art exhibition – The NEN – North Edinburgh News

Wild water swimming inspires new art exhibition

Work inspired by natural landscape “reflect need to stay connected with nature at a time when technological progress draws us further indoors and deeper online”
Praise at preview evening with Dundas Street Gallery showcase running until March 22

Wild water swimming – and the landscape in which it is embraced and enjoyed – has inspired a new exhibition of paintings.

Hymn From a Valley by Ryan McGoverne opened to the public yesterday (Friday March 13) at Dundas Street Gallery in central Edinburgh. It runs until March 22.

Invited guests from Lindsays, the city legal firm sponsoring the exhibition, enjoyed a special preview evening on Thursday.

The collection of oil paintings depict figures immersed in natural bodies of water, many of them locations from throughout the Lothians and Scottish Borders.

Artist Ryan McGoverne, whose new exhibition, Hymn From A Valley, is sponsored by legal firm Lindsays. It celebrates the people and landscapes of wild water swimming and takes place at Dundas Street Gallery in Edinburgh until March 22. Picture: Jamie Simpson / Lindsays March 12th 2026

Ryan, who lives in Biggar, said: “The work is inspired by our natural landscape and open water wild swimming – celebrating a life-affirming, temporary disconnection from the modern world.

“The paintings reflect a need to stay connected with nature at a time when technological progress draws us further indoors and deeper online.

“Each work shows a simple nourishment for the soul. They make a positive and quiet statement about action – about embracing life, nature and beauty with courage and curiosity.

“They depict places of accessible tranquility found just behind our roads, towns and cities, capturing the emotional and physical experience of cold open-water immersion.

“I am really grateful to Lindsays for their sponsorship, which has allowed me to share this work, of which I am incredibly proud.”

The exhibition is a celebration of immersing yourself in nature – something Ryan himself has done in order to create the work, which is in the tradition of Impressionist greats including Degas and Manet.

The artist, who completed a Masters in Fine Art through Cardiff University and Kansas State University, began exploring landscapes in detail following the coronavirus pandemic.

He discovered the diverse and accessible beauty of the landscape which surrounds where he lives.

And, looking at how people spend time in it, became intrigued by wild swimming and cold water immersion as its popularity has grown across Scotland – so much so that he too is now also a wild swimmer.

Ryan, who is also a corporate and commercial photographer, said: “I thought I couldn’t do it. But then I got to know people who convinced me otherwise.

“In January last year, I took myself to a reservoir. It was obviously one of the coldest times of the year. It felt amazing.

“The exhibition celebrates that feeling. It’s a call for people to get out there and enjoy the wonderful, accessible landscape that we have.

“Cold water immersion is good for the soul – for your mental and physical health. It can give you huge confidence – such a boost. The work which features in the exhibition celebrates that.”

Guests at Thursday’s preview evening were impressed by what they saw. They included lawyers and clients from sponsors Lindsays.

Ryan has been commissioned by the firm for many years in his “other” role of corporate photographer.

Lindsays Managing Partner Andrew Diamond, left, and artist Ryan McGoverne. Legal firm Lindsays is sponsoring Ryan’s new exhibition, Hymn From A Valley, which celebrates the people and landscapes of wild water swimming. It takes place at Dundas Street Gallery in Edinburgh until March 22. Picture: Jamie Simpson / Lindsays March 12th 2026

Andrew Diamond, Managing Partner at Lindsays, said: “This really is an impressive and memorable collection of work.

“It really gives you a sense of not only the elation that cold water immersion gives, but the confidence that flows from it.

“It is a reminder too of the amazing landscape that we are blessed to have – and how taking time away from our screens to enjoy it can make a positive difference to our lives.

“As a firm, we have worked with Ryan for over a decade. It’s a pleasure for us to be able to support this side of its work.”

Lindsays has a strong track record of supporting the arts. The firm has supported the ArTay programme in Perth in recent years, as well as sponsoring a number of events in Edinburgh, including Van Gogh Alive with SAMH, Art Friends of St Columba’s Hospice and Postcards for the Sick Kids Friends Foundation in previous years.

More details about Ryan’s work can be found at www.ryanmcgoverne.co.uk.

Exhibition shines light on Scotland’s first Renal Young Adult Service

At the end of October the Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh opened a moving and inspiring art exhibition created by young adults living with kidney conditions, marking a milestone moment for NHS Lothian’s pioneering Renal Young Adult Service.

The exhibition, held in OPD4, showcased a vibrant collection of artwork produced by patients aged 16–35 who are supported by the service.

Euan Flannigan (above) is a patient of the service and has taken part in the exhibition by creating a piece of work that represents his personal healthcare journey. He explains: “I decided to take part in this art project because it was not only a cool idea, it was also a great way to show my experience as a transplant patient.

