Tag: exhibition

Hamza Yassin attends opening of Wildlife Photographer of the Year exhibition in Edinburgh

Wildlife Photographer of the Year – 20 January to 6 May 2024 

National Museum of Scotland, Chambers Street 

Wildlife cameraman and presenter Hamza Yassin yesterday attended an event to mark the opening of the world-renowned Wildlife Photographer of the Year exhibition at the National Museum of Scotland.

The exhibition, on loan from the Natural History Museum in London, features exceptional images which capture fascinating animal behaviour, spectacular species and the breathtaking diversity of the natural world.

Using photography’s unique emotive power to engage and inspire audiences, the images shine a light on stories and species around the world and encourage a future of advocating for the planet.   

Hamza Yassin said: “I was delighted to be among the first people in Scotland to view this thought-provoking exhibition.

“As a wildlife cameraman and photographer myself, it was great to see such a variety of incredible images and to appreciate the skill, knowledge of nature and ingenuity that must have gone into capturing them.

“Photography like this can really inspire us all to think about the beauty and fragility of our natural world, as well as the things we can do to protect it.” 

Wildlife Photographer of the Year is the most prestigious photography event of its kind, providing a global platform that showcases some of the best photography talent from around the world for nearly 60 years.

Launched in 1965, today the competition receives entries from countries all over the world, highlighting its enduring appeal. This year’s award-winning images will embark on an international tour that will allow them to be seen by well over a million people.   

This year’s competition attracted 49,957 entries from photographers of all ages and experience levels from 95 countries. Over the course of a week at the Natural History Museum in London, entries were judged anonymously on their creativity, originality, and technical excellence by an international panel of industry experts.  

French underwater photographer and marine biologist Laurent Ballesta was awarded Wildlife Photographer of the Year 2023 for The golden horseshoe, an otherworldly image of a tri-spine horseshoe crab accompanied by a trio of golden trevallies. Young Wildlife Photographer of the Year 2023 was awarded to 17-year-old Carmel Bechler from Israel for his Owls’ roadhouse, a dynamic frame of barn owls in an abandoned roadside building.  

Dr Nick Fraser, Keeper of Natural Sciences at National Museums Scotland, said: “These images taken together tell a powerful story, balancing the wonder and beauty of the natural world with its fragility and vulnerability to climate change and biodiversity loss.

“It is perhaps less well understood how the work of in-house natural sciences teams and external researchers on collections such as ours at National Museums Scotland and those at the Natural History Museum contributes hugely to global understanding of human impact on the environment. We look forward to welcoming visitors to the exhibition when it opens this weekend.” 

Dr Doug Gurr, Director of the Natural History Museum said: “We are facing urgent biodiversity and climate crises, and photography is a powerful catalyst for change.

“The Wildlife Photographer of the Year exhibition reveals some of nature’s most wondrous sights whilst offering hope and achievable actions visitors can take to help protect the natural world.” 

Chair of the judging panel, Kathy Moran said: “What most impressed the jury was the range of subjects, from absolute beauty, rarely seen behaviours and species to images that are stark reminders of what we are doing to the natural world. We felt a powerful tension between wonder and woe that we believe came together to create a thought-provoking collection of photographs.” 

The exhibition at the National Museum of Scotland is supported by players of People’s Postcode Lottery and will be supported by a range of public events and activities.  

Laura Chow, Head of Charities at People’s Postcode Lottery, said: “The Wildlife Photographer of the Year exhibition is truly stunning and inspiring, helping us discover untold stories of species from around the world.

“Our players have raised more than £3.3 million for National Museums Scotland and I’m delighted their support makes exhibitions like this accessible to everyone, allowing more people to learn about our natural world”. 

Major video game exhibition to open in Edinburgh next summer

Game On 

29 June to 3 November 2024 

nms.ac.uk/GameOn 

Game On, the largest interactive exhibition of the history and the culture of video games, will return to Edinburgh next summer.

The exhibition, featuring iconic characters and games ranging from Space Invaders to Sonic the Hedgehog and Mario to Minecraft, runs from 29 June to 3 November 2024 at the National Museum of Scotland. 

Game On, an exhibition conceived and curated by Barbican Immersive, examines the creative and technological advances that have established a new medium and artform. In Game On, visitors explore gaming’s rich history by playing many of the key games produced over the last 50 years.  

