Tag: exhibition

Ideas of tomorrow on display at rare engineering show led by students

Engineering students at one of the country’s leading STEM‑focused universities are offering the public a rare chance to see the ideas shaping the world around us.

Hosted at Heriot-Watt University’s Edinburgh campus on April 01, the Civil Engineering Degree Show will feature real‑world projects developed by students across all years of learning.

The event centres on new thinking driving the future of transport, sustainable energy, coastal protection, Net Zero buildings and the water systems essential to everyday life.

The exhibition takes place on campus and is designed for anyone with an interest in how Scotland’s infrastructure develops, including industry, schools, local authorities and members of the public.

Rod Macdonald, Associate Professor at the School of Energy, Geoscience, Infrastructure and Society, who is leading the event said: “This is a unique opportunity for visitors to speak directly with the people who will design and deliver the infrastructure our communities depend on.”

“Our students are already thinking at the scale of Scotland’s major transport links, our future energy needs, our coastal resilience and the systems that support safe, sustainable living.

“It’s been incredibly inspiring working alongside them on their various projects and it’s great to see how they are all thinking beyond today, looking at what society will need decades from now, and translating that into innovative, practical designs.”

The show takes place from 2–6pm in the James Watt Centre Foyer, offering the public the opportunity to meet the students and academics behind the projects.

Eleven exhibitions will be on display, highlighting the breadth of civil engineering work at Heriot‑Watt, from early concept models to complex design projects tackling real‑world challenges.

Projects on display will explore how smarter cities and infrastructure could be designed in the future, while also addressing climate and sustainability challenges, the creation of energy‑efficient infrastructure, improved transport for growing populations and new ways to build communities that are resilient by design.

Shadi Mohamed, Associate Professor at the School of Energy, Geoscience, Infrastructure and Society added: “Each exhibition shows a different stage of learning, from first‑year students beginning design work to the final‑year teams completing Professional Design Projects that mirror real‑world industry challenges.

“Visitors will see how our students are planning for future transport, energy, coastal resilience, water networks and Net Zero buildings, all shown through models, visuals and direct conversations with the teams.”

Last year’s Degree Show included a standout project that explored how Edinburgh’s South Suburban Line could be reopened to passengers for the first time in more than sixty years, using low‑carbon tram‑train technology to better connect communities across the city.

The work drew strong public interest and showed how students at Heriot‑Watt apply their learning to real infrastructure challenges facing Scotland.

Events like the degree show reflect the practical approach that prepares graduates from Heriot‑Watt to step into roles with the technical confidence and real‑world experience needed to contribute from day one.

Students also benefit from practical learning opportunities such as ConStructEdScotland, where second years’ 3work alongside professional engineers and tradespeople to build full‑scale structures, gaining early insight into how designs become real projects.

The University’s approach prepares students to understand both local and global challenges, with an emphasis on sustainability, resilience and long‑term community benefit.

These strengths are supported by close relationships with partners such as the Civil Engineering Industry Advisory Committee, which includes representatives from AECOM, ARUP, Balfour Beatty, Halcrow, Jacobs, Buro Happold and WSP Group, ensuring teaching stays aligned with industry needs.

To learn more about the Degree Show, please visit:

https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/heriot-watt-university-civil-engineering-degree-show-2026-tickets-1983870264365

Self-portrait by Scottish painter Jack Vettriano to go on display at National Galleries of Scotland

National Galleries Scotland: Portrait

Portrait of the Artist, Jack Vettriano

1 March 2026 –  2029

Free

Commemorating one year since the passing of celebrated Scottish painter Jack Vettriano, National Galleries of Scotland has announced it is to showcase two works by the artist.

Celebrating the life and prolific career of Vettriano, the artist’s estate will loan two self-portraits Portrait of the Artist and Homage to Fontana? over a six-year period. Portrait of the Artist will go on display on the one-year anniversary of his passing on 1 March 2026, at National Galleries Scotland: Portrait.

Free to visit, the painting will stay on display until early 2029 when it will then be swapped with Homage to Fontana?.

A self-taught painter, Vettriano was loved at home in Scotland and internationally for his evocative and timeless works that continue to captivate and inspire. His career made a huge contribution to the Scottish arts and culture scene and even broke records in the UK and Scotland.