“Being a transplant patient is unpredictable – one day you’re fine, the next you’re not. It’s also surreal in other ways; you might be in a busy street and think, ‘I’m probably the only person here who’s had a transplant.’ That feeling can be strange, but also uplifting and motivational. You’ve survived something extraordinary, and that makes you strong.

“Embrace that feeling and keep living a great life. We’re all special, and ambassadors for transplantation – so share your story and keep moving forward like the wind.”

The exhibition gave participants a creative outlet to explore and express their emotions, experiences, and identities through various artistic mediums.

Sharlene Taylor, Renal Young Adult Support Worker and lead for the service (above), reflected on the exhibition’s impact: “The thought behind the exhibition was, when you make choices in art—such as picking a colour, the composition and layout, it empowers you to make decisions and create your vision.

“This gives individuals a sense of confidence in their ability to express and choose.

“This not only applies to their art but allows them to express in other areas of their lives, particularly around their healthcare. Bringing people together who can relate to each other’s journeys and hearing them chat and learn from one another has been the most powerful thing to watch and listen to.”

The Renal Young Adult Service, launched in May 2023, is the first of its kind in Scotland. While other health boards are exploring similar models, NHS Lothian remains the only provider currently offering dedicated support for young adults with kidney conditions.

Thanks to the support of NHS Lothian Charity, the service was set up and designed to address the unique challenges faced by this age group, many of whom had never met peers with similar experiences prior to joining.

Monthly peer support groups at the Royal Infirmary have become a cornerstone of the service, offering a safe space for connection, discussion, and shared learning. The emergence of art as a common interest among participants led to the development of the exhibition project, which has proven to be both therapeutic and empowering.

“Art helps process emotions, reduces anxiety and stress, builds confidence and encourages mindfulness,” added Sharlene. “It’s been incredible to see how creativity has opened up new ways for these young adults to engage with their health and with each other.”

The exhibition not only celebrates the artistic achievements of the participants but also highlights the importance of holistic, person-centred care in long-term health management.

All the artwork was developed while attending a series of workshops led by a local artist at the Edinburgh Printmakers and curated by NHS Lothian Charity’s Tonic Arts for their exhibition space.

Len McCaffer, Tonic Arts Manager at NHS Lothian Charity: “The ‘My Journey’ exhibition showcases the strength, resilience and talent of these incredible young people.

“These artworks tell stories that go beyond treatment – they show the strength and creativity of these individuals who are navigating complex health journeys.

“We’re proud to support initiatives like these that not only enhance patient care but also give people a voice and a platform to share their experiences in a way that inspires others.”

NHS Lothian’s Renal Young Adult Service and exhibition has been funded by NHS Lothian Charity.

To read more about the charity go to: https://nhslothiancharity.org/

Artist Trevor Jones’ EXPOS3D – Immersive Art Meets AI

ENTER WATCHED. EXIT AWARE: TREVOR JONES UNVEILS EXPOS3D, A RADICAL IMMERSIVE ART EXPERIENCE IN EDINBURGH

12–18 October 2025 | Custom House, Edinburgh

Acclaimed artist Trevor Jones recently announced the launch of EXPOS3D, a groundbreaking immersive exhibition that fuses painting, sculpture, stained glass, artificial intelligence and cutting-edge technology into an experience unlike anything the art world has seen.

For one week only – from 12 to 18 October – the historic Custom House in Leith will be transformed into a living system of interactive artworks, augmented reality and AI-driven installations.

At its centre is LOGOS, an all-seeing artificial intelligence that challenges audiences to reconsider how we live, think, and rebel in the age of technology.

EXPOS3D explores three defining tensions of our time:

Surveillance: the omnipresent gaze of technology that monitors, predicts, and controls
Faith: the shift from religious and cultural traditions toward new digital dependencies
Rebellion: the human instinct to resist, to question, and to reclaim freedom in the face of control

The result is a multi-sensory exhibition where visitors do not simply observe, but become participants in shaping their own digital world.

Key Works & Experiences

Giant AI-animated paintings that evolve in real time
LOGOS, an artificial intelligence entity that learns and reacts to viewers
The Sacaramemes, seven oil paintings that watch you as you watch them
Eyes of LOGOS, interactive installations that follow, recognise, and even call you by name
Immersive rewards system, where visitors unlock exclusive digital and physical gifts via the EXPOS3D app

Trevor Jones explains: “This is not an attack on tradition. It’s an observation of how much our world has changed.

“Where once people turned to God for answers, we now turn to machines. As the roots of faith weaken, we must confront what has been lost, what has been gained, and what it means for our future.”

