Independent Group (art movement)

The Independent Group (IG) was a radical British art collective founded in London in 1952 and active until 1955. It is regarded as a precursor to the Pop Art movement and played a significant role in challenging established modernist art conventions in post-war Britain.

The IG consisted of painters, sculptors, architects, writers, and critics who were united by their interest in popular culture, mass media, and technology. They explored themes such as American advertising, science fiction, car design, and new materials like plastics, which were largely ignored or dismissed by the art establishment at the time.

Key members of the Independent Group included Eduardo Paolozzi, Richard Hamilton, Alison and Peter Smithson, Nigel Henderson, Reyner Banham, and Lawrence Alloway. They met regularly at the Institute of Contemporary Arts (ICA) in London to discuss their ideas and present their work.

The IG's activities included exhibitions, lectures, and publications that aimed to bridge the gap between high art and popular culture. Their most famous exhibition, "This is Tomorrow," held at the Whitechapel Art Gallery in 1956, was a collaborative installation involving architecture, design, and art, and is considered a landmark event in the development of Pop Art.

The Independent Group's embrace of consumer culture and mass media paved the way for a new generation of artists who would further explore these themes in the Pop Art movement of the 1960s. Their influence can also be seen in fields such as architecture, design, and media studies.