Modern One
Free to visit
Open Daily 10am-5pm
A giant sculpture of a newborn baby by artist Ron Mueck is on display from today at Modern One in Edinburgh.
Measuring over five meters in length, A Girl, captures a newly delivered baby as she takes her first glimpse of the surrounding world. Free to visit, this is just one of over 50 fascinating works from the nation’s spectacular collection of modern and contemporary art that have just gone on show.
It has been fourteen years since A Girl was last exhibited in Edinburgh, having travelled around Europe including to Denmark, Germany, France and the Netherlands. Last on display at Modern One in 2012, visitors flocked to see the impressive fibre-glass sculpture.
Visitors will once again be wowed as they get a chance to experience the extraordinary size of Mueck’s hyper-realistic portrayal of a newly born baby, rendered in painstaking detail.
Australian artist Mueck (born 1958) uses scale as an expressive device to enhance and bring to the fore both the trauma and the miracle of birth. His sculptures deliberately stir emotions and encourage viewers to consider the human body in new ways.
While visiting Modern One, families can book a free basket full of art goodies and spark their own creativity. This year’s Family Art Baskets look to A Girl and other art works from the modern and contemporary collection for inspiration, with each one packed with materials, ideas, and sensory art prompts to help families explore the galleries and their surroundings in new and playful ways.
Free baskets can be booked in advance here, and are available every Wednesday, Thursday and Friday of the Scottish school holidays, and can be collected on the day between 2pm-3pm.
Visitors will also be able to explore other new captivating displays at Modern One this summer. Discover recently displayed works, such as Flora Yukhnovich’s mesmerising large-scale painting, A World of Pure Imagination (2024) which recently joined the national collection.
This painting, full of colour and movement, can be seen in a room with Scottish artist Gwen Hardie’s monumental painting, Fist I (1986). Discover Scottish artists of the early 20th century as you explore a major selection of exquisite drawings and paintings by James Cowie, Edward Baird, William McCance, Charles Cameron Baillie and William Crosbie.
Come face to face with people from all walks of life in the powerful and intimate works of influential American photographer Diane Arbus.
As well as the all-new displays there is even more to discover at Modern One, which is home to the nation’s outstanding holdings of modern and contemporary art. Encounter Louise Bourgeois’s giant Spider (1994), standing at an impressive three metres high.
Encounter surrealist art by leading figures such as Salvador Dalí, Dorothea Tanning, Max Ernst, Leonora Carrington, René Magritte and Toyen.
With over 40 surrealist works on display, find bizarre creatures and weird machines, eerie landscapes and curious spaces. Also spot works by Pablo Picasso, Bridget Riley, Sarah Lucas and over 120 more artists. And that’s just inside!
On arrival at Modern One enjoy you will be in awe of the spiralling earth sculpture Landform, designed by landscape architect Charles Jencks.
Pick up a free copy of the sculpture trail for kids or download it before you arrive and enjoy it on your device as you set off to discover sculptural works around the grounds by other major artists including Barbara Hepworth, Joan Miró and Tracey Emin.
With a special trail for all ages and stages – they’ll get your family exploring the galleries, inside and out.
Pack a lunch and take in the stunning grounds of the Moderns, or if the weather isn’t on side, our drop-in picnic and play area, Art Space One, can be found on Level 2 in Modern One.
You can help yourself to art books, big blocks and plenty of materials to make your own works of art – or just take a moment to chill out and eat your snacks.
Anne Lyden, Director General at the National Galleries of Scotland said: ‘We are thrilled to have Ron Mueck’s A Girl back at Modern One, it is always such a hit with visitors, and we love seeing their reaction to the scale and intricate details of the sculpture. It’s really quite spectacular!
“There is something for everyone at Modern One this summer, whether enjoying the grounds in the sun or discovering and re-discovering Scotland’s magnificent collection of Modern and Contemporary art! Families can also get stuck in with trails, Family Art Baskets and artist weekends.
“We want the galleries to be a welcoming environment that everyone feels comfortable in, whether coming with young children, teenagers, friends, family or on your own, this is your collection to discover!’
To find out more, visit Modern One | National Galleries of Scotland.