A white lit up sign on a wall

AI-generated content may be incorrect.

LED light – LOGOS (I Am The WORD)

A Seismic Shift

EXPOS3D responds to a profound cultural transformation: as religion loses its central role, technology steps into the vacuum, with phones, algorithms, and surveillance systems increasingly shaping human behaviour, choices, and beliefs. The exhibition challenges audiences to confront this shift and ask:

What is gained when machines take the place of gods?
What is lost when faith and freedom fade?
Where can rebellion still be found?

Exhibition Details

Dates: 12–18 October 2025
Venue: Custom House, 65–67 Commercial Street, Edinburgh
Opening Hours: Daily, 10:00 AM – 6:00 PM (1-hour slots, subject to availability)
Tickets: Free but ticketed via Eventbrite → EXPOS3D – Book Here

For more details on EXPOS3D, please visit: Trevor Jones Art – EXPOS3D

For more details on Trevor’s work, please visit: Trevor Jones Art

Widest-ranging exhibition of Italian Renaissance drawings in 50 years to be staged in Edinburgh this autumn

Drawings by Leonardo da Vinci, Michelangelo and Titian will be among 45 Italian Renaissance drawings going on display in Scotland for the first time this October, as part of an exhibition featuring more than 80 drawings by 57 artists – the most wide-ranging show of its kind in Scotland in over half a century.

Following a successful run in London, Drawing the Italian Renaissance will open at The King’s Gallery at the Palace of Holyroodhouse in Edinburgh on 17 October 2025. The exhibition will explore how drawing was key to artistic practice in all fields during the Italian Renaissance and will reveal how dynamic the art of drawing became during this revolutionary artistic period.

Lauren Porter, curator of Drawing the Italian Renaissance in Edinburgh, said: ‘The Royal Collection holds one of the finest collections of Italian Renaissance drawings, many of which were acquired during the reign of Charles II.

“The drawings cannot be on permanent display because of their sensitivity to light, so this exhibition offers a rare and exciting opportunity for visitors to see a wide variety of works from this great collection, many of which are on display in Scotland for the first time.

“Drawings were fundamental to the art of the Renaissance, allowing artists to conceive and explore ideas, refine their designs and to experiment. Being able to view these drawings so closely will give visitors a unique insight into the minds of these great Italian Renaissance artists.”

The exhibition will highlight the continued relevance of drawing today as an essential part of many artists’ practice. Two Artists in Residence, both alumni of Edinburgh College of Art and appointed in collaboration with the School, will be drawing in the Gallery on selected days throughout the exhibition’s run.

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 available in the Gallery.

Most drawings from the Italian Renaissance were created as preparation for projects in a variety of media, from paintings and prints to architecture, sculpture, metalwork, tapestry and costume.

They were often discarded after they had served their purpose, and only a small proportion have survived to the present day. As the drawings in the Royal Collection have been carefully preserved for hundreds of years, they can be enjoyed almost as vividly as when they were created.

The oldest drawing in the exhibition, in which an unknown artist depicts a young man sitting and drawing with a sleeping dog by his side, is around 550 years old and will be exhibited in Scotland for the first time.

Also on display for the first time in Scotland will be an elaborately worked drawing in red and black chalk on red prepared paper of the curly-haired head of a young man by Leonardo da Vinci, and Federico Barocci’s drawing of The head of the Virgin in delicately blended colourful chalks.

The idealised features of these two head studies contrast with the distorted and tormented facial expression of the grotesque head drawn by Michelangelo which will be displayed nearby.

Many drawings in the exhibition are religious in their subject matter, including Raphael’s Christ’s Charge to Peter, which is one of his designs for a tapestry to be hung in the Sistine Chapel, and Michelangelo’s The Virgin and Child with the young Baptist, which may have been created as a preparatory study for a sculpture or perhaps as a private act of devotion.

On display for the first time in Scotland, following extensive conservation work before the London exhibition, will be a cartoon for an altarpiece of the Virgin and Child by the late-Renaissance artist Bernardino Campi.

Cartoons, which were large sheets of paper used to transfer a final design onto a painting’s surface, were often executed on poor-quality paper and were never intended to be kept – let alone displayed.

It took almost 120 hours of conservation work by Royal Collection Trust conservators to prepare the work to be exhibited, which involved painstakingly removing the drawing from its deteriorating canvas backing and supporting sections where the paper had become as delicate as lace.

The exhibition includes many preparatory drawings for the applied arts. These drawings would be used by specialist craftsmen to translate the artist’s design into another medium. Included in the exhibition is a colourful design for a painted wooden ceiling incorporating the scene of David slaying Goliath by an unidentified Roman artist, and an extravagant and asymmetrical 1.36-metre-high design for a candelabrum which features a riot of different motifs – presumably acting almost as a menu, from which a patron could select the elements he liked the most.