The exhibition will open over 20 years after the National Museum of Scotland was its very first touring venue in October 2002, after its initial opening run at the Barbican in London.  

Since then, over five million people of all ages, have visited this highly interactive exhibition in 24 cities around the world. 

Patrick Moran, Game On Associate Curator, said: “The gaming world has had an undeniable social, cultural, and technological impact. Games transcend the boundaries between art and technology, becoming part of popular culture. 

“Game On presents the opportunity to not only see the evolution of video games and how they have diversified, but also lets to immerse yourself inside the gaming world allowing you to play with over 100 playable games.

“The show features the largest playable collection in the world, including original arcade, handle hand, and console games, including Pac-Man, Super Mario, Tetris, Minecraft, Just Dance and FIFA.

“The exhibition also explores new advances in the gaming world. Highly interactive, all action, groundbreaking and popular, Game On is engaging for hardcore gamers and visitors new to the gaming, the show is suitable for players of all ages.” 

Dr Geoff Belknap, Keeper of Science and Technology at National Museums Scotland said: “It’s great to welcome Game On back to the National Museum of Scotland.

“As someone in charge of science and technology collections, it’s exciting to see the rapid changes in gaming technologies over the last 20 years reflected in this exhibition through objects which I used to have in my own living room. 

“The exhibition has been continually updated at each new touring venue since the early 2000s, when the show was first in Edinburgh, and so we look forward to bringing the story of video gaming right up to date here in Scotland, where the industry today is so vibrant.” 

The exhibition is organised in thematic sections, inviting visitors to explore game design and technological parallels across the decades.

The sections explore different types of gaming, from handheld to home console to arcade machines across a range of genres, as well as wider cultural aspects such as the links between gaming and both music and film. 

The exhibition will be supported by a programme of public events. 

The Printmaker’s Art: Rembrandt to Rego to make its mark at the National Galleries of Scotland this winter

The Printmaker’s Art: Rembrandt to Rego 

National Galleries Scotland: National (Royal Scottish Academy)  

2 December 2023 – 25 February 2024 

The Printmaker’s Art | Rembrandt to Rego | National Galleries of Scotland 

Woodblock print Thirty-six Views of Mount Fuji; Thunderstorm Below the Summit Katsushika Hokusai Japan ca.1831 Colour print from woodblocks

This winter, discover five hundred years of boundary-pushing artwork in The Printmaker’s Art: Rembrandt to Rego at the National (Royal Scottish Academy) in Edinburgh.

Visitors can explore four galleries packed with around 100 artworks by some of the world’s most iconic artists, including Rembrandt, Hokusai, Pablo Picasso, Andy Warhol, Bridget Riley and Paula Rego. The Printmaker’s Art: Rembrandt to Rego opens on 2 December 2023 till 25 February 2024, with tickets on sale now from the National Galleries of Scotland. 

Bringing together the very best examples of fine art printmaking from Scotland’s national collection; The Printmaker’s Art: Rembrandt to Rego includes early woodcuts, such as Albrecht Dürer’s incredible Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse, through to bold, punchy pop-art idols such as Roy Lichtenstein’s Reverie and Andy Warhol’s The Cow. The exhibition also looks to the future, with a range of new artworks acquired through the Iain Paul Fund on display together for the first time.

These acquisitions include work from contemporary printmakers such as Tessa Lynch, Lucy Skaer, Lucy McKenzie and Christian Noelle Charles. Visitors will also have a unique opportunity to see art on loan from public and private collections, including exceptional prints by Katsushika Hokusai, Edgar Degas, Paul Gauguin, Yinka Shonibare and Cornelia Parker, which will grace the walls of the National (Royal Scottish Academy) especially for this exhibition. 

The Printmakers Art: Rembrandt to Rego takes a striking visual journey through a fascinating spectrum of printmaking techniques.

From historic trailblazers to contemporary movements, old traditions to new visions, revered artists to the creatively curious, printmaking achieves an array of distinct visual effects which would not be possible in other mediums.

It is also one of the most widely accessible forms of artistic expression; starting with a basic handprint on a page, printmaking has the power to evolve into something daring, bold, provocative and new. 

At the heart of The Printmaker’s Art: Rembrandt to Rego is a celebration of the skills and processes which form an integral part of this traditional yet ever evolving and much-loved artform.

