Islington Art Circle

In the Spring of 1941 Arthur Ernest Hickman Smith, an amateur but more than competent painter, needed a diversion from enemy bombing. He decided on art and with the help of similarly minded friends formed the Islington Art Circle. As soon as its first exhibition was hung in the large hall of the Central Library, a landmine exploded nearby, destroying the glass roof of the hall. Miraculously, no paintings were damaged! This was an auspicious start for the new group.

After Hickman-Smith died in 1965 the Circle formed a committee with artists Geoffrey Wickham, Leonard Renton and others who were all determined to preserve the quality of work. As proof of their commitment to standards et al, the first president was Sir Basil Spence and the subsequent presidents were Sir William Coldstream and Royal Academician Anthony Green. George and Deborah Bunting enduring stalwarts continued their commitment to the Circle for a further 35 years until they died in 2000.

In 2002 the group changed its name to Islington Art Society, which continues to promote art and artists including painters, sculptors and printmakers both amateur and professional. The Circle holds spring and autumn exhibitions each year. In 2006 they started holding exhibitions in the Gallery attached to the Stoke Newington Library, in nearby Hackney. Since 2009 it has held one of its twice-yearly exhibitions in the galleries of the Hornsey Library in the nearby Borough of Haringey.