We all need Friends – even Parks and Houses!

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The sun is shining, summer is on its way and life in the northern hemisphere re-emerges (writes Bill Rodger).  Among the green shoots to know about are: Continue reading We all need Friends – even Parks and Houses!

Can you help trace the Elvis fanatic or the mystery boatbuilder?

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Last year artist Hans Clausen put out a call to find local collectors as part of his Arcadeum project. Well, while there has been some response Hans is still on the lookout for more – and two in particular have sparked his interest. Continue reading Can you help trace the Elvis fanatic or the mystery boatbuilder?

Stick figures run riot in St Andrew Square!

St Andrew Square invaded by stick people

One of Edinburgh’s iconic gardens has been invaded by nocturnal stick-figures as part of an art installation commissioned by the City of Edinburgh Council.

KEYFRAMES is a highlight of the 2016 Year of Innovation, Architecture and Design and has been delivered by producers Curated Place with French artists Groupe LAPS.

The playful stick-figure light sculptures will be exhibited until 28 March 2016 in St Andrew Square. Each sculpture has been designed to create an illusion of stop-motion movement as they shine in sequence to a series of sound effects every evening.

Llloyd Smith

Speaking about the opportunity to present the artwork within Edinburgh, Thomas Veyssiere from Groupe LAPS said: “The most exciting thing about installing KEYFRAMES in St Andrew Square is that it is a long and immersive form. Our lighting puppets will inhabit the square for two months.

“Rather than offering one point of view, visitors who walk through the Square will discover the figures undertaking different activities, be it climbing a tree, throwing a Frisbee or having a snooze. Sound will envelop the whole area and entice visitors to get closer to the installation.”

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Councillor Richard Lewis, Edinburgh’s Events Champion, said: “Public art by day, lightshow by night, KEYFRAMES is something completely different for Edinburgh. It’s fantastic to bring international cultural events to the city. This project has been tailored by the French artists to suit the Square and celebrate elements of Scottish culture, from the sound of the bagpipes to our national love of football. I’m sure it will drive footfall as it brightens up the city centre with its playful stick-figure sculptures. You can’t miss it.”

Culture Secretary Fiona Hyslop said: “The Year of Innovation, Architecture and Design is now underway and we have an exciting array of events planned to showcase Scotland’s spirit of invention and creativity. KEYFRAMES is a fantastic example of what will be on offer during the year. The installation will bring a busy part of our nation’s capital to life and, as a free event, gives everyone the opportunity to participate and experience the architecture and environment of St Andrew Square in a new and different light.”

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Roddy Smith, Chief Executive of Essential Edinburgh, added: We are delighted to support a project in St Andrew Square that is such a stunning addition to the city centre. KEYFRAMES is something that will draw and delight local people and visitors alike, and add to the ambience of the city centre well into spring.”

This is the first time KEYFRAMES will be exhibited in Scotland following a UK debut in Durham at the 2013 Lumiere Festival. It has delighted thousands of people across the world from Singapore to Jerusalem, France, Spain and the Netherlands.

The exhibition, which is free to view, is being funded by the City of Edinburgh Council and EventScotland with the support of Marketing Edinburgh and Essential Edinburgh.

Llloyd Smith

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Pictures: CEC

Video: Lloyd Smith

Scottish artist goes the extra acre for St Columba’s

An exhibition by a renowned Scottish artist is to take place in a Goldenacre charity bookshopJohn F Martin painting

John F Martin, whose work is held in collections all over the world, will display a collection of his paintings at the St Columba’s Hospice bookshop on Montagu Terrace in Goldenacre this week. Continue reading Scottish artist goes the extra acre for St Columba’s

The painter that Britain forgot: city Gears up for new exhibition

William Gear exhibition opens this weekend

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The story of a former Edinburgh College of Art student who became a highly-acclaimed abstract artist before slipping into obscurity will be remembered at a major retrospective exhibition arriving at the City Art Centre this Saturday.

Featuring around 120 works spanning his colourful career and coinciding with the centenary of his birth, William Gear 1915-1997: The painter that Britain forgot seeks to re-position William Gear in his rightful place as one of the most advanced British abstract painters of his generation.

Following a successful first run at the Towner Art Gallery this summer, the partnership exhibition between Eastbourne and Edinburgh will run alongside Jagged Generation: William Gear’s Contemporaries and Influences, an exhibition drawn from the City Art Centre’s collection which explores the artist’s links to Scotland.

Raised in Methil, a Fife mining community, Gear (self portait, above) studied at Edinburgh College of Art during the 1930s where he was taught by influential figures such as S.J. Peploe, John Maxwell and William Gillies.

He went on to train in Paris under the Cubist artist Fernand Léger before travelling widely during the Second World War, even becoming one of the ‘Monuments Men’ whose job it was to help save parts of Europe’s culture during and after the conflict.

After returning to Paris in 1947, Gear met the avant-garde artists of the CoBrA group and exhibited with them in Amsterdam and Paris in 1949. In the same year his work was shown in New York alongside paintings by Jackson Pollock. He eventually returned to live in the UK in 1950, and continued to exhibit both at home and internationally until his death in 1997.

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Councillor Richard Lewis, Culture Convener for the City of Edinburgh Council, said: “How and why William Gear fell into obscurity is quite remarkable. Gear was an artist who was born in Fife 100 years ago, trained in Edinburgh and then went on to create some of the most radical compositions of the 1950s. He was one of the greats of British abstract art and his career and his works tell a fascinating story. These exhibitions cement his place as a pioneer and he is finally getting the recognition he deserves.”

William Gear 1915-1997: The painter that Britain forgot has been created in partnership with the Towner Art Gallery where Gear was curator from 1958 – 1964. It traces his prolific career, from his early pen and ink drawings and experiments in colour during the 1930s and 1940s, to his radical monochrome and block paintings of the 1950s and mature works created during the 1960s and beyond.

As one of the first British artists to present screenprints as works of fine art, the exhibition also presents Gear as a printmaker. This exhibition includes loans from The Estate of William Gear, the Royal Academy of Arts, London and The Redfern Gallery amongst many other lenders.

Jagged Generation: William Gear’s Contemporaries and Influences presents a selection of artworks from the City Art Centre’s own collection. This exhibition focuses on the vibrant circle of Scottish artists associated with Gear – his tutors, friends and contemporaries. It was at Edinburgh College of Art that Gear met like-minded fellow students including Wilhelmina Barns-Graham, Margaret Mellis and Alan Davie, who also made innovative contributions to the post-war art scene.

Gear spent most of his career outside Scotland, yet he retained many Scottish ties and friendships. Jagged Generation showcases Gear’s work within this wider Scottish context, shedding light on his personal and professional relationships, as well as his artistic development.

Find out more at the Council’s Museums and Galleries website