See films of printmakers at work and get up close to discover how you can spot an etching from a lithograph, or woodcut from wood engraving. The fundamental processes developed in the 15th century printing press are ever-present in the bustling print workshops of today.

Artworks on show will demonstrate how this has evolved, including the ingenious ways contemporary artists are developing new and sustainable processes, alongside utilising digital technologies, to secure the future of printmaking for generations to come.  

Scotland’s printmaking story is key to the exhibition, not only through the artworks on display, but through a series of films from print studios across the country at the forefront of contemporary printmaking. There is also a unique opportunity for visitors to see the tools and working materials used to make prints featured in the exhibition, on loan from the artists themselves. 

Sir John Leighton, Director-General of the National Galleries of Scotland said: “Printmaking is an enduring art form that continues to capture the imagination and ignite a spark of inspiration.

“The Printmaker’s Art: Rembrandt to Rego at the National (Royal Scottish Academy) offers an exciting opportunity to see some of the most popular works from Scotland’s national collection alongside several important loans.

“The exhibition gives visitors a chance to come face to face with many revered artists from the last five hundred years, all while discovering more about this beloved practice.

“This is also a chance to put our homegrown printmakers in the spotlight, proudly displaying work by contemporary artists who are consistently pushing the boundaries of creativity in Scotland and beyond.” 

The Printmaker’s Art: Rembrandt to Rego opens at the National on Saturday 2 December 2023.  

Tickets are on sale now. 

Still time to see Edinburgh Women’s Aid ‘A Source of Strength’ exhibition

Edinburgh Women’s Aid, (EWA), which marks 50 years of supporting women and children experiencing domestic abuse, unveils  ‘A Source of Strength’ exhibition in partnership with Stills: Centre for Photography in Cockburn Street and the University of Edinburgh, which runs until tomorrow (28 October).

The exhibition is part of the Economic Social Research Council, (ESRC), Festival of Social Science, building on research that finds the relationship between children and mothers can help improve the impact that domestic abuse has on children. 

It offers visitors the chance to view photographs created by children and mothers about their relationships together and the importance of them, and the role they play in protecting and supporting children to recover from domestic abuse.

Dr Fiona Morrison, Programme Director for Childhood Practice, University of Edinburgh, said:  “These beautiful photographs were taken by children and women, which celebrate the strength that children and mothers find in each other when living with and recovering together from domestic abuse.” 

Over the past two years the charity has provided support to 440 children and young people in Edinburgh who have experienced domestic abuse with everything from giving them a safe place to stay in a refuge, specialist housing support, legal advice and help securing employment.

Linda Rodgers, CEO at Edinburgh Women’s Aid, said: “This exhibition is a great opportunity to honour and showcase the strength of the relationship between mothers and children experiencing domestic abuse.

“Thanks to everyone who helped bring it together including the families we have been working with, Stills Centre for Photography and the University of Edinburgh.”

The free exhibition at Stills: Centre for Photography is on from11-5pm at Cockburn Street until tomorrow – Saturday, 28th October.

National Galleries of Scotland celebrates the evolution of photography and the impact of architecture in new exhibition

Making Space: Photographs of Architecture

Making Space: Photographs of Architecture

National Galleries Scotland: Portrait

7 October 2023 – 3 March 2024

Free Entry

Making Space | Photographs of Architecture | National Galleries of Scotland

Mark Havens

Take a visual journey through the history of architecture and explore the connection between people, places and photography in the National Galleries of Scotland’s new exhibition, Making Space: Photographs of Architecture. 

Opening yesterday at the Portrait gallery in Edinburgh, the exhibition focuses on one of the most enduring themes in the story of photography: architecture. With over 40 photographs from the 1840s to the present day to see, Making Space is the fourth instalment in a popular series of free exhibitions which explores the richness of Scotland’s national photography collection.

Generously supported by players of People’s Postcode Lottery, and awarded funds by Postcode Culture Trust, Making Space not only considers the integral role of architecture in the history of photography, but also how buildings impact everyday life. Architecture has the power to tackle inequality, address social issues including homelessness, poverty and displacement, and even create a more sustainable future; key themes considered throughout the exhibition.

Visually engaging and physically static, buildings were the perfect subjects for early photography, with the evolving built landscape continuing to inspire photography enthusiasts today.