In 2004 his painting The Singing Butler achieved a record price for a Scottish painting sold at auction and went on to become the best-selling art print in the UK. The work even inspired Banksy, whose reimagining of the painting sold in March 2025 for £4.3million. Vettriano is internationally recognised, with the likes of Jack Nicholson, Sir Alex Ferguson and Sir Tim Rice among collectors of his work.

Portrait of the Artist, painted in 1993, is an early self-portrait by Vettriano and was painted a year after The Singing Butler. It depicts the artist taking a break from painting at his Edinburgh flat where he had a studio. A dramatic depiction of light and shade sets the scene for a moment of contemplation. The artist’s paint-splattered clothes emphasise the task at hand.

The cinematic Homage to Fontana? was painted later in 1999. The title and slashes in the painted canvas reference the Argentine-Italian artist Lucio Fontana (1899–1968) whose slashed canvases of the 1950s and 60s blurred the distinction between two and three dimensions to create ‘an infinite dimension’.

Vettriano invites us to follow his act of contemplation in relation to what lies beneath the surface and beyond. The painting returned to Edinburgh in July 2025 after its inclusion in a Vettriano exhibition at the Palazzo Pallavicini in Bologna and is the largest of three versions of this composition.

Born Jack Hoggan, Vettriano grew up in the coastal mining village of Methil in Fife. After leaving school at 15, he followed his father down the mine, working as an apprentice engineer.

He later moved on to white-collar jobs in management services, taking up painting as a hobby in the 1970s when a girlfriend bought him a set of watercolours for his birthday.

From then on, Vettriano spent much of his spare time teaching himself to paint.

He learned by copying Old Masters, Impressionists, Surrealists and a plethora of Scottish artists, taking inspiration from studying the collection at Kirkcaldy Galleries. It was his experience living near Leven Beach which prompted him to make the decision: ‘I’m going to set some paintings on beaches.’  

A figurative painter, Vettriano described his work as ‘more or less autobiographical.’ He worked from photographs of scenes he staged with models in his studio.

His paintings evoke the nostalgia of the 1940s and 50s and were often set, in the artist’s own words, in ‘sombre and sordid interiors’. Vettriano’s dramatic use of light and shade is a distinctive element of his work and heightens the stories of love, sex and betrayal in his paintings. 

In the late 1980s he moved to Edinburgh and took his mother’s last name, Vettriano. The artist’s breakthrough came in 1988 when he submitted two works to the Royal Scottish Academy’s Annual Exhibition, with both works selling within the first day.

Subsequently he was courted by several galleries, with his first solo exhibition in Edinburgh in 1992. Soon, his works began to gather international acclaim, leading to exhibitions in London, Hong Kong, Johannesburg and New York.

The first major retrospective of his work was at Kelvingrove Art Gallery in 2013 and featured Homage to Fontanna?.  The exhibition was record-breaking, attracting more than 136,000 visitors over its five-month run.

Imogen Gibbon, Head of Portraiture & Photography & Chief Curator at the National Galleries Scotland, said: ‘‘We’re thrilled to be welcoming visitors to the Portrait gallery to come and see Portrait of the Artist – by Jack Vettriano. It feels particularly significant that we are able to showcase a self-portrait to celebrate Vettriano’s contribution to Scottish culture on the anniversary of his death.

“This portrait and the subsequent work Homage to Fontana? will take their place on loan in The Modern Portrait display amongst the many other contemporary portraits of Scots who have made an impact at home in Scotland and internationally.

“National Galleries of Scotland extend our thanks to the artists estate, who came to us with this idea and supported us to make it happen’.”

Carolyn Osborne,  Director, Jack Vettriano Publishing Limited, said: ‘Jack was known as The People’s Painter and it’s entirely fitting that the public will be able to see one of his paintings in such a beautiful setting within a mile of where it was painted.’

Rag: A History of Blood

NEW EXHIBITION at THE ROYAL COLLEGE of PHYSICIANS

The Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh (“the College”) is later this week launching a new exhibition “Rag: A History of Blood.” The exhibition- which runs from Friday 27th February- uncovers the history of blood and explores the stigma associated with HIV/AIDS, menstruation and menopause as well as the subject of scientific racism.