A section of the exhibition will examine how Italian Renaissance artists observed and explored the natural world, from a study of a branch of a blackberry bush by Leonardo da Vinci, capturing the vigorous nature of the bramble’s growth, to a drawing attributed to the Venetian artist Titian of an ostrich, believed to have been drawn from life, perhaps when the animal arrived after being imported into the port city as an exotic curiosity.

As well as works by the most famous names of the Italian Renaissance, the exhibition will give visitors an insight into the work of lesser-known artists who produced some of the finest drawings of the period.

Many of these works have never been shown in Scotland before and include a striking charcoal portrait of the head of a youth, which has been attributed to Pietro Faccini, and the imposing pen and ink drawing of a seated St Jerome by Bartolomeo Passarotti.

Following a successful launch in 2024, The King’s Gallery will continue to offer £1 tickets to this exhibition for visitors receiving Universal Credit and other named benefits.

Further concessionary rates are available, including discounted tickets for young people, half-price entry for children (with under-fives free), and the option to convert standard tickets bought directly from Royal Collection Trust into a 1-Year Pass for unlimited re-entry for 12 months.

Starting With A Line: Jane Murray exhibition at Central Library

February exhibition in the Art & Design Library

This month we are showing the work of Jane Murray (1952-2024). The exhibition, titled Starting With A Line, was organised first by Jane herself and latterly by friends and family and includes paintings on wood, oil pastel on paper and mixed media works.

In a short introductory text in her own words, Jane shared reflections on her art practice which conclude: “As I have got older there is the realisation that the genre of my work was less reliant on observation and more on the expressive and instinctual, similar to that early child who put together visuals to make sense of her world.”

Jane was also a much-loved member of Edinburgh International Book Festival’s Citizen Writers Group and some of her old pals have already visited the exhibition on George IV Bridge.

Once in a lifetime swap for Turner watercolours as Ireland’s Vaughan Bequest comes to Scotland

Turner in January: Ireland’s Vaughan Bequest

National Galleries Scotland exhibition in the Royal Scottish Academy building

1 – 31 January 2025

Admission free

Turner in January | Ireland’s Vaughan Bequest | National Galleries of Scotland

In January, National Galleries of Scotland is kicking off the 250th birthday of much-loved artist, Joseph Mallord William Turner (1775-1851), with a special celebration. From New Year’s Day, visitors to the treasured Turner in January exhibition can marvel at a new selection of over 30 watercolours that have never been seen before in Scotland, in an exchange with the National Gallery of Ireland.

Turner in January: Ireland’s Vaughan Bequest, opens at the Royal Scottish Academy building in Edinburgh on 1 January 2025. The free exhibition includes a watercolour of Edinburgh from 1801 that has never been displayed in the city before.

This once in a lifetime exhibition is a celebratory take on a keenly awaited and much-loved annual tradition that has been taking place since 1901. Renowned art collector Henry Vaughan owned over 200 drawings, watercolours and prints by Turner, which he divided in his will between galleries in Edinburgh, Dublin and London.

38 of these watercolours were given to the people of Scotland, on the condition that they are only displayed in the month of January, when light levels are at their lowest. Because of this, these works still possess a freshness and an intensity of colour, almost 200 years since they were created.

Now, in an exciting exchange, simultaneous exhibitions will see Ireland’s Vaughan Bequest make a special trip to the National Galleries of Scotland, while Scotland’s Vaughan Bequest will go on display at the National Gallery of Ireland.

Those familiar with Turner in January are sure to notice how both collections complement each other. Visitors will be able to marvel in sweeping seascapes, dramatic landscapes and spectacular cities.

The most famous British artist of the 19^th Century, Turner’s career spanned over 50 years. He experimented constantly with technique and colour, creating landscapes that still astonish today. In his younger years Turner toured Britain extensively, as war made travel to Europe impossible.

He first travelled abroad in 1802 and from 1819 onwards he undertook sketching tours abroad almost every year, visiting France, Belgium, Germany, Italy, Austria and Switzerland.

The panoramic Edinburgh from below Arthur’s Seat (1801) will be on display in the city it depicts for the first time. A moody view of Auld Reekie captured on Turner’s first visit to Edinburgh in the summer of 1801, dark storm clouds loom over Edinburgh Castle, rain pouring on the horizon as cows drink peacefully in the foreground.

