It is no exaggeration to say that Charlotte Halliday has been quietly running the New English Art Club from behind the scenes for some 57 years. But all good things must come to an end, and so Charlotte – described by fellow member Julie Held as “a figure of constancy and staying power” – recently stepped down from her role as Keeper of the New English Art Club, a post she has held for 33 years.
Charlotte was elected a member in 1958 whilst Rodney Burn was Honorary Secretary (At this point in NEAC history, the club was headed by a Hon Sec rather than a President). She joined the committee in 1965, by which time Burn had been replaced by Vincent Lines. Charlotte worked with Lines until his death in 1968, then with William Bowyer until 1998, and continued during the reign of the next five presidents. She was elected as Keeper (succeeding Edward Bishop) in 1989.
During Bill Bowyer’s term of office, she and Bob Brown formed a formidable duo. Full of energy, they were the swan’s legs frantically but effectively paddling below the surface of the water. Together they tirelessly catalogued our exhibitions, communicated with the membership, and sorted NEAC logistics, whilst we members moaned feebly about filling in our labels and floundered in our attempts to attach the right mirror plates or string to our pictures.
Bob and his wife Sue shared their memories of this time:
“Long before the days of photocopiers and computers, Charlotte and Bob used to do the catalogue for the annual open exhibition. From a list of all the accepted artwork, Charlotte wrote out – in her distinctive handwriting – the titles of each painting on strips of paper. After the exhibition was hung, Charlotte stuck the titles of each painting on A4 paper, in the order in which they were hung on the wall.
"In the evening, Bob would take this list down to South Croydon to be typed out and delivered to the printers. Copies of this list would be ready for the Private View on the Thursday. I can’t remember if a few were ready for the Critics’ Lunch. I’ve just checked Charlotte’s ‘NEAC: A Record from 1970–2020’ and I see the first Critics’ Lunch was in 1984.
"The NEAC was the first FBA Society to have a catalogue of paintings in the order they were hung. There was also a list of all the exhibiting artists which detailed all the numbers of their work. This was a boon to buyers or collectors who want to search out a particular artist’s paintings.
"As the years went by, the technology for printing improved and computers assisted in the whole process and the catalogues were full of colour photos of the artists’ work. But I still have good memories of those early days, with Charlotte and Bob getting the catalogue to the printers in time for the Critics’ Lunch and Private View.”
Charlotte’s knowledge of the NEAC is unsurpassed. Her 64 years of membership and 57 years of service on the committee bring a unique understanding of the club’s evolution, including significant points, such as the birth of the FBA and the move from Suffolk Street to Mall Galleries. This knowledge, as well as her intelligence, cool head and sense of humour, have been of immeasurable value to the club.
As each successive committee comes up with the next ‘big idea’, she refrains from rolling her eyes, referring instead to her archive of minutes, and informing us of the numerous times this ‘idea’ has already been raised and trialled in past years.
Don’t think for a minute that Charlotte has not managed to keep up with the times. She skilfully operates her iPad (as indeed does her cat Alexander, according to her last Christmas card). Whilst not fond of them, she has embraced Zoom meetings, and partaken in online choir rehearsals.
We will miss Charlotte’s beautifully scripted agendas and minutes, but most of all we shall miss her company on the committee, rocking up after negotiating London traffic from North London on her (now hybrid-electric) bicycle.
The debt we owe to Charlotte is incalculable and we thank her (and indeed Bob while we are about it) for keeping this ship afloat. Her father Edward was a founding member of the Federation of British Artists. I wonder where would we all be if it weren’t for the Hallidays
Drawing of Charlotte by her father Edward
While stepping aside from guiding the committee, she will remain Keeper of the Archive. Some years ago, she handed over a large amount of material to the Tate for its archive of the NEAC, but in her St John’s Wood home, the shelves of her ‘New English cupboard’ still sag under the weight of all sorts of documents: minutes, agendas, catalogues, posters and so forth . . . an invaluable record of meetings and exhibitions over the club’s 137-year history.
Charlotte will continue, I hope, to be an intrinsic part of the NEAC proceedings – its Critics’ Lunches and its communication with our members. As I write, she is still reminding me when we usually decide what.
To be honest, I am not sure she will ever properly retire from looking after or ‘keeping’ us all.
Diana Calvert, Charlotte Halliday and Mary Jackson after the 2022 NEAC AGM, Carlton House Terrace Gardens
I’ll leave the final word to Diana Calvert who sums things up beautifully . . .
“There can be very few – if any – members who can remember a time when Charlotte was neither Assistant Keeper or Keeper of the New English Art Club. I must admit, I miss her lovely hand-written minutes for various meetings. I’m a bit of a Luddite, progress is all very well but . . .
"Luckily, at least we will still be able to enjoy her beautiful watercolours. Her standard never wavers and those of us lucky enough to have some of her paintings have had endless enjoyment from them. Perhaps she will be able to put her feet up after retirement but I’m not holding my breath! So I would like to say to Charlotte ‘THANK YOU!’ for all the hard work you have put in for the New English over the years and for being such a good friend to us all.”
Find out more about Charlotte Halliday on her artist profile page where you will also find a selection of her work for sale.