It will feature textile art created by artist Leigh Bowser and The Blood Bag Project, a craft project which raises awareness of Diamond Blackfan Anaemia and includes interviews with HIV/AIDS survivors and specialists who were working during the height of the global HIV epidemic including Edinburgh-based Dr Jacqui Mok. A first edition of rare text Antonie van Leeuwenhoek’s Arcana Naturae Detecta – the book which showed the first ever drawing of a blood cell- will be on display. The exhibition is divided into the themes of blood-based scientific discoveries, blood myths and stigma and the blood trade.

Blood has been studied and analysed for thousands of years and examined for its ability to give life, to spread disease and to sow division. Bringing together artefacts spanning scientific illustrations, textile art, interviews, early modern rare books and medicines, “Rag: A History of Blood” highlights the social, medical and cultural impact of blood.

Dr Daisy Cunynghame (curator of ‘Rag: A History of Blood’) said: “Blood is fascinating because it is so much more than a body fluid. We might need it to live, but we also need it as an idea, as a basis for our storytelling and our social taboos. We use it to mean so many things – the blue blooded, the blood brothers, each from our own bloodline.

“ We really wanted this exhibition to have a grounding of science, but to look at how the idea of blood touches all of our lives.

The idea that menstruation is a source of shame, and how that ancient idea is still with us now and still makes people ashamed to admit they are on their period, or they are going through the menopause.

“It was fascinating pouring through hundreds and hundreds of historic images of wombs in our collections and yet not being able to find any of non-pregnant women. And to read the euphemistic language used – ‘the flowers’, ‘the sickness’ and ‘the monthlies’ for menstruation, ‘the change’, ‘unthroned queen’ or ‘old maid’s anxiety’.”

Exhibition Launch of Rag: A History of Blood | Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh

Explore the vibrant work of renowned Scottish artist Joan Eardley at the National Galleries of Scotland

Joan Eardley: The Nature of Painting 

2 April – 28 June 2026 

National Galleries Scotland: Modern Two, Ground Floor 

Free admission 

Joan Eardley | The Nature of Painting | National Galleries of Scotland 

Step inside the mind and brush strokes of much-loved Scottish artist Joan Eardley with a fresh insight into her powerful and expressive paintings in a new, free, two-room exhibition at the National Galleries of Scotland. 

Taking over the ground floor of National Galleries Scotland: Modern Two from April Joan Eardley: The Nature of Painting will explore the artist’s vibrant artworks from a whole new perspective. Consisting solely of works from Scotland’s national collection, this exhibition will bring together over 30 of Joan Eardley’s artwworks, alongside some of the most notable names in the art world including Claude Monet, John Constable, Bet Low, William McTaggart, Jean Dubuffet and Antoni Tàpies. It will offer a unique opportunity to look at how the beloved Scottish artist engaged with the world and artists around her. 

Joan Eardley: The Nature of Painting will feature 14 of Eardley’s oil paintings from the Scottish national collection alongside a selection of her works on paper and archival materials. Immerse yourself in Eardley’s iconic views of coastal village Catterline, discover never-before-seen objects from her studio in Glasgow and come face to face with the Glaswegian children who inspired many of her works. 

The Nature of Painting follows previous National Galleries of Scotland exhibitions dedicated to Eardly’s artwork including Joan Eardley: A Sense of Place at Modern Two in 2017 and Joan Eardley & Catterline at Modern One in 2022. 

This new exhibition for 2026 will present a fresh perspective on her artistic practice, inviting visitors to view her paintings amidst a variety of artists and movements, while exploring the possibilities of influence and interest. 

Key works on display in Joan Eardley: The Nature of Painting will include the glimmering Summer Fields (about 1961) in which a bright golden cornfield dominates a grey Catterline sky. 

This painting comes to life in more ways than one, through both Eardley’s expressive brushstrokes and the inclusion of real blades of grass and wheat from the environment around her, giving insight into her artistic methods. 

Several other scenes of Catterline will also be displayed including the atmospheric Catterline in Winter (1963) and Hedgerow with Grasses and Flowers (1962-1963), inspired by the wildflower fields behind Eardley’s cottage.

Visitors will also meet sisters Anne and Pat Samson, immortalised in childhood through Children and Chalked Wall 3 (1962-1963). In this portrait, Eardley’s signature bold style captures the essence of Anne and Pat’s endearing smiles, as they huddle together in a moment of sisterly affection.

The girls are surrounded by a collage of newspapers and painted graffiti, as well as silver and gold papers, presumed to be sweet wrappers. This portrait, displayed in the exhibition along with others including Street Kids (1949-1951), tells the stories of real Glasgow children who lived close to Eardley’s studio, and captures their friendliness and community spirit which Eardley admired. 