From the dawn of its invention to new techniques of today, Making Space spans the breadth of photographic history. The exhibition invites visitors to peer through the camera lens and uncover a diverse range of photographic styles, formats and processes.

From Hill & Adamson’s early experiments on Edinburgh’s Calton Hill to spectacular contemporary photographs which capture the breathtaking scale of modern buildings.

Standout modern works include Andreas Gursky’s San Francisco which goes on display at the Portrait for the first time since its acquisition in 1999. Deliberately disorientating, Gursky uses digital manipulation to challenge perception, with humans often appearing insignificant and dominated by their built environment.

The exhibition also features three key loans from Tate, including work by renowned photographers Bernd and Hilla Becher, Candida Höfer and Hiroshi Sugimoto.

Chris Leslie

Making Space introduces several acquisitions made by National Galleries of Scotland in recent years, including six works from Scottish photographer Chris Leslie’s Disappearing Glasgow series and a further six from Canadian born Sylvia Grace Borda’s project exploring modernist architecture in East Kilbride. 

Untitled (Rosemary and Ocean) and Untitled (Sweetbriar and Atlantic) by Philadelphia based photographer Mark Havens round off the new acquisitions, with his colourful works gifted to National Galleries Scotland in 2019.

The social history of Scotland plays a central role within Making Space, with some of the earliest work providing a window into Scotland’s past, and more recent work tackling the issues of today.

Historic highlights include David Octavius Hill and Robert Adamson’s photographs from the early 1840’s, depicting the construction of Edinburgh’s Sir Walter Scott Monument. These iconic images not only record the birth of one of the Scottish capital’s most recognisable manmade features, but also provide the first known photographic documentation of a building site.

Thomas Annan

Heading west to Glasgow, Thomas Annan’s The Old Closes and Streets of Glasgow series offers a 19th century view on what could also be considered a 21st century problem – the housing crisis.

In documenting the overpopulation in the east end of the city, Annan used photography to highlight inequality and push for change. This collection of photographs is now recognised as pivotal to documentary photography, offering visitors insight into an important moment in history.

Linking historic photographs to the present day are a wide variety of contemporary works from across Scotland. Picking up where Thomas Annan left off, albeit over a century later, Leslie’s Disappearing Glasgow series documents stories from the people on the frontline of the city’s extensive demolition and regeneration programme.

Following years of decline, Glasgow’s Red Road Flats were eventually demolished in 2013, with former residents watching from the sidelines. The building’s demise and subsequent social impact have been carefully recorded by Leslie.

At the other end of the spectrum, the work of Sylvia Grace Borda tackles the evolving nature of architecture and the ways in which it can be used to improve society. Designed in 1947 and widely considered one of the most complete Modernist towns in the UK, East Kilbride was constructed to relieve pressure from an overpopulated Glasgow.

A visual record of the town was created by Borda between 2005-2017, highlighting not only the modern architecture, but the green spaces, integrated public services and homes flooded with natural light, showing what architectural design can achieve when the needs of people are at its heart.

Sir John Leighton, Director-General of the National Galleries of Scotland said: “This continued series of free exhibitions at the Portrait Gallery is a fantastic way to explore the history of photography though the richness and diversity of the national collection.

“Making Space: Photographs of Architecture presents an opportunity to not only marvel in the evolution of photography, but also consider the impact our built environment has on society, health, and sustainability.

“We are proud to present several new acquisitions by contemporary photographers from Scotland and beyond, displayed for the first time alongside work by the trailblazers who inspired them.”

Laura Chow, Head of Charities at People’s Postcode Lottery, said: “Architecture impacts us in ways we don’t often realise – the built environment around us affects how we feel.

“Our players have raised over £5 million in funding for the National Galleries of Scotland. I’m delighted that this money means exhibitions like Making Space are free for everyone to enjoy and learn more about architecture and how it impacts people’s lives across Scotland.”

Making Space: Photographs of Architecture opened at the Portrait yesterday on Saturday 7 October.

ELREC: Art through Language project

*** Starting next Monday 9th October ***

ELREC are organising a very exciting workshop in partnership with Heriot-Watt University exploring people’s perception of their language and how it can be reflected in a form of art.