When Turner first visited the Alps in 1802, the trip transformed his understanding of landscape, which was reflected in his boundary-pushing depiction of the mountains, rocks and glaciers. In The Great Fall of the Reichenbach, Switzerland (1802), Turner emphasises the sublime drama and majestic height of the 200-hundred-foot waterfall by including a tiny, ant-like figure on a rocky outcrop to indicate scale.

Both the Scottish and Irish Vaughan Bequests include expressive watercolours painted on Turner’s visit to the Aosta valley in the Alps in 1836, where the artist uses a great variety of watercolour techniques – scratching out, sponging out and working freely in wet watercolour – to depict his beloved mountains.

Venice, city of light and water, held a special fascination for Turner. His third and final visit was in August 1840, when the stormy summer weather inspired a series of tempestuous watercolours recording dramatic atmospheric effects around the city. Storm at the Mouth of the Grand Canal (1840) comes to Edinburgh from Ireland’s Vaughan Bequest.

Also on exhibition will be The Doge’s Palace and Piazzetta, Venice (1840), a golden evening view of gondolas and fishing boats clustered against the backdrop of Venice’s most celebrated buildings.

Ireland’s Vaughan Bequest includes outstanding examples of watercolours created to be engraved and published as a print series.

A highlight of the exhibition will be A Ship against the Mewstone, at the Entrance to Plymouth Sound (c.1814), from Picturesque Views on the Southern Coast of England. A Royal Navy ship is shown labouring in heavy swell at a notorious danger point on the Devon coast.

In this series, Turner aimed to record the landscape and working lives of places and people living along the south coast. In Clovelly Bay, North Devon (c.1822), another jewel-like watercolour from the same series, he shows in great detail the work of quarrying limestone.

Also on show will be A Shipwreck off Hastings (c.1825), which was probably produced for Turner’s Ports of England print series.

Turner in January: Ireland’s Vaughan Bequest truly is a first for Scotland, with most displayed in their original frames and even Henry Vaughan’s original display cabinet.

Charlotte Topsfield, exhibition curator at the National Galleries of Scotland, said: “Exchanging Vaughan Bequest Turners is an idea that Edinburgh and Dublin have been discussing for a long time.

“We are so excited to be working together on this historic swap in Turner’s anniversary year.

“It will be such a marvelous celebration for the people of Scotland to enjoy – a real once in a lifetime opportunity to commemorate a very special painter.”

Anne Hodge, exhibition curator at the National Gallery of Ireland said: “I am delighted that in January 2025 visitors to the National Galleries Scotland will be able to see Turner’s wonderfully expressive vision of a rainy Edinburgh along with all 31 watercolours that Henry Vaughan decided to leave to Dublin.

“It is a great privilege for me to have worked so closely with colleagues in Edinburgh to make this project a reality.”

Turner in January: Ireland’s Vaughan Bequest opens at the Royal Scottish Academy building on 1 January, and is free to visit.

This exhibitionhas been created in partnership with the National Gallery of Ireland. It is supported thanks to players of People’s Postcode Lottery and Sir Ewan and Lady Christine Brown.

RESIDENT I – First group exhibition at Colstoun House

RESIDENT I

The first group exhibition at Colstoun House, featuring work from eight of its residency artists in August

Friday 2 – Sunday 11 August 2024

Colstoun House, Haddington, East Lothian, EH41 4PA

Quickly following its opening exhibition by Joe Grieve in May 2024, Colstoun Arts mounts its second public exhibition showcasing eight artists who have all attended the Colstoun Artist Residency at Colstoun House in East Lothian since October 2022.

Opening on Friday 2 August, for two weeks the work of artists Raffael Bader, James Dearlove, Lara Cobden, Suhayla H, Marina Renee Cemmick, Joe Grieve, Angelique Nagovskaya & Jen Hitchings will be shown in the historic Colstoun House on the East Lothian estate.

Globally recognised and exhibited Leipzig artist Raffael Bader’s tension filled landscapes will sit alongside Ingram Prize and Bloomberg New Contemporaries artists James Dearlove’s surrealist takes on the Scottish countryside.

Both will be exhibited alongside Jen Hitchings, so well known for her otherworldly landscapes featured in a number of exhibitions in North America And Europe; Lara Cobden, a member of the Norwich 20 Group focussing on memory and sense of place, responding to the natural world around her; Ely based Suhaylah Hamid, an internationally exhibited self-taught artist who recently announced a collaboration with the V&A on a limited edition print series; Marina Renée-Cemmick, a figurative Artist working across multiple disciplines featured in King Charles’ Royal Collection, whose practice is founded on drawing and human observation; Angelique Nagovskaya, a Canadian-American artist and RCA graduate currently based in Washington DC, who attended Colstoun to spend time developing new ideas for her eminent practice; and Joe Grieve, whose solo exhibition The Other Side was the first exhibition Colstoun Arts mounted in May 2024, and whose work is in collection in over 20 countries.