Born in West Sussex in 1921, Eardley moved to Glasgow with her family during the outbreak of the Second World War in 1939. She studied at Glasgow School of Art and Hospitalfield House where she was taught by Scottish artists including Hugh Adam Crawford and James Cowie. It was during this time that she began to shape her preference for painting everyday subjects. Eardley rented a studio in the centre of Glasgow in 1948, and a few years later moved to Townhead, where the local children became her artistic subjects.  

In 1954, she bought a cottage in the small fishing village of Catterline, south of Aberdeen. Catterline’s coastal charm and dramatic seascapes formed the subject of many of Eardley’s paintings, providing the perfect setting for her expressive artwork to flourish. After her untimely passing from cancer in 1963, Eardley’s ashes were scattered on the beach at Catterline, creating a lasting bond between the artist and the place which inspired her. 

A range of archival and photographic materials from the Scottish national collection will also be displayed in Modern Two’s Keiller Library. 

Donated to the National Galleries of Scotland in 1987 by Eardley’s sister Patricia, the artist’s archive contains a range of interviews, photographs and personal contents from her studio. This display will give a glimpse into the artist’s world, painting a picture of the woman behind the artwork, as well as giving context to what she admired most in the work of others.  

For the very first time, visitor favourite from the Scottish national collection Grainstacks: Snow Effect (1891) by Claude Monet will go on display amongst Eardley’s artwork. A key founder of the Impressionist movement, Monet was known for finding his source of inspiration in the outdoors, bringing nature to life through abstract brushstrokes and textures, much like Eardley’s paintings of the Catterline landscape. 

The gentle gold light across frosty stacks of grain and bold use of paint echoes elements Eardley used in Summer Fields. Bringing these artworks together especially for this exhibition highlights artistic similarities spanning generations, whether intentional or not.  

Kerry Gledhill, Senior Librarian and Lead Curator of Joan Eardley: The Nature of Painting at the National Galleries of Scotland said: “Joan Eardley was an artist so completely driven to paint the truth of what she saw around her that she pushed her medium to its very limits.

“She was drawn to subjects which tap into a common humanity, a connection to nature or a sense of community and kinship. Like all great artists, her paintings speak to us across the intervening decades.

“The opportunity to show Eardley’s work alongside that of Constable, Monet and Tàpies, to name just a few, gives us a unique insight into the nature of painting, experimentation and creativity.” 

Joan Eardley: The Nature of Painting is a free National Galleries of Scotland exhibition opening in the lower galleries of Modern Two on Thursday 2 April 2026. 

Knitted Bible Exhibition at Blackhall St Columba’s next month

We are excited to bring this exhibition to Scotland for only the 2nd time in its history. Please look at the notice to see when it is available to see and come along with some friends.

We hope to see you here.

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Glamorous Edwardians to be explored in major Edinburgh exhibition

The Edwardians: Age of Elegance

The King’s Gallery, Palace of Holyroodhouse                         

24 April – 6 December 2026

A glamorous, never-before-exhibited portrait of Queen Mary and a miniature sleigh made of rock crystal will be among highlights on show in Scotland for the first time in a major exhibition opening this spring. 

The Edwardians: Age of Elegance will explore the glitzy world of two of Britain’s most fashionable royal couples – King Edward VII and Queen Alexandra, and King George V and Queen Mary – through their family connections, royal events, global travels and art collecting.

The exhibition will open in Edinburgh following a successful run in London and is the first Royal Collection Trust exhibition to explore the Edwardian era. It will bring together more than 150 items including fashion, paintings and books, as well as personal items such as jewellery, photographs and chinaware, more than half of which are on show in Scotland for the first time. Visitors will see works from the Royal Collection by many of the period’s most celebrated names, including Fabergé, Tiffany & Co,and Edward Burne-Jones, and depictions of famous faces including composer Sir Edward Elgar.

Curator Kathryn Jones said: ‘The Edwardian era was a golden age of glamour and parties, but it was so much more than that; it was a fast-paced period making great advances in technology.

Our royal couples wanted to make the most of it all, living lavishly and embracing new trends, before the sobering arrival of war. Throughout, they were collecting art as a way to hold onto tradition and capture the rapidly changing world around them. We hope that visitors to the exhibition will enjoy stepping back in time to this exciting period.’