Join us for this very creative course. Attendance at all the sessions is not necessary, you can come along to as many sessions as you wish. All materials and food are provided😄

Need more information? email mrostami@elrec.org.uk

#art

#language

#linguistics

#community

Beyond the Little Black Dress: Major fashion exhibition opens tomorrow at the National Museum of Scotland

Major fashion exhibition ‘Beyond the Little Black Dress’ opens this weekend

A new exhibition at the National Museum of Scotland deconstructs the little black dress, examining the radical power of the colour black in fashion.

From design classics to cutting-edge catwalk creations, Beyond the Little Black Dress (1 July to 29 October 2023) brings together 65 striking looks from collections and designers around the world.

nms.ac.uk/BeyondLBD

The colour black can be interpreted in many subtle and often contradictory ways. The exhibition explores how its complexities have made the little black dress simultaneously expressive of piety and perversion, respect and rebellion; from the well-mannered cocktail attire of the early 20th century to the leather and latex worn by members of punk and fetish subcultures.

Beyond the Little Black Dress opens with a simple, short black dress designed by Coco Chanel in 1926. Considered radically modern, it disregarded convention entirely in both the stark design and sombre shade, that had traditionally been associated with mourning.

At the time it was hailed by US Vogue as “the frock that all the world will wear”. The ‘little black dress’ became a wardrobe staple, a symbol of femininity and a byword for chic, with each new silhouette capturing the spirit of its time.

The little black dress remains a blank canvas for broader political and cultural shifts. It can challenge social norms around race, gender and sexuality to reflect evolving ideals of beauty and identity, proving its infinite capacity for reinvention.

Visitors to Beyond the Little Black Dress, which is supported by Baillie Gifford Investment Managers, will discover a century of fashion in a series of themed, immersive displays. Iconic early pieces by Yves Saint Laurent, Dior and Schiaparelli will be juxtaposed with recent looks by ground-breaking contemporary designers and brands like Gareth Pugh, Simone Rocha and Off-White.

A section of the exhibition highlights Black British designers whose work explores both Blackness in terms of identity, and the role the colour black plays in crafting an Afrofuturistic aesthetic.

Elsewhere, the exhibition considers how perceptions of the colour black differ in a global context, while a film from Osman Yousefzada shines a light on the inequities of fast fashion, as well as global concepts of beauty.

A series of garments demonstrate how smart technologies are establishing a blueprint for a more sustainable future. A new commission by designers VIN + OMI incorporates nettles and horsehair sourced from Highgrove, the private residence of The King and Queen, exploring nature-led alternatives to fast fashion.

Georgina Ripley, Principal Curator, Modern and Contemporary Design at National Museums Scotland, said: “Few garments are as iconic as the little black dress, which has often been held up by the fashion industry as the one piece every woman should have in her wardrobe.

“It has evolved dramatically in the century since its creation. From a simple shift dress which helped democratise women’s fashion to a bold political statement, it has moved through various iterations which reflect changing ideals of beauty and body image.

“Displaying classic couture, avant-garde pieces and garments that make a political statement, this exhibition will explore its enduring success, and ask why, in the fickle and fast-paced fashion world, the little black dress has achieved that rare status of being truly above the fray.”

Sam Pattman, Philanthropy Manager at Baillie Gifford Investment Managers said: “We are delighted that our successful relationship with National Museums Scotland continues with our support for Beyond the Little Black Dress.

“This exciting exhibition takes a fresh look at a timeless classic, examining how it has remained in style for nearly a century and displaying a dazzling selection of garments from those worn by royalty to truly avant-garde creations at the cutting edge of the fashion industry.”

National Museums Scotland’s internationally significant fashion and textiles collection comprises around 50,000 objects and is one of the largest in the UK.

The collection includes textiles dating back to the 14th century and clothing and accessories dating from the 16th century to the present day. Beyond the Little Black Dress follows the acclaimed exhibition Body Beautiful: Diversity on the Catwalk.

The exhibition is curated by Georgina Ripley, Principal Curator, Modern and Contemporary Design, National Museums Scotland, Dr Sequoia Barnes, Guest Curator and Carys Wilkins, Assistant Curator Modern and Contemporary Design, National Museums Scotland. It will be accompanied by a programme of events.

The accompanying book Little Black Dress: A Radical Fashion edited by Georgina Ripley, £30.00, is published by NMS Enterprises Ltd – Publishing.

#BeyondLBD

Declaration of Arbroath goes on display for the first time in 18 years at the National Museum of Scotland

Saturday June 3 to Sunday 2 July 2023

Admission: Free

nms.ac.uk/declaration

#DeclarationOfArbroath

The Declaration of Arbroath has gone on display at the National Museum of Scotland for the first time in 18 years.