Annually Colstoun Arts invites 6 to 8 artists to spend a month or more at its home, Colstoun House just outside Edinburgh in East Lothian. During this residency they produce a cohesive body of work inspired by the house and grounds.

During these residencies, Colstoun Arts works with artists to provide learning and development opportunities, introduce them to industry experts, and provide them with guidance.

The Colstoun Arts experience goes well beyond the traditional residency, welcoming artists to become part of life on the estate, experiencing the highs and lows of normal life whilst also providing a dedicated secluded environment with top class studio facilities to push the boundaries of their practice.

Beginning in 2022, this residency programme is designed to develop the careers of a handful of artists each year in a meaningful way, it also provides an opportunity for established artists to take a break from their practice. It is hoped that over time the alumni of this programme will begin to help one another and provide meaningful contributions to Landscape, Nature Inspired and British Art.

These new works will be shown alongside more historical works from the Colstoun Estate Collection, including numerous works by RSA artists past including Sir John Watson-Gordon and Joshua Reynolds, as well Italian landscapes and Dutch still lifes. Both elements play important roles in Colstoun Arts’ vision to become a national museum of landscape and nature inspired art.

Alongside the exhibition the main floor of the house will be open to public viewing for the first time, the curatorial focus of this project being to display historical artworks and antique furnishings collected over generations alongside contemporary artworks. The parkland will be open to the public, and the dining room will be open to members of the public for tea and coffee.

Mackie Sinclair-Parry, Director of Colstoun Arts said: “The variety of work created by our selected artists and the impact the seasons here at Colstoun have played on their work is astonishing.

“This exhibition serves as the conclusion on a residency experience we hope will stick with artists for the rest of their lives and provide benefits across business acumen as well as artistic practice.

“Art has always been a part of Colstoun’s history. When you look at the walls and see hundreds of years of art collected through the generations, it becomes obvious why we should create a sustainable, progressive way in which to collect contemporary art and present it to the wider population.

“It started with the Colstoun Artist Residency but is now being expanded to include public exhibitions and collaborations with external galleries and museums.”

Colstoun Arts will support the acquisition of artworks for the Colstoun Arts Collection which includes works from established contemporary artists such as Damien Hirst, Gavin Turk, Peter Randall-Page, Conrad Shawcross, Tracey Emin, Carolina Mazzolari, Robin Friend, Alina Zamanova and more as well as emerging artists Raffael Bader, Luke Alen-Buckley, Lily Lewis, Joe Grieve, Lara Cobden, Suhaylah H., James Dearlove and Marina Rennee-Cemmick.

Opens tomorrow: Take a voyage of discovery with Glasgow Boy Sir John Lavery

An Irish Impressionist: Lavery on Location

National Galleries of Scotland exhibition at the Royal Scottish Academy building

20 July–27 October 2024

Admission £5 – £19

An Irish Impressionist | Lavery on Location | National Galleries of Scotland

Indulge your wanderlust at the National Galleries of Scotland’s summer exhibition, An Irish Impressionist: Lavery on Location, opening this Saturday (20 July) at the Royal Scottish Academy building in Edinburgh.

Dip your toes in the sun, sea and society of the late 19th and early 20th centuries, viewed through over 90 works by renowned Glasgow Boy, Sir John Lavery. Lavery on Location brings together an array of the Irish impressionists most notable paintings, including many works not usually seen by the public and nearly 20 paintings exclusively on display in Edinburgh.

Tickets are on sale now Book tickets | National Galleries of Scotland.

Take a trip through the extraordinary life of the Belfast-born artist, Lavery (1856-1941), from Scotland to New York via Paris and Morocco. Lavery never travelled without his painting kit, and An Irish Impressionist: Lavery on Location explores some of the locations he visited and was inspired to paint.

Move through the exhibition to experience the glamour of a lost era, with visits to the races, tennis matches and the golf course, or simply relaxing on warm days with Lavery’s family and friends.

See sumptuous portraits, impressionistic landscapes and idyllic scenes of leisure against a backdrop of Tangier, St Jean de Luz, Palm Springs and the Venice Lido. Be whisked away to Switzerland, Spain, Ireland and Italy, as well as to cities such as Glasgow, Seville, Monte Carlo and New York.

Indulge in beautiful seascapes of Tangier from the Ulster Museum, as well as spectacular portraits such as Idonia in Morocco from Glasgow Museums and Hazel in Black and Gold from the Laing Art Gallery.

