Fund, Clayton said: ‘We are so grateful to CAS for this incredible opportunity to purchase work for Wakefield’s collection at Frieze. The Hepworth Wakefield has no acquisition budget, so funds like this offer a rare chance to research and select acquisitions which make a pivotal impact on the collection. We’re thrilled to be acquiring work by Haegue Yang and Nour Jaouda, artists whose work references contemporary politics – particularly questions of migration and belonging – through judicious choices of materials, a new twist on the idea of ‘truth to materials’ that was at the heart of Barbara Hepworth’s practice. These acquisitions mark a significant shift towards the collection’s international ambitions, while connecting to Hepworth’s legacy.’ 📷 Contemporary Art Society

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  • Join the CAS at our next conference ‘On Radicalism’ on Thursday, 1 May, from 11am – 4pm 🍍 On this day, we will question what it means to be radical within the framework of art museums and curatorial practice. We will examine structures and ideologies embodied in cultural institutions and art collections, their narratives and politics of representation, while bringing to the fore strategies to reshape and transform them. We are delighted to welcome wonderful speakers, who, through different entry points, will address their perspectives on radicalism. Sharon Heal, Director of the Museums Association, will address the radical projects by museums across the UK, as outlined in the 'Radical Museums' podcast. Writer, Researcher and Curator Dr. Clare Carolin, King's College London, will present her research on museum archives as sites of radicalism that hold hidden or forgotten truths which, once uncovered, open up new realities and other potentialities for necessary change. Additionally, Katya García-Antón, Director and Chief Curator of Nordnorsk Kunstmuseum, will address insights from her research on Sámi contemporary art and the Arctic, and discuss her ideas on practicing resistance. Helen Legg, Director of Tate Liverpool, will talk about the 13-year custodianship of a work by Maya-Kaqchikel artist Edgar Calel, which, in alignment with a sacred Mayan cycle, will end with a choice to pass the work on to another institution or return it to the earth. Finally, Sepake Anigiama, Artistic Director of Iniva, will share her ideas on radical pedagogies, unlearning processes and radical forms of re-imagination. 🌟 The event is free for CAS Museum Members 🌟 General Public is required a £15 ticket or £10 concessions Find tickets here: https://buff.ly/3EGvGaT Image credit: Edgar Calel, Ru k’ox k’ob’el jun ojer etemab’el (The Echo of an Ancient Form of Knowledge), 2021. Liverpool Biennial 2023 at Tate Liverpool. Courtesy of Liverpool Biennial. Photography by Mark McNulty.

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  • Join the Contemporary Art Society as we celebrate our 19th Artist’s Table with Alvaro Barrington at his private studio in East London on Monday 10 March 2025. Alvaro will also be creating a very special limited edition only available to attendees which will be announced prior to the event 🌟 CAS has acquired two of Barrington’s works, Lamb of God, 2020 & 1944–1977, 2018 presented to Towner Eastbourne (Towner Art Gallery), 2022/23 gifted by Russell Tovey. Barrington is represented by, amongst others, Emalin, with whom the CAS is collaborating on this event. Barrington’s multimedia work combines materials including textiles, painting, mixed media, drawing, photography, and print. Barrington began to sew as a way to connect with his Grenadian aunts who were masterful sewists. He has explored the formal action of sewing yarn as an entry into this long tradition of a gendered textile art practice, which was documented orally and passed down by the women in his family. His intimate compositions focus on single subjects in close-up, including faces, body parts, and tropical vegetation. Flamboyant tree and hibiscus flowers, in particular, have become personal motifs for the artist. To reserve a ticket for this event please follow this link: https://buff.ly/3Q9nLFy Please note that this event is a charitable fundraiser. The proceeds go towards the Contemporary Art Society's mission to champion and support museum collections around the country.

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  • Join us for our 19th Artist’s Table with Alvaro Barrington at his private Whitechapel studio on Monday, 10 March 2025. Alvaro Barrington’s multimedia practice spans textiles, painting, drawing, photography, and print. His exploration of sewing began as a connection to his Grenadian aunts, masterful sewists who passed down their craft orally. Through this lens, Barrington delves into the traditions of gendered textile art, presenting intimate close-ups of faces, body parts, and tropical motifs like flamboyant trees and hibiscus flowers. We encourage you to see Barrington's GRACE Tate Britain commission, on view until the 26th January. CAS collaborated with Russell Tovey to donate two works by Barrington, Lamb of God (2020) and 1944–1977 (2018), to Towner Eastbourne Gallery. Save the date for this incredible ticketed event. Thank you for supporting CAS – we can’t wait to share this special event with you! for further information please contact martha@contemporaryartsociety.org Image courtesy of Jeremiah Cumberbatch

