Founding members included Gregoire Boonzaaier, who served as the group’s first chairman, along with Lippy Lipshitz, Frieda Lock, Cecil Higgs, and Terence McCaw.
For instance, Lippy Lipshitz exchanged his art for piano lessons for his daughter, while Neville Lewis bartered a painting for ten cases of whiskey.
One incident involved the forced removal of a Cecil Higgs painting from an exhibition at Stellenbosch University's library, highlighting the group's frequent clash with conservative standards.
In 1947, the group achieved national recognition when the South African government selected it to represent the country’s finest painters and sculptors.
In 1953, the group held its final exhibition in Cape Town before disbanding, marking the end of an influential era in South African art history.