Exhibition
The Welsh Group: Across Two Valleys
6 Apr 2020 – 16 May 2020
Regular hours
- Monday
- 09:00 – 17:00
- Tuesday
- 09:00 – 17:00
- Wednesday
- 09:00 – 17:00
- Thursday
- 09:00 – 17:00
- Friday
- 09:00 – 17:00
- Saturday
- 09:00 – 13:00
Address
- High Street
- Merthyr Tydfil
Wales - CF47 8AE
- United Kingdom
Travel Information
- Merthyr Tydfil central station
- Merthyr Tydfil central station
The Welsh Group is an artists’ collective, with the purpose of exhibiting and “giving a voice” to the visual arts in Wales.
About
The Welsh Group is an artists’ collective, with the purpose of exhibiting and “giving a voice” to the visual arts in Wales.
This exhibition runs across two venues, overlapping with the Cynon Valley Museum
The Welsh Group is one Wales’ most established and respected group of artists. It was founded in 1948 as the South Wales Group which at that stage consisted of both professional and amateur artists from south Wales’ six leading art societies. However, by 1975 it had radically changed, becoming a professional only collective renaming itself The Welsh Group: Y Grŵp Cymreig.
Throughout its history the group has exhibited widely in Wales and internationally. It celebrated its 50th Anniversary in 1998 with a publication by Dr Peter Wakelin and an exhibition in the National Museum and Gallery of Wales, followed by a tour. In 2008 a 60th Anniversary was similarly celebrated with a major exhibition of current members work at the National Library of Wales. The exhibition was curated by Dr Ceri Thomas who also wrote the accompanying introduction and catalogue.
In 2018 a series of exhibitions began across Wales to mark the group’s 70th anniversary, together with a new publication, exploring the work of individual current members, the book highlights the history of their involvement. It also reflects on recent members and activities and takes a fresh look at the Group’s character.
The Welsh Group members are not dominated by any movement, style or manifesto, but come together as professional individuals promoting and exhibiting art of high quality. The Group gives a sense of comradeship and belonging to its members and, by association, to other artists living and working throughout Wales. The Welsh Group members demonstrate a wide cross section of conceptual approaches in contemporary visual arts practice through a range of media and processes.
The Group currently has just over 35 active members (including a Chair’s Mentored Member) located across the whole of Wales. Its members are amongst the best-known and respected practitioners working in the visual arts within Wales.