Welcome



The Portsmouth and Hampshire Art Society was formed in 1909 under the guidance of the renowned marine artist W.L. Wyllie, who became its Honorary President.

The highlight of our year is the Summer Exhibition. In recent years we have been privileged to exhibit in the light and spacious setting of the nave of Portsmouth Cathedral.

There is a varied programme of monthly demonstrations by established artists and occasional workshops with visiting tutors. See Programme of Events Page.

Weekly art sessions take place where members can enjoy the stimulation of working in the company of other artists. See Thursday Art Group page.

See also our facebook group - 'The Portsmouth and Hampshire Art Society' - https://www.facebook.com/groups/629557918562245

This is a private group so it is necessary to apply to join.

A Bit of History

The Society was founded in 1909. The founder and first president was J W Allison RA, with W L Wylie RA as the Hon. President.

The Society was created for the purpose of exhibiting the work of a group of professional artists, including a number of members of the Royal Academy. The first exhibition opened on 14th June, 1909. By 1912 there were 150 exhibiting members showing 400 works. These early exhibitions were held in the Esplanade Assembly Rooms, Southsea (next to Clarence Pier).  Subsequent exhibitions were held in Cumberland House (dates not known). In 1951 the well-known Petersfield artist Flora Twort joined the Society.

There were no exhibitions in the years 1941-1946, since when there had been no break until 2020.