The display has been organised in partnership between National Museums Scotland and National Records of Scotland, who are custodians of the Declaration. The famous document will be on show from 3 June to 2 July 2023.

The Declaration of Arbroath was last displayed 18 years ago at the Scottish Parliament. The iconic and fragile 700-year-old document, which is cared for and preserved for future generations by National Records of Scotland, can only be displayed occasionally in order to ensure its long-term preservation.

The Declaration was due to be displayed in April 2020 to coincide with its 700th anniversary, but this was postponed due to the pandemic. The new summer date has been chosen to give as many people as possible the rare chance to see one of Scotland’s most important historical documents.

The Declaration of Arbroath is a letter dated 6 April 1320, written by the barons and freeholders of Scotland, on behalf of the Kingdom of Scotland, to Pope John XXII asking him to recognise Scotland’s independence and acknowledge Robert the Bruce as the country’s lawful king.

The letter also asks the Pontiff to persuade King Edward II of England to end hostilities against the Scots, so that their energy may be better used to secure the frontiers of Christendom.

The Declaration was probably drafted at a meeting of the King and his council at Newbattle, then written up in the scriptorium of Arbroath Abbey. Written in Latin, it was sealed by eight earls and about 40 barons. It was authenticated by seals, as documents at that time were not signed. Only 19 seals now remain.

Alice Blackwell, Senior Curator of Medieval Archaeology and History at National Museums Scotland said, “It is great to be able to display the Declaration of Arbroath here at the National Museum of Scotland, the home of our nation’s material history and the country’s most visited attraction.

“We look forward to welcoming many visitors to enjoy the rare opportunity of seeing this hugely significant document in person.”

Culture Minister Christina McKelvie said: “The Declaration of Arbroath is of great historic and cultural interest to people living in Scotland as well as the sizeable Scottish diaspora around the world.

“I hope people from across the country, and further afield, will take this rare opportunity to visit our wonderful national museum to view this iconic document which has played such an important part in the history of our country.”

Dr Alan Borthwick, Head of Medieval and Early Modern Records, National Records of Scotland, said: “The Declaration of Arbroath is one of the most significant documents we have in our collections.

“At National Records of Scotland we are hugely proud of the role we play in conserving it to ensure it is still here for future generations to see and study.

“We hope people from Scotland and beyond will take this rare opportunity to see it for themselves.”

The Declaration was written during the long Wars of Independence with England when, despite the Scots’ success at the Battle of Bannockburn, Robert I had not been recognised as king by either Edward II or by the Pope, and had been excommunicated by the latter.

At this time, the Pope desired peace between England and Scotland, so both could help in a crusade to the Holy Land. The Declaration sought to influence him by offering the possibility of support from the Scots for his long-desired crusade if they no longer had to fear English invasion.

After receiving the Declaration, the Pope urged reconciliation between the warring sides and a truce was agreed in 1323. A peace treaty was signed between England and Scotland in March 1328 and the following year the Pope issued a papal bull permitting the anointing and crowning of a King of Scots.

The peace was short-lived, however, as the Second War of Independence broke out in 1332 and went on for 25 years.

Take a trip through time with  Decades: The Art of Change 1900-1980

Decades: The Art of Change 1900-1980
Opening Saturday 29 April 2023   

Free   

National Galleries Scotland: Modern Two 

Decades: The Art of Change 1900-1980, is an exploration of the modern art scene, from 1900 through to the 1970s.  See how artists have captured changes in society as you move through the free exhibition, opening at Modern Two this Saturday (29 April).

You will discover how the mood and atmosphere of the work reflects and embodies each changing decade with works that have been carefully selected to best represent the period.  

Filling all of Modern Two and spread across six rooms, the journey begins at the turn of the last century, in 1900. Meet the French artists who painted with electrifying colour in the first room, with work by Henri Matisse and André Derain.

Their brightly coloured landscape paintings were so radically different that the artists were given the derogatory label ‘Fauves’ – meaning ‘wild beasts’. The term stuck and Fauvism had a major impact on British and particularly Scottish art. 

Two new acquisitions, by Scottish Colourists FCB Cadell and JD Fergusson, feature in this room. JD Fergusson, who was born in Leith but lived in Paris before the First World War, was one of the key Scottish artists of the twentieth century.

