World War II: Official War Artists

Under the guidance of the National Gallery Director Kenneth Clark, The War Artists Advisory Committee (WAAC) was established in 1939. Chaired by Clark and administered by the Government Ministry of Information and The British War Advisory Scheme, the group met monthly to coordinate the project, including selecting the artists, their pay and commissions. Each artist's primary purpose was to create imagery for propaganda, but it was widely understood that their work was more than just illustrating mass produced posters and pamphlets. By employing so many of the country's most talented artists, the committee were not only allowing the creation of an important and lasting record of the atrocities faced at home and on the front line, but also trying to preserve the lives and talents of the artists themselves for future generations. By 1945 the collection had amassed more than 5570 works.