In 1863, Queen Victoria’s eldest son Albert Edward married Princess Alexandra of Denmark. The marriage of the fashionable young couple – the future King Edward VII and Queen Alexandra – initiated a glamorous new era for the royal family, with Queen Victoria still in mourning and away from public life. Edward and Alexandra established a new, vibrant court filled with opulent balls, society events and contemporary art – a lifestyle continued by their son, the future King George V, and his wife Queen Mary.

Full-length portraits of the two Queens will open the exhibition, showcasing the spectacular fashions of the era. The portraits of Queen Alexandra by François Flameng, and Queen Mary by William Samuel Henry Llewellyn (which has never before been on public display) will be shown alongside marble busts of their husbands, Kings Edward and George. Both couples were fond of Scotland, with Edward having studied at the University of Edinburgh and George and Mary making regular visits and devotedly modernising the Palace of Holyroodhouse to make it once again suitable for royal entertaining.

Displays will evoke the interiors of the royal couples’ private residences, Marlborough House and Sandringham House, where the Edwardian fashion of filling every cabinet and covering every surface with small decorative objects or family photographs reigned.

A star object on display for the first time in Scotland is a paperweight shaped like a tiny 10cm-tall sledge with a figure lying on it by Robert Colquhon. Thought to have been Scottish, Colquhon was agoldsmith based in Russia who made small-scale decorative objects from rock crystal and silver of snowy subjects like sleighs and bears on ice floes. Edward and Alexandra collected several of his works – with one of his sleighs appearing in a photograph of Alexandra’s desk in Marlborough House in the 1890s.

Visitors will also learn of the relationships linking the family to the rest of Europe. Fabergé was introduced to the British royal family through Alexandra’s sister Dagmar, who had married Alexander III, Tsar of Russia. The royal patronage caused the popularity of Fabergé to soar in the UK, and on show will be 21 items from the firm, including an ornate picture frame holding a photograph of Princess Louise, Duchess of Fife; a cigarette case famously given to Edward by his official mistress Mrs Keppel; and six miniature figures of the royal couple’s favourite animals on the Sandringham estate.

As enthusiastic patrons of the arts, the Edwardians embraced new artistic movements including Art Nouveau and Arts and Crafts, and the burgeoning medium of photography.

Alexandra was particularly taken with the drawings of the Pre-Raphaelite artist, Edward Burne-Jones, whose study for a larger painting inspired by Sleeping Beauty will be on display. A soft-focus photograph of Alexandrabyphotographer Alice Hughes was typical of her pioneering yet delicate style, and both are on display in Scotland for the first time.

Garden parties formed an essential part of the Edwardian social calendar, with the first taking place at the Palace of Holyroodhouse during the much-anticipated visit of George and Mary in 1911. Danish painter Laurits Tuxen had been introduced to Queen Victoria through her daughter-in-law Alexandra, and his painting of a garden party at Buckingham Palace captures the spirit of the joyous occasion.

Contributions to society were also celebrated through the founding of the Order of Merit in 1902 to recognise prominent figures in cultural, scientific or military life. George commissioned a portrait of each recipient – a tradition that continues to this day – and drawings of Sir Edward Elgar and the physicist Sir J.J. Thomson by Scottish artist William Strang will be on display for the first time in Scotland.

The turn of the century saw great improvements to methods of travel, and the Edwardian royals travelled further than any previous members of the royal family – collecting and receiving gifts as they went. In February 1901, George and Mary set sail for 10 months on HMS Ophir to open the new federal parliament in Melbourne, Australia. To mark the occasion, the ‘Ladies of Adelaide’ gave Mary a richly embroidered silk hanging featuring a eucalyptus tree and local varieties of irises and orchids. 

George and Mary visited the Palace of Holyroodhouse in July 1914, only a few weeks before the outbreak of the First World War. The glamour of the Edwardian era was being eclipsed by a serious atmosphere of duty – a sentiment led by the King, as Herbert Arnould Olivier’s study of King George V and Frank O. Salisbury’s painting The Passing of the Unknown Warrior, King George V as Chief Mourner, Whitehall attest. Collecting had now become a way to honour the many sacrifices made in the Great War; a more restrained and dutiful monarchy had emerged.

The King’s Gallery will continue to offer £1 tickets for visitors receiving Universal Credit and other named benefits. Other 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.

