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Gwen John: Strange Beauties

Gwen John: Strange Beauties

National Galleries Scotland: Modern Two

Open 1 August 2026 til 4 January 2027

Tickets from £14, free for under 18s | Friends go free

Gwen John | Strange Beauties | National Galleries of Scotland

Tickets are on sale now from the National Galleries of Scotland website, with free tickets for under 18s. This exhibition is not to be missed!

Gwen John’s Young Woman with a Coral Necklace (1910-1920) will go on public display for the first time since 1964, especially for this exhibition in the Scottish capital. The striking painting once belonged to the Scottish artist and Gwen John scholar, Mary Edmond Taubman, who became fascinated with Gwen John’s work as a student while studying at Edinburgh College of Art in the early 1950s.

Taubman became the first person to conduct detailed academic research on the life and work of Gwen John, providing vital insight into what we know of her work today. Young Woman with a Coral Necklace was bought by Taubman from the artists estate, in 1968, and has been generously loaned to National Galleries Scotland by her family, in her memory.

Marking 150 years since the Welsh artist was born, Gwen John: Strange Beauties will offer a fresh new perspective on her exquisite work and lasting legacy. Experience over 200 oil paintings, watercolours, and rarely seen sketches and archive materials across two floors of Modern Two.

Explore Gwen John’s journey from Wales to Paris, where she developed her distinctive, contemplative style. Discover her intimate and meditative portraits, shaped by faith, French modernism and her life in the Parisian suburb of Meudon. This exhibition will be the second stop of a global tour, following a critically acclaimed run at National Museum Cardiff earlier this year, including five stars from The Guardian and The Independent.

Born in Haverfordwest, Pembrokeshire in 1876, Gwen John studied at the Slade School of Art in London, becoming one of the first generation of women to receive a formal art education, before moving to Paris in 1904 where she led a fiercely independent and creative life. From becoming a muse and model to renowned French sculptor Auguste Rodin, to modelling for Swiss artist Ottilie Roederstein, Irish sculptor Nuala O’ Donel, German artist Ida Gerhardi and Finnish artist Hilda Flodin.

She later converted to Catholicism, marrying together her faith and her artwork. Gwen John described herself as ‘a seer of strange beauties’, casting herself as a visionary with the ability to see beyond surface appearances. Her attentive way of looking at the world shaped her art, leading her to paint and draw the same subjects repeatedly, each time observing them in a new way.

Today, Gwen John is considered an independent trailblazer, who quietly yet impactfully paved the way for many women artists of the future.

Alongside significant loans will be key works by Gwen John from Scotland’s national art collection. This includes A Young Nun (about 1915-1920) which is part of a series focusing on the convent of the Dominican Sisters of Charity at Meudon, near Paris. The tonal and quietly radiant Portrait of a Girl in Grey, (about 1918 – 1923) another from Scotland’s national art collection, depicting a woman praying, will also be on display.

The exhibition will also delve into Gwen John’s artistic practice, revealing new research about Gwen John’s painting materials and methods. John’s approach to her art was almost scientific, emphasising the importance of close observation and trying to see beyond the surface of things.

The methodical and unique approach she applied to colour theory comes into play too. Gwen John developed a secret coding system for the colour mixtures and tones she used in her paintings – a code which still hasn’t been cracked to this day!

She sought to use colour to create a sense of harmony in her work. From the early 1920s the rich and vibrant colours found in Gwen John’s watercolours appear in her oil paintings, in artworks such as the ‘mulberry dress’ series.

Visitors can also find out about Gwen John’s life with a free to use audio guide and film created especially for the exhibition which discusses her artistic legacy. Archival materials such as the artist’s notebooks and sketchbooks will be also displayed in the Keiller Library in Modern Two, telling more of Gwen John’s story through objects personal to her.

This exhibition has been developed by Amgueddfa Cymru in partnership with the National Galleries of Scotland, Yale Center for British Art, and the National Museum of Women in the Arts, Washington DC.

Gwen John: Strange Beauties is yours to discover at National Galleries Scotland: Modern Two from 1 August 2026. Tickets are on sale now.

