Shaftesbury Avenue, Covent Garden

1975 – 1978

AIR Gallery opened as an extension of the Artist Information Registry. The idea was that it should give a further platform for artists’ work. Each exhibition was selected by a panel of three AIR artists and an invited outsider.

The first show included Marc Camille Chaimowicz, Nat Gooden, James Griffin, Harvey Hood, Michael Kenny, Stuart Mealing, Richard Rome, Kerry Trengrove, Shelagh Wakeley and Rhonda and David Whitehead – the outside selector was Guardian critic Caroline Tisdall.

“Perhaps for the first time in Britain we are going to have an efficiently run non-commercial gallery managed by an artists’ co-operative.” (ref: Time Out review).

• 5 – 26 May 1976: an exhibition of paintings chosen by Ian Mackenzie Smith, director Aberdeen Art Gallery, Brian Fielding, Bert Irvin and Basil Beattie. Robert Clarke, Trevor Jones, William Mills, Andy Whamond.
• Evening Standard, 26 Aug 1976 exhibition listing: The Air Gallery – four young painters, Stephen Carter, William Henderson, Jim Latter and Maralyn Weber.
• 18 – 30 April 1977: Lloyd Gibson – a Sunderland Art Gallery Touring Exhibition. Chris Mansell, Prints.
• 1 – 18 Feb 1978: Changing Nature, Doug Cocker, John Harper, Peter Ellis.
• 15 Mar – 1 April 1978: Exhibition of Patchwork Pictures from Chile. A Third Eye Centre Glasgow X AIR Gallery Exhibition.
• 6 – 27 April 1978: William Johnstone Recent Work.
• 5 – 26 May 1978: Dick Whall, l’appareil pédagogique avec ses apanages or the enigma machine together with its ‘bombs’ 1969-78.
• 3– 24 Aug 1978: IN THE AIR, Paul Green and Chris Marshall; Take an Empty Gallery, Add two artists and basic ingredients. Open to visitors – comments, questions, ideas and some assistance. Building work and labour was funded by Alastair McAlpine.
• 6 – 16 Dec 1978: Jim Allen, Roger Barnard, David Buckland, Brian Catling, Doug Cocker, John Davidson, Barbara Delaney, Paul Eachus, Peter Ellis, John Harper, Michael Heindorff, Bill Henderson, Gill Ingham, Gerry Keon, Sharon Kivland, Nick Lloyd, Tim Maria, Peter Miller, David Nash, Paul Neagu, Hugh O’Donnell, Ken Oliver, Chris Plowman, Frances Quesnel, Howard Rogers, Paul Rumsey, Richard Rush, Bruce Russell, Jurgen Shadeberg, Keir Smith, Brian Thompson, Silvie Turner, Victor Willing.