Society of Twenty-Five Painters

The Society of Twenty-Five English Painters was an influential but relatively short-lived artistic group founded in 1905. It provided a platform for artists whose work was often influenced by European Impressionism and felt out of place at the more conservative Royal Academy. In 1907, the word 'English' was removed from the original title of the 'Society of Twenty-Five English Painters'. This year, the group exhibited in Barcelona to critical acclaim. British exhibitions were held early in its life at the Goupil Gallery, Regent Street, London, at the Leicester Galleries, and, in 1924/5, at the Fine Art Society.

Terrick Williams, James Whitelaw Hamilton, Walter Montague Smyth, Gerald Moira, Robert Anning Bell, Sydney Lee and Horace Mann Livens were known to have been members. Unusually for its time, the group included several women, most notably Clare Atwood, Isobelle Ann Dods-Withers, and Constance Rea. The society held its final exhibition at the Fine Art Society in 1924, though some activity continued until it disbanded around 1928.

As The Studio Magazine said in November 1925, ''Though it cannot be said that the members collectively represent any particular phase or school of modern art, their work shows a certain community of feeling and displays many of the best qualities of English painting of today".