Books as Art at Central Library

Our new exhibition on the Mezzanine, Books as Art, opens this Saturday 3rd January, our first day of services in 2026.

This exhibition presents a selection of artists’ books from the Art & Design Library, revealing the remarkable range and freedom of a form that continues to challenge how we see, read, and move through the world.

Bringing together works from Britain and abroad, the exhibition traces the many ways artists use the book as a site of exploration—from walking, observing, and documenting the everyday, to testing the boundaries between text and image, material and message, intimacy and public voice.

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Anna V Phillips exhibition at Madelvic House

Join us at granton:hub for our next exhibition, a 20 year retrospective from artist Anna V Phillips running Friday 28th to Sunday 30th November.

Artist statement:

“Brought up in a very artistic home, I’ve always had a deep love for art – but like many creative journeys, mine has taken a few detours along the way.

I moved to Aberdeen in 1978, where I studied Occupational Therapy, and stayed until 2006, during which time I was married and raised three Children.

I attended watercolour classes from 2003 – 2006. These included drawing, acrylics, gouache and soft pastels.

I lived in Houston, Texas for nine years (2006 – 2015).

I volunteered at The Printing Museum, where I met Charles Criner (1945 – 2025) the artist in residence. Charlea mentored me and introduced me to a wide variety of printing techniques – leaving a lasting impression on my artistic path.

I discovered @grantonhub Painting for Pleasure weekends in 2018, and with that, a new chapter began.

This is my first exhibition since my return to Edinburgh in 2015, so I have chosen to display artworks that follow my artistic journey.

I hope you take time to visit and enjoy this exhibition.”

Drawings by Leonardo da Vinci, Michelangelo and Titian go on display in Scotland for the first time

A design by Leonardo da Vinci for a fantastical dragon costume is one of more than 80 drawings by 57 different artists that are now on display as part of the widest-ranging exhibition of Italian Renaissance drawings for over half a century in Scotland.

Drawings by Leonardo, Michelangelo, Titian and more are among 45 works going on display in Scotland for the first time as part of Drawing the Italian Renaissance at The King’s Gallery at the Palace of Holyroodhouse in Edinburgh.

Following a critically acclaimed showing in London, the exhibition explores the variety and range of drawings in this period, from preparatory studies for paintings and altarpieces to designs for sculpture and elaborate drawings which were made as gifts.

Drawings were often discarded after they had served their purpose, with only a small proportion surviving, but the works on display have been carefully preserved in the Royal Collection for centuries, allowing them to be enjoyed almost as vividly as when they were created. 

Lauren Porter, curator of the exhibition, said ‘This is a remarkable opportunity to share so many of the Italian Renaissance drawings from the Royal Collection, with over half being shown in Scotland for the first time.

“As works on paper cannot be permanently displayed for conservation reasons, this exhibition offers a rare opportunity for visitors to view these drawings up close, giving a unique insight into the minds of the great artists who made them.’

Reflecting the continued importance of drawing today, the Gallery is hosting its first artist residency, in collaboration with Edinburgh College of Art.

Edinburgh-based artists Phoebe Leach and Dette Allmark, both alumni of the School, will respond to the masterpieces on display by drawing in the Gallery throughout the exhibition. Their creations will form a changing display for visitors, who are encouraged to take inspiration and try drawing themselves, with materials freely available.

A highlight work on display is an example of one of Leonardo’s anatomical studies drawn from a real-life dissection. The double-sided drawing which shows the muscles of a man was created in c.1510–11 and shows his detailed, personal notes in his left-handed ‘mirror-writing’.

Perhaps lesser known are the anatomical studies of Michelangelo, who reportedly conducted human dissections as a young man. 

On display for the first time in Scotland is his study of a male torso in pen and ink, which was likely drawn from a wax model made by the artist, which shows his ongoing interest in human anatomy later in life. This can also be seen in his highly finished black chalk drawing of the resurrected Christ, with the artist capturing the energy of the muscular figure rising from his tomb.

Other striking figure studies on display include two works by Raphael: a vigorous drawing of Hercules slaying the many-headed Hydra, and a red chalk study of The Three Graces that was – unusually for the period – drawn from a nude female model.

Scenes from mythology were common subjects for Italian Renaissance artists and are well-represented in the exhibition. They include drawings by lesser-known artists including Paolo Farinati’s design for a fresco showing the goddesses of fruit and agriculture.