From the highly finished to the swift impressionist sketch and a uniquely personal style, the range of subjects on show is staggering.

Born in Belfast, where his father ran a small wine and spirits shop in North Queen Street, Lavery was orphaned at the age of three, and moved to his uncle’s farm at Moira before being sent as a ten-year-old to a distant relative in Saltcoats, Ayrshire. He first ran away to Glasgow at the age of 15 and went on to take early morning and evening drawing lessons at the Haldane Academy, completing his training at the Académie Julian in Paris.

Along with a number of his fellow Scottish students Lavery worked at the colony of Grez-sur-Loing, near Fontainebleau, which will be the focus of the first room of An Irish Impressionist: Lavery on Location. Then, back in Scotland in 1885 he became one of the leaders of the much-loved group of artists known as the Glasgow Boys. The Glasgow Boys rebelled against the stuffy Edinburgh-based art establishment and challenged the Academy’s emphasis on historical painting. Instead, their subjects were drawn from everyday life, often painted outdoors.

Lavery quickly attained an international reputation in his early 30s when he received a gold medal at the Paris Salon, the most prestigious art exhibition in the world at the time. Enjoying great success after his move to London in 1896, Lavery combined his talents as a portrait painter with an interest in contemporary events and was later knighted in 1918.

As his style developed Lavery began to share some of the principal tenets of Impressionism. The movement was developed in France in the nineteenth century and is based on the practice of painting outdoors and on the spot. Using lively brushstrokes, these artists often produced works of art rapidly in a single sitting. Like Lavery, the Impressionists were interested in capturing the changing effects of light, frequently exploring this through landscape scenes painted in the open air.

With seven themed rooms, An Irish Impressionist: Lavery on Location will allow visitors to immerse themselves in Lavery’s oil sketches for the Glasgow International Exhibition of 1888, where he had his big break and was commissioned to paint the State Visit of Her Majesty, Queen Victoria.

Journey through Lavery’s travels in North Africa, with mesmerising paintings of snake charmers and camps on his adventures to Fez. For over twenty years, his villa in Tangier, surrounded by beautiful gardens, would become a winter retreat.

Then experience Lavery’s time as an Official War Artist with scenes in hospitals, submarine pens and air raids during World War I. In the final room you can experience the luxurious lifestyle of post-war society, including visiting the Henley Regatta and racing at Ascot.

Lavery experienced enormous social, political and technological change during his lifetime, yet, despite his travels and worldly experience, Lavery’s connections to home – to Scotland and Ireland – remained strong throughout his long career.

Senior Curator Prof. Frances Fowle said: ‘Lavery was a versatile painter who was equally at home in Scotland, North Africa and the French Riviera. “His paintings offer, on the one hand, a nostalgic glimpse of a bygone era and, on the other, a modern world of sunshine and leisure.

“Technically he was a true impressionist, intent on capturing a particular moment or atmospheric effect – perhaps night falling on Tangier, or early morning light, dancing on the crest of a wave.”

Guest Curator Kenneth McConkey said: ‘In a career that spanned over sixty years, Lavery’s output was immense. He saw carthorses become ‘horse-power’, windjammers transform into steamers, and flying machines reborn as air liners.

“Against a backdrop of immense social and political change, in the land of his birth, he witnessed the first cracks in the British Imperial entablature. Visual reporting skills, perfected in Scotland, took him to extraordinary situations and while his works develop in fascinating ways, their basic premises – setting down what was before him – remained constant.

“The same remarkable hand that brought us a Dutch Cocoa House in 1888 takes us to a tea-table in Palm Springs in 1938.”

This exhibition is organised by the National Gallery of Ireland, Dublin, in collaboration with National Museums NI and the National Galleries of Scotland.

For more information and to buy tickets visit An Irish Impressionist | Lavery on Location | National Galleries of Scotland.

Contemporary Closure exhibition at granton:hub

Edinburgh College Art Students Invite You to Celebrate ‘Contemporary Closure’ at Granton Hub!

Contemporary Art Practice (CAP) HND year 1 students are seeking closure, and you’re all invited to the party with an end-of-year exhibition.

Contemporary Closure is an art exhibition being held at granton:hub (Madelvic House), put together by first-year CAP students to celebrate the end of their first year at Edinburgh College’s Granton campus.

Join the HND CAP students on opening night, 31st May from 6pm – 9pm to help them celebrate. You’ll get to see a preview of the work and meet the next wave of contemporary artists over drinks and nibbles.

The exhibition will then run from June 1st – 6th. Times vary, with the exhibition being open 10am – 4pm over the weekend, then 2pm – 6pm on weekdays.

