Decorative Art Group

Founded by the Norwegian artist, Carlo Norway in 1916 who stated that he "made up his mind to get together a few fellow-artists, strong enough to prove by their work that Decorative Art was not dead, in spite of the commercial octopus" as quoted in Studio Yearbook of Decorative Art, 1920. The inaugural exhibition was staged at the Modern Gallery, Bond Street, London in July, 1916 meeting with modest success. The second exhibition was held in 1919 at Derry & Tom's in London, from where it transferred to Finnigan's Galleries in Manchester. This exhibition, which was more extensive in scale and featured work by some thirty members, created considerable public interest.The Group promulgated simplicity coupled with a strong graphic style, banishing from their schemes the illusion of three-dimensionality created by the use of shadow.

Norway aka Bernhard Carl Scholz acted as Honorary Secretary to this rather obscure club located in Bruton Street in London's West End. Unusually Emil Otto Hoppé a well-known photographer was a member who expounded the idea that by introducing the arts into everyday life, that paintings should complement and even reflect curtain design and ceramics in living rooms. Group members included Nancy Smith, Benjamin Coria, E.A. Cox, Arnold Higner, Christopher Nevinson, F.J. Porter, Kathleen Hale, Reginald Higgins, Frank Potter, Robert Arthur Wilson and Cyril Spackman. The Group appears to have ceased after 1920.