Lib Dems demand answers on Water of Leith delays

Edinburgh Liberal Democrats have highlighted critical delays to Water of Leith environmental protection measures and are calling for faster action.

Responsing to a Council report on the Water of Leith water quality, local Lib Dems flagged up that a significant amount of planned infrastructure upgrades which are required to screen off sewage and detritus entering the river have been delayed until after 2027.

Over 10 projects will not begin until 2028, including the following Combined Sewage Overflows according to a March update to the High Priority Assets list including around Leith’s Shore, Junction Street, Stockbridge, Bonnington, Dean Village, Murrayfield, and at St Mark’s Park.

Edinburgh Northern MSP and Scottish Liberal Democrat Environment spokesperson Sanne Dijkstra-Downie, who recently called for year round monitoring of bathing waters, said: “The scale of the issue of lack of sewage monitoring is huge across Scotland, which is why rivers like the Water of Leith must be met with ambition.

“The Scottish Liberal Democrats will continue pushing for a Clean Water Act which will incentivise faster action to prevent pollution in our rivers and ocean”.

Commenting on the update, Leith Walk Councillor Jack Caldwell said: “This is incredibly disappointing as the Water of Leith was a key part of Scottish Water’s investment plan.

“Our river deserves to be clean for wildlife, plant life, and people alike. The Council must work constructively with national agencies and Scottish Water to accelerate environmental protections for our communities.”

Inverleith Councillor Hal Osler added: “Our natural environment is precious, and it’s up to all of us to look after it. These delays risk undermining progress won by so many residents, volunteers, and environmental campaigners.”

Transport and Environment spokesperson Councillor Kevin Lang got cross-party support in June for Edinburgh Council to write to Scottish Water to get answers on updated timescales.

‘The Scratcher’ arrested

POLICE officers in Edinburgh yesterday executed a warrant in relation to the spate of recent car vandalisms known locally as ‘The Scratcher’.

A 25 year old male was arrested, and following interview, charged for these offences. He will be held in police custody to appear at Edinburgh Sheriff Court on Monday.

This is the result of an extensive enquiry, and we would like to thank everyone affected for their patience as the case was built. Work is still ongoing to identify further instances.

If you have any information, or are a victim who has not yet reported it, please contact us on 101, or online via the Police Scotland website.

Gilded Balloon launches ‘Postcode Pals’ with £6 Fringe Tickets for locals

EH, KY, FK and G postcode residents can enjoy more than 140 Edinburgh Fringe shows for just £6

Gilded Balloon is inviting its neighbours to experience this year’s Edinburgh Festival Fringe for less with the launch of Postcode Pals – a special ticket initiative offering £6 tickets to local audiences.

Running from 10am on Monday 20 July until 6pm on Friday 31 July, the limited-time offer is available exclusively to residents with EH, KY, FK and G postcodes, giving them access to more than 140 shows taking place between 5–9 August, while availability lasts.

With the cost of living continuing to impact audiences, Gilded Balloon is introducing the scheme as a way of ensuring local communities can continue to enjoy the Fringe on their doorstep.

Karen and Katy Koren, Artistic Directors of Gilded Balloon, said: “As an Edinburgh-based venue, we want to encourage our neighbours to come to our shows. The Fringe is one of the most exciting times of the year, but we know that rising costs can make it harder for local people to take part.

“Postcode Pals is our way of saying thank you to the communities that support us year-round and making it easier for them to discover brilliant comedy, theatre, music, family shows and more.”

The offer covers an exciting cross-section of Gilded Balloon’s 2026 programme, including performances from Jack Docherty, Mhairi Black, Fiona Allen, Kim Blythe, Michelle Shocked, Madeleine Brettingham, Jamie Kilstein and Phil Nichol. Audiences can also enjoy acclaimed musicals including Doris, Dolly and the Dressing Room Divas, HR: The Musical and Puck Bunnies: A Heated Rivalry Musical, alongside powerful theatre productions including SLAY and CADEL: Lungs on Legs, and family shows The Kobold Show!, Mama G: The Magic Bookmark and Bring Yer Bairn Comedy plus more than 140 comedy, theatre, music, family and spoken word shows taking part in the promotion.

