London's ICA celebrates its first permanent digs at what is now Dover Street Market

Design studio
(Image credit: Mark Blower)

London's Institute of Contemporary Arts was founded in London in 1946 as an exhibition space and talking shop, a radical and initially itinerant counter-point to the Royal Academy. It moved into its first permanent home on the first floor of 17-18 Dover Street - what is now Comme des Garçon's fashion emporium Dover Street Market and had once been the home of Horatio Nelson - in 1950, until it transferred to its current site on The Mall in 1968.

This month, the institution prepares for a multi-celebration, with a series of events and exhibitions that pay tribute to its history and the people who were part of it. The catalyst for this is a book, unveiled this week, that looks back at the ICA's first two decades (and a bit). 'Institute of Contemporary Arts: 1946 - 1968' is a retrospective gathering of images, original documents and anecdotes by art historian Anne Massey and the ICA executive director Gregor Muir.

Exploring the history of the institution also inspired an exhibition in its original Mayfair HQ. London-based design studio (and Wallpaper* collaborator) Julia was enlisted to stage a friendly take-over of the building, working with the archive material from the ICA's Dover Street stint to develop a visual history that twists through the store's six floors. Posters, notes and artwork are scattered around the store's displays, and the staircase features a typographic timeline of the exhibitions and events through the years in the building.

The book and exhibition narrate an exciting time in the institution's history: the modernist architect Jane Drew, with a little help from Eduardo Paolozzi and his student Terence Conran, designed the member's room and it became the maternity suite of Op Art, Pop Art, the Independent Group and Brutalist architecture, among other things. Artists, architects and writers met in the space, which also hosted the first London exhibition of Jackson Pollock and the first institutional solo show of Francis Bacon's work.

A key character resurfacing from the ICA's history is British artist Richard Hamilton, an important figure in the early days of establishment and on the British artistic panorama. Hamilton was a driving force for the book's creation, having been involved with the ICA in an all-encompassing manner since 1950 - his contributions ranged from setting up exhibitions to curating shows - and his relationship with the ICA and its members was key to his artistic career.

A young Richard Hamilton worked on the very first installation at Dover Street and two of his later Dover Street installations, 'Man, Machine and Motion' (1955) and 'An Exhibit' (1957) are now being shown at the ICA to neatly coincide with the major retrospective that the Tate Modern (which is also home to the ICA's Richard Hamilton archives) is dedicating to his work.

The entrance to Dover Street Market

The entrance to Dover Street Market has been pasted with a private view card for the 1948 '40 years of modern art' show and a cover from the ICA's Bulletin No. 99, June 1959

(Image credit: press)

Te main entrance is the cover of an early ICA membership

Julia and the ICA have developed a visual history that twists through the store's six floors. On the floor of the main entrance is the cover of an early ICA membership brochure, fronted by the words 'the arts appeal for your help', with typography by Anthony Froshaug

(Image credit: FHK Henrion)

The controversial exhibition

Left: a black and white photograph of the controversial exhibition 'Parallel of Life and Art', held at the Dover Street gallery in 1953. Right: an image from Richard Hamilton's 'An Exhibit' installation from 1957 lines the walls. The Perspex panel in the foreground mimics the layering in the installation

(Image credit: press)

An Exhibit installation

Archive images of the 'An Exhibit' installation (produced in association with Victor Pasmore and Lawrence Alloway). 

(Image credit: © Richard Hamilton Studio)

The map on the floor

Left: an artfully placed poster for a Victor Pasmore show. Right: even doors and floors at Dover Street Market have been given the ICA-treatment. Here, they are lined with pages from the ICA Bulletin, 175 - the map on the floor indicating the move from Dover Street to The Mall

(Image credit: TBC)

Private view cards

Private view cards from the 1940s and 60s, as well as exhibition posters are incorporated into the shelving system

(Image credit: press)

Visuals for William Turnbull

Visuals for William Turnbull and Francis Bacon shows

(Image credit: press)

The front cover from the ICA bulletin

In the foreground is a detail of the front cover from the ICA bulletin, No. 161, August/September 1966. Behind this is the private view card for the Man Ray retrospective in 1959

(Image credit: press)

Carlton House Terrace

Left: the cover of the catalogue for 'The Obsessive Image 1960-1968' show at Carlton House Terrace in 1968. Right: an installation photograph from the 1952 exhibition 'Tomorrow's Furniture'

(Image credit: press)

A typographic timeline

A typographic timeline of ICA exhibitions lines the stairwell

(Image credit: press)

Baumeister Memorial exhibition

The private view card for the 1956 Willi Baumeister Memorial exhibition

(Image credit: press)

On the screen is an installation

On the screen is an installation photograph from the 'Forty Years of Modern Art: 1907-1947' exhibition

(Image credit: press)

A spread from the catalogue

A spread from the catalogue for the 1968 show 'Cybernetic serendipity: The computer and the Arts'

(Image credit: press)

The Dover Street Market

The Dover Street Market take-over coincides with the launch of a new book, Institute of Contemporary Arts: 1946 - 1968, which is also a retrospective gathering of images, original documents and anecdotes by art historian Anne Massey and the ICA executive director Gregor Muir

(Image credit: press)

A spread from the book

A spread from the book, featuring Richard Hamilton's 1955 show, 'Man, Machine and Motion

(Image credit: press)

Fifty Drawings and Watercolours

Featured in the book: The private view card for 'Fifty Drawings and Watercolours by Paul Klee' in 1953. © Tate, London 2013

(Image credit: press)

Paintings from Haiti exhibition

Also in the book is this installation photograph of the 1951 'Paintings from Haiti' exhibition. © Tate, London 2013

(Image credit: press)

An Exhibit catalogue

A spread showing the An Exhibit catalogue

(Image credit: press)

Installation view

Installation view of 'Tomorrow's Furniture' in 1952. 

(Image credit: © Tate, London 2013)

An exhibition

Private view card for 'Picasso Drawings and Watercolours - an exhibition in honour of the artists' at the ICA in the same year. 

(Image credit: © Tate, London 2013)

Installation view

Installation view of the 1951 Growth & Form exhibition, featuring the work of Nigel Henderson. 

(Image credit: © Tate, London 2013)

Rosa Bertoli was born in Udine, Italy, and now lives in London. Since 2014, she has been the Design Editor of Wallpaper*, where she oversees design content for the print and online editions, as well as special editorial projects. Through her role at Wallpaper*, she has written extensively about all areas of design. Rosa has been speaker and moderator for various design talks and conferences including London Craft Week, Maison & Objet, The Italian Cultural Institute (London), Clippings, Zaha Hadid Design, Kartell and Frieze Art Fair. Rosa has been on judging panels for the Chart Architecture Award, the Dutch Design Awards and the DesignGuild Marks. She has written for numerous English and Italian language publications, and worked as a content and communication consultant for fashion and design brands.