Day: September 1, 2025

Royal Collection Trust has announced an artist residency in collaboration with Edinburgh College of Art (ECA) at The University of Edinburgh for the upcoming major exhibition Drawing the Italian Renaissance at The King’s Gallery, Palace of Holyroodhouse.

Artists Phoebe Leach and Dette Allmark, both ECA alumni, will be responding to the masterpieces on display and drawing in the Gallery throughout the exhibition’s run, with their creations forming a changing display for visitors.

The residency, which is the first at The King’s Gallery in Edinburgh, has been organised in partnership with ECA, a leading international art school within The University of Edinburgh that traces its history back to 1760.

Drawing the Italian Renaissance, which opens on 17 October 2025, will be the widest ranging exhibition of Italian Renaissance drawings in Scotland for over 50 years. Works by Leonardo da Vinci, Michelangelo, and Titian are among more than 80 works on display, with 45 drawings going on show in Scotland for the first time.

The residency programme will demonstrate how drawing remains a vital practice for artists today, just as it was for the artists of the Italian Renaissance.

Visitors to the exhibition will also be encouraged to take inspiration from the works on display and try their hand at drawing, with pencils and paper freely available in the Gallery.

For artist Phoebe Leach, who was raised in Lincolnshire and graduated from ECA in 2024, drawing has been critical to her work. As a painter and printmaker, she explores how people experience and interact with the world around them, with drawing allowing her to shed light on often unseen spaces. 

Since October 2024, Phoebe has been documenting the work of the Department of Clinical Neurosciences at the Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh. 

Drawing brain surgeries and operations from life, she has created a unique record of the unit’s surgical activities and the experiences of patients (above).

Phoebe Leach said: ‘It’s a real privilege to have the opportunity to be a part of this residency so early in my career, just a year after graduating.

“I’m looking forward to spending time with the works in the exhibition – studying the techniques of the Old Masters to refine my own technical drawing skills, while also creating contemporary interpretations in response.

“Most of all, I’m excited to record the activity of visitors and their interaction with the exhibition to create live response drawings in the Gallery space.”

Dette Allmark, who graduated from ECA with a degree in Tapestry in 2000 and a Master’s in Illustration in 2022, as well as spending a year at the Royal Drawing School in 2007, is an established artist, illustrator and writer who has been a long-term resident of Edinburgh.

Drawing forms the basis for all Dette’s work, but it has increasingly grown in importance for her as an art form in its own right.

It provides a way for her to process the world around her to make sense of her life and experiences, with much of Dette’s work exploring the narratives, myths and archetypes that surround women.

Dette is currently a visiting artist to Scottish Opera in Glasgow, observing and drawing from rehearsals and live performances.

Dette Allmark said: ‘The characters and worlds created by the Renaissance artists not only capture beauty, ignite awe and tell stories but also allow us to see that these artists scrutinised their world, the imagined world and its characters to understand more about themselves, humanity and spirituality.

“I draw to make sense of my experiences, and I hope the visitors will be inspired to revisit what it is to play with a pencil, lay their judgement aside and conjure up a visual world that is uniquely theirs.’

Professor Juan Cruz, ECA Principal, Edinburgh College of Art, The University of Edinburgh said: ‘We’re thrilled that alumni of Edinburgh College of Art will be involved in this landmark exhibition, bringing some of the greatest works of the Italian Renaissance to Scotland for the first time.

“Drawing, in many guises, continues to be a vital part of creative practice, and this residency offers a unique opportunity for our graduates to engage with these historic works in a live public setting. We look forward to seeing how they interpret and respond to the collection through their own creative lens.’

Lauren Porter, Senior Curator of Works on Paper and curator of the exhibition, said: ‘We are delighted to have Phoebe and Dette as the first artists in residence at The King’s Gallery in Edinburgh.

“Drawing was fundamental to the Italian Renaissance and the residency will show its continued importance while offering both artists the time to engage with and respond to the works in their own unique way. We hope that visitors will not only enjoy seeing the artists at work and their drawings on display, but also feel inspired to pick up a pencil and try their hand at drawing.’

Highlights of the exhibition’s accompanying programme of events will include a Gallery Late with music, crafts, and drop-in talks, and family workshops which will explore the exhibition through yoga, storytelling, and drawing.

The two artists in residence will take part in family and community group events, while also on select days offering drop-in support, advice and discussion on drawing in the Gallery.