How to claim the offer

Residents with EH, KY, FK or G postcodes can:

Log in to their Gilded Balloon account.
Ensure the billing address on their account includes a valid eligible postcode.
Use the code PALS26 when booking via the Gilded Balloon website.

The offer is valid on selected performances between 5–9 August only, subject to availability.

Offer details:

Booking window: 10am, 20 July – 6pm, 31 July
Eligible postcodes: EH, KY, FK and G
Ticket price: £6 (plus a booking fee)
Maximum 2 tickets per performance and 6 tickets per customer
Valid only when booking through the Gilded Balloon website
Available while stocks last.

Assembly Festival opens Local Residents Discount for 2026

Scheme to reward Edinburgh locals returns with reduced tickets for huge shows including Jason Byrne, Scaramouche Jones, Ted Hill, Susie McCabe, Ben Hart and more

Residents across the Central Belt can also access discounts
Discounted tickets available from 10am 14 July via www.assemblyfestival.com

Assembly Festival has announced the return of its hugely popular Local Residents discount for 2026 with reduced tickets now available to Edinburgh locals for some of the Fringe’s biggest and best shows.

Over 175 shows will offer £8.25 tickets for residents across Edinburgh and the Central Belt including Jason Byrne, Afrique en Cirque, Jess Robinson, Susie McCabe, Ten Thousand Hours, Scaramouche Jones and more.

Edinburgh locals in EH postcodes will have access to discounted shows, plus the scheme opens up to Fringe fans across the Central Belt in Glasgow, Falkirk and more. Music shows and food workshops taking place at Edinburgh Folk and Food Festival from 24 July – 02 August will be included.

Inviting locals to take a chance on something new and discover even more at the Fringe, discounted tickets will be available from 10am 14 July until 11.59pm 26 July (or until allocations run out) for Assembly Festival Fringe performances from 05 – 09 August for residents in EH postcodes FK, G, KY, ML and DG.

Residents across the Central Belt can take advantage of the discounts with postcodes in Glasgow, Kirkcaldy, Falkirk, Stirling, Motherwell and Dumfries and Galloway all included in the scheme.

Tickets available via www.assemblyfestival.com using promocode LOCALAF26.

(T&Cs: 2 tickets per performance, max 6 tickets per transaction. £8.25 includes £1.25 booking fees Subject to availability.)

Edinburgh locals can take advantage of the offer in the Fringe’s opening days, meaning they can be amongst the first to take in shows from Ndlovu Youth Choir, Superbowl Salsa, Mythos: Ragnarök, Susie McCabe and more.

Encompassing shows across comedy, cabaret, circus, dance, theatre, family shows and more, thousands of tickets will be available within the scheme.

Comedy fans can see the hottest rising stars including award-winners from Australia Lizzy Hoo, Scout Boxall and Noah Szto making their Edinburgh debuts, plus some of the UK’s biggest comedy stars from Jason Byrne to Frank Skinner, Susie McCabe, Mike Wozniak and more.

Irish comics Grace Mulvey and Gearóid Farrelly are sure to impress, whilst cult hits ‘Underground Monk Show’ and ‘Police Cops in Space’ are all included.

Locals can bag discounted tickets for some of the Fringe’s most impressive theatre shows including ‘Scaramouche Jones’ directed by Olivier award-winning Guy Masterson, ‘Krapp’s Last Tape’ starring David Westhead and directed by acting legend Stockard Channing as well as up-and-coming theatre ‘Prophets’ and ‘BearGirl’.

Families can enjoy the last days of summer holidays with reduced tickets for all the family including the Fringe debut of ‘Ndlovu Youth Choir’ whose fans include Tom Holland of Spiderman fame and Simon Cowell, as they perform hits from ‘Circle of Life’ and ‘Waka Waka’ to ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’ and ‘Higher Love’.

For bigger kids, families can check out jaw-dropping contemporary circus ‘Ten Thousand Hours’ and ‘By A Thread’.

Music fans can pick up discounts for hit shows ‘27 Club’, diving into the legend and lore of famed musical icons like Amy Winehouse, Kurt Cobain and more whilst ‘Joni Mitchell: Take Me As I Am’ is a must for fans of the Canadian singer-songwriter and more.