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  • Highlighting some of the CAS *Consultancy projects from 2024 *Consultancy create art and culture solutions for the public realm and private clients, delivering strategies, projects and collections that are tailor-made to reflect our commissioners' ambitions and values. ⭐️ *Consultancy has been appointed by FM Conway, Westminster City Council’s Principal Contractor, to deliver an ambitious public art scheme across eight sites as part of the City of Westminster’s extensive refurbishment of public conveniences. “Public art has the power to uplift and inspire, turning everyday places into unique experiences. We’re delighted to have chosen James Lambert to not only beautify our public spaces but also to create a visual story that resonates with everyone who visits and lives in our city…” Cllr Paul Dimoldenberg ⭐️ *Consultancy worked with award-winning artist Ryan Gander to create six life-sized bronze sculptures. The artworks were commissioned by Lendlease for Elephant Park. The sculptures were created through a series of workshops with children from three local primary schools. During the workshops, led by Ryan and the South London Gallery education team, the children explored possibilities for their futures together, and engaged in place-making activities relevant to their personal, local, and global contexts. The project’s aim was to create positive stories for young people and help them reflect on the diversity and vibrancy of their own communities. ⭐️ *Consultancy is working with a group of Bristol-based artists who have been selected to lead a new participatory public art project for the University of Bristol’s Temple Quarter Enterprise Campus. Titled 'Charting Change', the participatory project is a two-year commission which will explore the industrial histories of the site of the new campus alongside its technological futures. Focusing on engagement and dialogue, the project will work with local people and civic partners to co-develop a series of artworks and events, which in turn will inform the design of a permanent textile artwork in the main building at the new campus.

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  • We are excited to announce that John Wood and Paul Harrison have been commissioned by the University of Bristol to create a landmark artwork for the new Temple Quarter Enterprise Campus (TQEC). Wood and Harrison have been selected following a curatorial process led by Contemporary Art Society *Consultancy to develop a public artwork that reflects the themes of innovation and research exemplified by the collaborative, interdisciplinary work that will take place at TQEC. The artwork will be located in the Exchange Hall of the new building, just a short walk from the new Eastern entrance to Bristol Temple Meads train station. Wood and Harrison have worked together for 30 years and are based in Bristol with a studio at Spike Island. Their work explores how we interact with the world around us, often playfully highlighting the absurd. Their work has been exhibited across the world including the Museum of Modern Art and Times Square in New York and they have works in the collections of Tate London, Centre Pompidou and Arts Council Collection, amongst others. Image: courtesy the artists

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  • JOB ALERT 🔔 The Contemporary Art Society (CAS) seeks an Assistant Manager, Development, who will play an integral role within our team in the preparation, communication and delivery of an exclusive programme for Individual Patrons and Corporate Patrons of the Contemporary Art Society. The position requires a dynamic, organised individual with the ability to work across the different strands of Development, efficiently and effectively, with exceptional interpersonal and administrational skills. The candidate will ideally have an interest and knowledge of art.

  • The American-Pakistani artist Asad Raza (@asaaddo) is developing a new public art commission at Granta Park in Cambridgeshire. CAS *Consultancy is managing this process on behalf of BioMed Realty – a leading provider of real estate solutions to the life science and technology industries. Established more than 20 years ago, Granta Park is one of the world’s most dynamic life sciences developments and home to leading pharmaceutical research and development companies. The current estate offers 120 acres of inspirational surroundings for a population of nearly 2,500 people working at the cutting edge of biomedical research. Known for projects such as Diversion, which saw Raza reroute the Main River to flow through Kunsthalle Portikus in Frankfurt, the artist conceives of art as a metabolic, active experience – he creates participatory interventions which prompt visitors to interact with their environment and interrogate the relationship between nature and culture. Raza’s work at Granta Park is focussing on the River Granta, a rare chalk stream. The work will see local communities and research facilities coming together to monitor and care for the health of the river. Video courtesy of Big G Studios @big_g_studio

  • Square the Block by Richard Wilson was unveiled in September 2009 and commissioned as part of the transformation of the LSE’s New Academic Building on Lincoln’s Inn Fields. Developed by CAS *Consultancy, with faculty and LSE students at playing a key role in the commissioning process, the project exemplifies LSE’s commitment to integrating art, scholarship, and community engagement. Sited on the exterior of the building in Kingsway, Square the Block is a significant and surprising architectural intervention – using the existing architectural detailing to create a corner that was never there. The two edges of the sculpture are copied from two vertical areas on the existing building, but when placed together make no architectural and functional sense other than completing the corner. At the base of the sculpture, above the pavement, the sculpture appears to have been twisted and compressed as if by greater tectonic forces. Wilson’s work is part of a series developed by CAS *Consultancy for the site that includes works from Turner Prize-winner Mark Wallinger, Tod Hanson and Joy Gerrard. Image: Matt Blaney

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  • JOB ALERT 🔔 The Contemporary Art Society (CAS) seeks an Assistant Manager, Development, who will play an integral role within our team in the preparation, communication and delivery of an exclusive programme for Individual Patrons and Corporate Patrons of the Contemporary Art Society. The position requires a dynamic, organised individual with the ability to work across the different strands of Development, efficiently and effectively, with exceptional interpersonal and administrational skills. The candidate will ideally have an interest and knowledge of art. Salary: £27,500 pro rata per annum. Working Pattern: Full-time. Usual working hours are 9.30-5.30. Occasional evening and weekend work may be required. Closing Date: 10am, Friday 13 December 2024. Interviews will take place on Wednesday 18 December 2024. Head to the CAS website to apply: https://buff.ly/48mPPgM

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