Redefining Art and Culture: The Welsh Arts Council’s ‘Art and Society’ Exhibition Series 1969–76

Abstract

Between 1969 and 1976, the Welsh Arts Council (WAC) organized a groundbreaking exhibition series called ‘Art and Society’, which explored how particular themes – war, work, worship and sex – had been interpreted across different media. Combining ‘high’ art with ‘popular’ culture, this series attracted international attention for challenging cultural hierarchies and advancing a broader, sociological definition of ‘art’. Yet it also attracted controversy, both for rejecting critical standards and for the theme of its final exhibition, ‘sex’. This article examines ‘Art and Society’ in its broader historical context. It argues that the series demonstrates WAC’s contribution to key cultural debates in post-war Britain.