For the best of the Fringe, check out ‘Frisky’s Remix Roulette’ and her incredible live band, or Reuben Kaye’s brand-new show. And for mind-bending magic enjoy discounted tickets for the Festival’s most acclaimed magicians Ben Hart, Kevin Quantum and more.

Plus, Edinburgh Folk and Food Festival events including family-friendly shows ‘Circus The Show’ , ‘Explosive Science Show’ and ‘Comedy Club 4 Kids’ will take part in the scheme as well as folk gigs from An Dannsa Dub, Breabach, Dlù and more.

For a full list of shows included see here.

Marking the Edinburgh company’s 45th season at the world’s biggest arts festival, Assembly will return to six venue hubs with over 245 genre-spanning shows featuring international and homegrown acts from 05 – 31 August 2026. Assembly will operate across: George Square Gardens, Assembly Rooms, Assembly Hall, Assembly Roxy and Dance Base, plus Shedinburgh takes over Checkpoint in a new partnership for 2026.

Tickets are now available at www.assemblyfestival.com.

It’s A Girl! Special delivery at Modern One as five metre baby goes on display

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.

Summertime Streets changes return

With the summer festivals season just around the corner, the city council is making temporary changes to the way some of our city centre streets operate between Sunday 19 July and Monday 7 September 2026.

During this busy period the population of our city effectively doubles, which brings challenges for our residents, businesses and visitors.

These temporary changes, which include removing or restricting vehicle traffic, are designed to make our streets easier and safer to walk around.

George Street and several streets in the Old Town will be impacted. A full list of streets along with further information is available on the council’s website.

There is also specific advice for blue badge holders, home deliveries, loading and services for businesses, places of worship and special arrangements.

You can find more information and advice on events in the city over the summer on the Council’s website.

Transport and Environment Convener, Councillor Stephen Jenkinson said: “We’re ready to welcome the world back to the Capital, and as always, we’re making sure that these higher visitor numbers are managed properly.

“These temporary changes to our city centre streets have proven very successful for many years and I’m sure that this summer will be no different. The planned full reopening of the North Bridge in time for the festivals will also be a great boost for people getting around the city.

“Our residents and businesses have my thanks for their understanding and patience as we prepare to showcase and enjoy our city’s unparalleled cultural offering once again.”

Granton pupils bring 30 years of Capital’s heritage to life

Granton Primary School children using the 30th anniversary of the Old and News Towns World Heritage Site in Edinburgh as inspiration to create an exhibition to help mark this important milestone.

The children’s artwork will be displayed in a special exhibition for residents and visitors to view in the Museum of Edinburgh later this year to celebrate three decades since the Site was inscribed by UNESCO in 1995.

The class of primary four pupils are working with local artist Stephanie Walker on their ‘Imagine if…’ project to help the children put together artwork using the Old Town to help spark excitement and curiosity for the world around us. The aim of the project is to create a connection and a sense of wonder for the valuable heritage Edinburgh is so famous for.

Local artist Stepanie Walker said: “The project has been designed to guide the children through a series of art sessions to help them imagine and create their final piece to display on canvas.

“Before our visit to the World Heritage Site we explored what we know about Edinburgh. The children brainstormed and shared ideas about famous buildings and drew them to create a class exhibition.

“We visited the Museum of Edinburgh on the Royal Mile and learnt about why the city has a World Heritage Site, explored artefacts in the museum and shared what we had discovered.

“We visited the Site twice walking around the cobbled streets and narrow closes in and around the Royal Mile. The children looked carefully at the old buildings, monuments and skylines as well as all the nature we found in the historic area. We visited the Canongate Kirk, and I encouraged the children to imagine what the people who lived there long ago were like.

“The pupils then made sketches and used water colours to create paintings of their favourite scenes, buildings and objects to use as reference material for the final piece they will put together back in the classroom.”

Cllr Joan Griffiths Planning Convener said: “This project is both creative and educational as it allows pupils from a different area of the city to use art to help bring to life different aspects of the World Heritage Site such as the buildings and skylines that they find inspirational.

“It’s wonderful to see the work they have produced and I’m very much looking forward to the final exhibition in the Museum of Edinburgh later this year. It’s important that we teach children the value of preserving our World Heritage Site for future generations to come.

