The Independent Group: Postwar Britain and the Aesthetics of Plenty

In the early 1950s, approximately fifteen young artists, architects, and critics who frequently met at London’s Institute of Contemporary Arts (ICA) informally organized themselves into the “Independent Group,” or the “IG.” The Independent Group: Postwar Britain and the Aesthetics of Plenty examined the achievements of these influential creatives by featuring original and recreated collaborative installations by the group, as well as examples of individual artistic work. The individual selections encompassed early Pop Art collages by Richard Hamilton and John McHale, sculptures by William Turnbull, and paintings by Magda Cordell; large-scale installations included Patio and Pavilion, a legendary collaboration between Independent Group members Alison and Peter Smithson, Eduardo Paolozzi, and Nigel Henderson.

The Independent Group: Postwar Britain and the Aesthetics of Plenty was co-organized by MOCA; the Institute of Contemporary Arts (ICA), London; the University Art Museum (UAM), Berkeley; and the Hood Museum of Art. The exhibition traveled from the ICA to the Institute Valenciano de Arte Moderno, Centro Julio Gonzalez; MOCA’s Temporary Contemporary, the UAM; and, finally, the Hood Museum.

The exhibition was accompanied by a catalogue, co-published with MIT Press.

The Independent Group: Postwar Britain and the Aesthetics of Plenty was organized by Elizabeth A. T. Smith, Curator, and Mary Jane Jacob, The Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles.

The Temporary Contemporary is the original name of The Geffen Contemporary at MOCA.