English workers’ art

This catalogue was produced in 1977 by the work group of the same name to accompany an exhibition by the Ashington Group in the foyer of the Akademie der Künste shown during a film program by the Deutsche Kinemathek on the British documentary film movement. The Ashington Group, formed in the early 1930s near Newcastle upon Tyne, consisted mainly of miners. They took drawing lessons with an artist from King’s College, experimented with various materials, and discussed their progress at weekly meetings. Although most of the pictures portrayed working and living conditions in industrial society, the focus was on exploring the use of art to express thoughts and feelings. The Ashington Group existed for several decades but it produced no professional painters, all of its members remaining painting workers. If one of their pictures was sold, the proceeds went into a shared fund. In addition to documents on the history of the Ashington Group and a selection of works, the catalogue also contains articles on the history of the British workers’ movement. 

Ed.: nGbK

Work group: Jürgen Enkemann, Hanna Gagel, Kirsten Heckmann-Janz, Jutta Phillips, Martyn Phillips, Friedrich Rothe