Gareth Hutchison, events co-ordinator, said of the event: “The amount of exciting creative talent emerging from Edinburgh College ‘s Contemporary Art Practice course at Telford Campus is astounding and needs to be presented in a public gallery.

“granton:hub is delegated to showcasing the very best of young & emerging artists in its monthly exhibitions program.

“Contemporary Closure’ exhibition at granton:hub gallery brings together a motley crew of art students. Showcasing their own unique view of modern life, through a year long period of creativity, joy, tears and sweat.

“Before this summer’s festival circus comes to Edinburgh town, why not choose to visit a public art exhibition in the heart of Granton, by some of Edinburgh’s very own home-grown-talent and support local artists embark on a journey outside the safety of the academic walls to showcase their fantastic artworks to the public.”

Contemporary Art Practice student and co-organiser of the event, Bronwen Winter Phoenix, said: “I’m so excited that we’re able to celebrate the end of our first year of CAP in such a great location! Granton is becoming quite an exciting place to be for art at the moment, so it’s fantastic to be a part of that.

“I hope people will come along to view our work – which is really varied as we all have our different styles – have a bit of a party, and see what we’ve been up to as CAP students!”

Official blurb for the exhibition

What makes closure contemporary? When it’s put together by a motley crew of contemporary art students, of course! Join us, Edinburgh College’s HND year 1 Contemporary Art Practice students for our end-of-year exhibition, where we’ll celebrate with a party, and a showcase of the recent work we’ve accomplished, on May 31st. On the night, a few of us will be available to chat about our work and experiences of CAP 1 over drinks and nibbles.

The exhibition will then run from June 1st – 6th, 10am – 4pm over the weekend, then 2pm – 6pm on weekdays.

The exhibition will feature paintings, prints, sculptures, collages and more, with themes including nature, technology, rituals, the body, and mental health (for visitors with children, parental discretion should be advised).

Exclusive artists’ video screenings

On Sunday 2nd June at 2:30pm, come along to an exclusive preview showing of never-seen-before videos from some of the artists, along with a ‘Meet the Artists’ Q&A. Free prints and zines from some of our artists will be available on the day – while they last!

About granton:hub

A community-based creative and cultural Centre in Granton, Edinburgh, granton:hub is based in Granton’s historic Madelvic House.

We are a member-driven charitable organisation that aims to elevate Granton’s profile and provide a focus for Granton’s diverse and evolving communities. granton:hub is a Scottish Charitable Incorporated Organisation (SCO46708), and is managed by a small team of volunteers.

granton:hub is located within Madelvic House, Granton Park Ave, Edinburgh EH5 1HS.

Women in Revolt! Art and Activism in the UK 1970-1990 at Modern Two

Be inspired by stories of collaboration, creativity and rebellion in Women in Revolt! Art and Activism in the UK 1970-1990 at Modern Two in Edinburgh.

The first of its kind, Women in Revolt! is a major survey of feminist art, celebrating the women whose radical ideas and rebellious methods changed the face of British culture.

Come and discover the powerful and often provocative work of over 100 women artists and collectives, forged against the backdrop of seismic social and economic change over two decades.

Tickets are on sale now from the National Galleries of Scotland website.

Curated by Linsey Young, Curator of British Contemporary Art at Tate Britain, in collaboration with the National Galleries of Scotland and The Whitworth, The University of Manchester, Women in Revolt! will take over the entire Modern Two gallery in Edinburgh from 25 May 2024 until 26 January 2025.

Following its debut at Tate Britain in November 2023, the exhibition will bring to Edinburgh a select range of works from the London show, drawing from public and private collections across the country in what will be the only chance to see this landmark exhibition in Scotland.

Women in Revolt! spans two decades of art and activism, charting a range of themes and social issues that influenced and impacted on women artists.

Topics such as the Women’s Liberation Movement, maternal and domestic experiences, Punk and independent music, Greenham Common and the peace movement, the visibility of Black and South Asian women artists, and Section 28 and the AIDS epidemic will be explored in six thematic galleries platforming the creative contributions, ideas and activism of a diverse set of communities living and working in the UK throughout this period.

The exhibition will highlight the ways in which women challenged societal norms through their creativity, both collectively and in isolation, using their lived experiences to create art and fight injustice.

Women in Revolt! is a timely and urgent exhibition celebrating the women who paved the way for future generations through their creativity and activism. The power of their work continues to resonate with audiences today.

About the exhibition:

Women in Revolt! Art and Activism in the UK from 1970-1990

National Galleries Scotland: Modern Two

Belford Road, Edinburgh

25 May 2024–26 January 2025

Tickets £4–£14 | Friends go free

Women in Revolt! Art and Activism in the UK 1970–1990 | National Galleries of Scotland