In 1886 the New English Art Club was founded by Sargent, Whistler, Pissarro, and other artists as a direct reaction to the conservatism of the Royal Academy. Based on the principles of Impressionism, the club attracted the most advanced painters of the time; by the early 20th century, it was the dominant force in British art. In this incisive study, profusely illustrated with works created under the NEAC’s auspices, Kenneth McConkey explores for the first time the important position the club held in the development of modern art.
Kenneth McConkey is Professor of Art History and Dean of the Faculty of Arts and Design, University of Northumbria at Newcastle. He has written extensively about late Victorian and Edwardian painting.