“I’m hoping this class of primary four pupils will remember the project in years to come holding onto what they’ve learned about what’s special about the history of their city and will pass this on.”

Photography enthusiasts are also being encouraged to enter a competition to celebrate the 30 years milestone running until October

Entries will be grouped into twelve categories, each celebrating a particular value of Scotland’s capital city. The winning photograph in each category will become part of a year-long calendar, which will be sold on Historic Scotland sites and at Edinburgh World Heritage events to raise money for the Trust.

The over-all winner will take pride of place on the front cover of the calendar and will receive a one-year membership for Historic Scotland, who run top-rated visitor attractions all over the country.

Underbelly’s 2026 Comedy Line-Up

Underbelly will host over 90 comedy shows this year: a full alphabetised list of comedy shows is included at the bottom of this release
The programme is led by Sara Pascoe, Simon Amstell, Russell Kane, Rory Bremner, Nina Conti and BAFTA-winning Jack Rooke
Tickets are now on sale at underbellyedinburgh.co.uk

Underbelly is bringing some of the most exciting names in comedy to the Fringe this summer with a programme spanning improv, musical comedy, standup and character comedy.

Award-winning author, actor and comedian Sara Pascoe (Taskmaster, Live at the Apollo, QI, Mock the Week) will be performing at McEwan Hall in Sara Pascoe: For One Night Only. Comedian, actor, presenter and author Russell Kane (Big Brother’s Big Mouth, Freak Like Me, Geordie Shore: The Reunion) brings his high-energy show Russell Kane: HyperActive to the Fringe 16 years after winning an Edinburgh Comedy Award. BAFTA winner Jack Rooke (creator of Hulu/C4’s Big Boys) revives and updates his debut show Jack Rooke: Good Grief, a decade on from its first Fringe run.

Acclaimed comedian and ventriloquist Nina Conti brings Nina’s C*nti Cabaret to McEwan Hall, joined by her masks and by some of her favourite acts from across the Fringe. Stealing voices in a different way, Britain’s foremost political impressionist Rory Bremner blends sharp comedy, pitch-perfect impressions and surprising revelations in Rory Bremner: Making an Impression.

Following his sold-out London run, Simon Amstell brings his show Simon Amstell: I Love It Here to the Fringe. Just after finally finding inner peace at his friend’s California beach house, Simon receives an invitation from the man who first ignited his teenage desire, throwing his newfound calm into chaos.

Instagram sensation Depths of Wikipedia (1.6 million followers) will be bringing to light some of Wikipedia’s murkiest depths (think ‘list of sexually active popes’), and celebrating the beautiful monster that is an encyclopedia run by anonymous but extremely human volunteers. Viral American comedian Gianmarco Soresi (1.2 million followers on Instagram) celebrates the theatre kid in all of us in his show Gianmarco Soresi: Theatre Adult.

Palestine Comedy Club presents Hanna Shammas Takes It To Heart, a combination of storytelling and stand-up exploring the complexities of everyday life as a Palestinian living in Haifa, in the 1948 territories. In Sammy J: Hero Complex, acclaimed Australian comedian Sammy J details the true story of how swapping comic books with his school gardener set off a chain of events leading to both the birth of his daughter and to him committing a crime.

The programme also features some of the UK’s biggest improv acts: America’s Got Talent runner-up Christ Turner creates jaw-dropping freestyle rap from audience suggestions in Chris Turner: In the Moment. Internet sensation improv troupe Shoot From The Hip (3 million followers across Instagram and Tiktok) will be taking the stage at McEwan Hall.

The classics provide fertile ground for comedy. The smash-hit West End Austentatious: An Improvised Jane Austen Novel returns for its 13th year at the Fringe, an all-star cast improvising a new Jane Austen novel every day. Sh!t-faced Shakespeare returns this year with Sh!t-faced Shakespeare: Hamlet: an entirely serious adaptation arguably the Bard’s most famous tragedy, other than the fact that one member of the cast is, well, sh!tfaced.

