The City Art Centre is to stage A Sketch of the Universe: Art, Science and the Influence of D’Arcy Thompson, a major new exhibition of modern and contemporary art inspired by the pioneering Edinburgh-born biologist D’Arcy Thompson (1860 – 1948).
The exhibition – which features over 90 artworks and museum objects on loan from the D’Arcy Thompson Zoology Museum at the University of Dundee – opens at the Council’s City Art Centre on Saturday.
Featured artists include Henry Moore, Victor Pasmore, Wilhelmina Barns-Graham, Susan Derges and Daniel Brown, and artworks range from oil paintings, drawings and prints to computer programs and 3D ‘rapid prototype’ models.
Many of the artworks were acquired by the University of Dundee thanks to a grant from the Art Fund’s RENEW scheme awarded in 2011. This will be the first opportunity for audiences in Edinburgh to view this unique collection.
D’Arcy Thompson was an extraordinary polymath who combined interests in biology and mathematics with classical art and literature. He is best known for his ground-breaking book On Growth and Form, which laid the foundations for the future study of mathematical biology.
His research also provided inspiration for generations of artists, who were drawn to his theories on the development of living organisms. As the art critic Herbert Read told Thompson, “you have built the bridge between science and art”.
Councillor Richard Lewis, Edinburgh’s Culture Convener, said: “D’Arcy Thompson’s work had a profound impact on 20th century art and continues to inspire contemporary artists today. This is an exciting opportunity to see artworks by significant Scottish and international artists, and to explore the fascinating crossovers between the worlds of science and art.”
A Sketch of the Universe opens on 19 November 2016 and is timed to coincide with the start of next year’s celebrations to mark the centenary of On Growth and Form, which was first published in 1917.
Showing alongside this exhibition is Peter Randall-Page RA: Works on Paper (3 December 2016 – 12 February 2017). Peter Randall-Page is a contemporary artist who counts D’Arcy Thompson among his sources of inspiration. This exhibition showcases a selection of his large-scale drawings.
Entry to the exhibition is free.
A Sketch of the Universe: Art, Science and the Influence of D’Arcy Thompson
19 November 2016 to 19 February 2017
City Art Centre, Edinburgh
Free Admission
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