Painted in 1911, Flowers and Pink Box, has bright bold colour and confident, energetic brushwork. Fergusson’s work of this time often had sexual overtones and covert erotic references. In this painting, the pink box depicted is believed to have been used to store his condoms. 

This is the first still life by Fergusson to enter the national collection. The Rose and the Lacquer Screen, by FCB Cadell, combines several of his favourite still-life props: a rose in a transparent vase, a black fan and its trailing ribbon and a detail of the lacquered screen that dominated the drawing room of his house in Edinburgh’s New Town.   

Moving into the 1930s, artists such as Piet Mondrian believed that abstract art could change society. This room features work by Alexander Calder, Paule Vézelay and Ben Nicholson.

Entering the 1940s, abstraction and idealism were replaced by grim realism. Paintings and sculptures by Francis Bacon, Joan Eardley and Bet Low, created during and immediately after the Second World War, speak of a new reality, reflecting the harsh times. Benno Schotz’s sculpture Lament (1943) speaks of the Holocaust while William McCance’s Atom Horizon refers to the bombing of Hiroshima. 

The 1950s saw a battle between Abstraction and Realism, played out in the shadow of the Cold War and the nuclear age.  This is illustrated in Decades: The Art of Change 1900-1980 by two mural projects created for the great Festival of Britain exhibition of 1951, which are shown together here for the first time.

Josef Hermann’s project shows a row of miners - builders of a new social order; Victor Pasmore’s mural project is instead a daring essay glimpse of spiralling abstract forms. The art of the 1950s reaches into the future yet seems steeped in anxiety.

The display from the 1950s also features exceptional works by Alan Davie, Louise Nevelson, Fernand Léger, Eduardo Paolozzi and Elisabeth Frink.

Art became celebratory, playful and experimental in the 1960s. Sculptors abandoned traditional materials such as bronze and marble for ‘soft sculpture’, exemplified in the work of Jann Haworth, Yayoi Kusama and Duane Hanson’s iconic Tourists.

A firm favourite with visitors to the Modern, Tourists, captures the banality of post-war, consumer society with humour and warmth. Although these two figures are presented as a couple, they were cast from life but never even met. David Hockney’s etching of two gay men in bed dates from 1967, the year in which homosexuality was legalised in England and Wales. 

Throughout the 1970s, artists took Abstraction and Minimalism to extremes. Fred Sandback’s Untitled, 1971 – two coloured cords which cut across the corner of the room – questions the very notion of art as something with three-dimensional form or narrative meaning. 

The Keiller Library presents a witty and original focus on the motif of the hand in Surrealist art and writing. Drawing on works by artists like Man Ray, Edith Rimmington and Salvador Dali, from the national collection’s world- class holding of Surrealist books and archive material. 

From a time when the motor car was just beginning to populate the roads to the dawn of the space race, the world changed significantly in the 80-year timespan that the exhibition covers.  This selection of one hundred works from the national collection shows ways in which artists have continually pushed the boundaries and created art which defines its time. These pieces still have the power to shock and make us think about our world today and the changes and innovations to come. 

Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art 1 & 2, Dean Road, Edinburgh. National Galleries of Scotland.

Director-General of the National Galleries of Scotland, Sir John Leighton, said: ‘National Galleries of Scotland is delighted to reopen Modern Two with an exhibition that celebrates the strength of the national collection.

“Featuring a fascinating range of works by many of Scotland and the world’s greatest artists, Decades: The Art of Change 1900-1980 encourages visitors to think about how art can both reflect and change the way we see the world around us. We welcome you to join us on a voyage of discovery through 80 years of bold artistic achievement.’ 

Neil Hanna Photography www.neilhannaphotography.co.uk 07702 246823

Simon Groom, Director of Modern & Contemporary Art, said: ‘Decades is an amazing opportunity to discover the rich range and depth of art from the national collection in the 20th century.

“Arranged by decades – starting with the beautiful paintings of Henri Matisse, Pablo Picasso, and the Scottish Colourists, the show takes us on fascinating journey to see how artists as diverse as Francis Bacon, Joan Eardley, Eduardo Paolozzi, Yayoi Kusama, Bridget Riley, David Hockney, and Joseph Beuys reflected and gave shape to our experience of the 20th century.’