Seven and five society

Formed in London in 1919, it held its first exhibition the following year. Initially it was a conservative group and can be seen as a British manifestation of the return to order that followed the First World War. The first exhibition catalogue explained that the society was not formed 'to advertise a new "ism" [we] feel that there has of late been too much pioneering along too many lines in altogether too much of a hurry.' This perfectly encapsulates the 'return to order' attitude. However, in 1924 Ben Nicholson, one of the pioneers of abstract art in Britain, joined the Seven and Five. He was followed by other modernists including Hepworth, Moore and later, Piper. They effectively hijacked the group, expelling the non-modernists. In 1935 they renamed it the Seven and Five Abstract Group and held the first all abstract exhibition in Britain at the Zwemmer Gallery in London. Source: Tate Collection, http://www.tate.org.uk/collections/glossary/definition.jsp?entryId=270