The drawing, which has not been on display before in Scotland, is inscribed with instructions for the artist’s assistants on the height of the figures, telling them they should be around three-feet-high but to ‘do it as you fancy when you are on the scaffolding.’

Other highlights on display include a drawing attributed to the Venetian artist Titian of an ostrich, believed to have been drawn from life, and Leonardo’s design for a dragon costume, which appears to house two men, in the manner of a pantomime horse.

A series of portrait drawings and head studies show therange of subjects, materials, functions and coloursof Italian Renaissance drawings.

The distorted and tormented face of a grotesque mask sketched by Michelangelo, possibly a design for a sculpture, contrasts with the classical features of Leonardo’s red and black chalk drawing of a curly-haired young man which is displayed nearby, with both works on show for the first time in Scotland.

After almost 120 hours of conservation work by Royal Collection Trust conservators ahead of the London exhibition, Bernardino Campi’s cartoon for an altarpiece of the Virgin and Child is on show for the first time in Scotland.

The cartoon, a large-scale drawing made of four pieces of paper joined together, was originally used to transfer the drawing onto a painting’s surface. The conservation work involved painstakingly removing the drawing from its deteriorating canvas backing and supporting sections where the paper had become as delicate as lace.

The Italian Renaissance saw the range and purpose of drawing greatly expand, resulting in some of the finest works of art in any medium. 

Michelangelo’s meticulous drawing A children’s bacchanal marks a highpoint of Renaissance draughtsmanship and is in perfect condition, allowing us to see Michelangelo’s mastery of the art of drawing.

Following a successful launch in 2024, The King’s Gallery will offer £1 tickets for the exhibition to 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.

Making a Statement: Craft & Activism in Edinburgh

Exhibiton explores the intersection of traditional craft and social activism

A new colourful and vibrant exhibition bringing together historic objects and contemporary protest material to explore the recent explosion of ‘Craftivism’ in Edinburgh is now open.

Running until 26 January 2026, the exhibition will explore Craftivism – the practice of using traditional craft techniques like knitting, sewing and collage to address political, social, and cultural concerns. Over the past two decades, the movement has gained significant momentum, especially in the wake of the global pandemic.

Edinburgh has become a centre of Craftivist activity due to its position as Scotland’s capital and the home of its Parliament, as well as its strong heritage in teaching and nurturing craft skills.

The exhibition shines a light on how these humble, time-honoured practices have been repurposed as powerful forms of expression, from political protests to expressions of personal identity.

It will feature a rich variety of items from Edinburgh’s collections, including pieces from the People’s Story, Museum of Edinburgh, and the Museum of Childhood.

Culture and Communities Convener Margaret Graham said: Edinburgh has strong craft heritage so I’m delighted that the Museum of Edinburgh will be showcasing how the tradition of craft has evolved into a powerful form of activism.

“It’s wonderful to see historic examples of work from across our museums displayed alongside the work of talented contemporary makers. The range of creativity displayed, and the issues engaged with, shows what a vibrant city Edinburgh is.

“This exhibition is a testament to the resilience and spirit of communities who are using their craft to advocate for change, from environmental justice to mental health awareness.”

Curator Vicky Garrington said: “It’s been a fascinating experience, diving into Museums & Galleries Edinburgh’s historic collections to explore the history of crafting and protest in the Capital.

“We hope viewers will enjoy seeing objects from our collections alongside works by talented contemporary makers.

“From quiet explorations of wellbeing through lacemaking to bold knitted panels demanding climate justice, there is something for everyone on display.”

Highlights include crocheted protest banners, a Victorian scrap screen, and even a Jacobite drinking glass, each providing a unique lens through which to understand Edinburgh’s history of activism.

Alongside these historic items, the exhibition will present the work of contemporary Craftivists, with pieces that touch on topics such as politics, feminism, LGBTQ+ rights, environmental justice, and mental health.

Among the featured works are those made in collaboration with MindRoom, a charity that supports neurodiverse young people, and the City Art Centre South Asian Youth Group.

The exhibition will also host a variety of public programmes, lacemaking demonstrations, interactive workshops.

It runs from Wednesday 17 Sept 2025 until Monday 26 Jan 2026.

Museum of Edinburgh 142-146 Canongate, Edinburgh EH8 8DD