The Contemporary Art Society was founded in 1910 to promote the development of contemporary a and to acquire works by living artists for gift to museums. Not within living memory, the first committee declared, had 'any vital painting that stood the test of time' been acquired for the Nation.
The CAS laid the foundation of the Tate's modern collection and works by Sickert appeared in Lincoln, Bristol, Northampton, York, Oxford and Preston; by Bacon in Batley, Belfast and Aberdeen. Now celebrating its eightieth birthday, the CAS's contribution seems no less important. It has to date presented more than 4,000 works of contemporary art to museums throughout Britain. This book contains over 90 (largely reproduced in colour) of the outstanding CAS purchases (representative of the great British artists of modern times) many of which will also be on display in a South Bank exhibition in December January 1991/2. Essays by leading writers on art -Richard Cork, Joseph Darracott, Margaret Garlake, Frances Spalding and Marina Vaizey - cover purchases and patrons in each decade of the CAS's existence, and there is also an article by Judith Collins on the CAS's origins. Edward Lucie-Smith contributes a provocative piece which not only discusses the instances where the CAS bought well, but also what it missed, and Alan Bowness, former Director of the Tate Gallery, has written an introduction.