The programme also features some fantastic LGBTQ+ comedians. Drag king Roger Prick brings his debut Fringe hour Roger Prick: Sexopolis, in which the 1970s pornographer, erotic novelist, and lecherous casanova relaunches his dirtiest novel, revised to make it completely appropriate for modern feminism. Catch (and maybe kiss?) Alex Franklin (Channel 4, HBO Max) exploring love, romance, and kissing as a trans woman in Alex Franklin: Kiss Me x. Justin Elizabeth Sayre is a 40-Year-Old Woman explores what it means to be a 40 year old woman – a category not necessarily tied to either age or gender.

The comedy programme features a number of people you may have seen on your TV – Sapphire McIntosh, bringing her football-inspired show Sapphire McIntosh: Squeaky Bum Time, appeared as a footballer on the most recent season of Ted Lasso. Edinburgh Comedy Award Nominee Freya Parker, who’s appeared in Jurassic World: Dominion, Wonka, One Day (Netflix), and as one half of sketch duo Lazy Susan (Amazon, BBC3) brings her new show Frey Parker, An Hour of Decay! tackling the terrifying subjects of ageing, AI and Vinted.

Two annual highlights of the Fringe also return. Underbelly’s Big Brain Tumour Benefit brings together a massive line-up of comedy stars to raise money for The Brain Tumour Charity, who do vital research in treatment for the most deadly cancer to children and adults under 40. Edinburgh Comedy Allstars brings together the biggest, brightest comedians at the Fringe in the iconic purple cow, Udderbelly – this year celebrating its 20th year as a venue.

Rarely seen Gwen John portrait to go on display exclusively at Modern Two

Edinburgh exhibition to mark the artist’s 150th birthday

Gwen John: Strange Beauties

National Galleries Scotland: Modern Two

1 August 2026 – 4 January 2027

Tickets from £14, free for under 18s | Friends go free

Gwen John | Strange Beauties | National Galleries of Scotland

A Dropbox of images can be found here

Taking over Modern Two from 1 August, Gwen John: Strange Beauties is the first major exhibition in Scotland devoted to the pioneering painter. Featuring rarely seen drawings and watercolours – many on show for the first time – it offers fresh insight into her quiet yet determined artistic vision. Tickets are on sale now from the National Galleries of Scotland website, with free tickets for under 18s. This exhibition is not to be missed!

This exhibition will be the second stop of a global tour, following a critically acclaimed run at National Museum Cardiff earlier this year, including five stars from The Guardian and The Independent.

From becoming a muse and model to renowned French sculptor Auguste Rodin, to modelling for Swiss artist Ottilie Roederstein, Irish sculptor Nuala O’ Donel, German artist Ida Gerhardi and Finnish artist Hilda Flodin.

Her attentive way of looking at the world shaped her art, leading her to paint and draw the same subjects repeatedly, each time observing them in a new way. Today, Gwen John is considered an independent trailblazer, who quietly yet impactfully paved the way for many women artists of the future.

Anne Lyden, Director-General at the National Galleries of Scotland, said: “Independent, intellectually curious and visionary, Gwen John was an extraordinary painter.

“Her acutely observed and meditative paintings and vivid and evocative watercolours invite us to pause, look closely and discover the uncanny beauty of the world around us.

“We hope visitors to Modern Two this summer will enjoy discovering Gwen John’s world. The exhibition is an international collaboration between four museums and galleries and we are so grateful to the lenders, sponsors and exhibition partners whose generosity has made this celebration of Gwen John in Scotland possible.”

Jane Richardson, Chief Executive of Amgueddfa Cymru – Museum Wales, said: “Gwen John has always been in the shadow of others, but this major exhibition has put her firmly in the spotlight in what would have been her 150th year, offering an opportunity to explore her techniques, processes and inspirations.

“The response to the exhibition in Cardiff has been incredible and we are so proud to be collaborating with National Galleries of Scotland as well as with the Yale Center for British Art and the National Museum of Women in the Arts to celebrate this wonderful Welsh artist and to share her work with even more people.”

This exhibition has been developed by Amgueddfa Cymru in partnership with the National Galleries of Scotland, Yale Center for British Art, and the National Museum of Women in the Arts, Washington DC. Gwen John: Strange Beauties is yours to discover at National Galleries Scotland: Modern Two from 1 August 2026.

Tickets are on sale now.