The National Galleries of Scotland is delighted to announce the acquisition of Encounter (1959), by world-renowned Surrealist artist Remedios Varo (1908-1963). Extremely rare and sought-after, this is the first painting by Varo to enter a public collection in Europe. Encounter is on display and free to view at Modern One.
The work was acquired in time to mark the centenary of the publication in Paris of André Breton’s Manifesto of Surrealism in 1924, which effectively launched the movement. A significant and exciting acquisition for the people of Scotland, Varo only completed about 100 paintings in her lifetime, with most in public collections in Mexico. Only able to dedicate herself fully to creating art in the last decade of her life,Encounter was produced in 1959, at the height of Varo’s career.
The concept of the encounter – especially the chance encounter – was a subject favoured by the Surrealists for its mysterious potential.
In this striking composition, a seated figure carefully lifts the lid on a tiny casket to find her own eyes staring back at her. Several similar boxes sit on the shelves in the background, suggesting that there are more “selves” to be discovered.
Many of the figures that Varo painted resemble the artist herself, and this work is believed to be a self-portrait.
Varo said of the work: “This poor woman, full of curiosity and expectation as she opened the little coffer, encounters her own self; in the background, on the shelves, there are more little coffers, and who knows whether on opening them she will find something new.”
Born in Girona, Catalonia, in north-east Spain, Remedios Varo was a Surrealist painter and poet. Her father, an engineer, recognised her artistic talent from a young age and encouraged her to copy his technical drawings, which would influence her compositions for the rest of her life.
She was one of the first female students to attend the Academia de San Fernando in Madrid, where she enrolled at the age of 15, and later received her diploma as an art teacher. In 1935, after moving to Paris, Varo encountered artists engaging with Surrealist concepts, and was later introduced to the poet and founder of the Surrealist movement, André Breton.
After fleeing Nazi-occupied France in 1941, Varo settled in Mexico, where she was one of a small but important group of Surrealist poets, painters and photographers. These artists include Kati Horna and Leonora Carrington, with whom she forged a creative alliance but also an enduring, life-long friendship.
Using a combination of chance and planned techniques, Varo produced work that was influenced by science and the occult in equal measure. The resulting images are as mysterious as they are technically brilliant, often depicting enchanted domestic scenes and strange encounters with otherworldly beings.
Playing with the magical and spiritual potential of interior spaces, Varo sought power in ordinary rooms — in dusty corridors, and creaking doorways — transforming them into fantasy realms that overflow with possibility.
In the last ten years, the National Galleries of Scotland has made efforts to acquire major works of art by female artists.
This latest unique acquisition will help to expand the collection and give a more comprehensive view of Surrealism as a diverse, international movement, rather than one simply centred in Paris.
Other recent acquisitions include major artworks by Leonora Carrington, Dorothea Tanning and more recently, archival material related to Edith Rimmington.
Simon Groom, Director of Modern and Contemporary Art at the National Galleries of Scotland, said: “We’re thrilled to have acquired this incredibly rare and important painting by Remedios Varo. Her career as a full-time artist lasted little more than a decade.
“She worked slowly and meticulously, completing only about a hundred paintings, many of which are now in museum collections in Mexico and the USA. They are breathtaking gems which one seldom sees outside books.
“There’s not a single painting by her in a public collection outside the Americas. Or rather that was the case until now. Moreover, Encounter is a key work in her oeuvre, a self-portrait which deals with self-discovery and identity.
“It cements the National Galleries of Scotland’s collection of Surrealist art as one of the very finest in the world.”
Jenny Waldman, Director, Art Fund, said: “Artist Remedios Varo’s haunting painting, ‘Encounter’ into the Scottish National Galleries’ collection will captivate visitors from Scotland and across the UK.
“This painting is a key addition to Scottish National Galleries’ growing collection of major works by women artists. I’m delighted that Art Fund has been able to support this important Surrealist work to enter the permanent collection, thanks to our generous donors and National Art Pass members.”
The acquisition was made possible thanks to the Walton Fund, along with support from Art Fund and the Wendi Norris Gallery, San Francisco.
A vibrant and captivating portrait of the newest Doctor Who star, Ncuti Gatwa by photographer Robert Wilson has joined Scotland’s spectacular national collection of art.
This charismatic photograph of the famed actor joins other notable Scottish figures in the National Galleries of Scotland’s permanent collection, including former Doctors, Peter Capaldi and David Tennant. The artwork is now on display and free to view at National Galleries of Scotland: Portrait.
Ncuti Gatwa is instantly recognisable from his engaging performances in Doctor Who, as Eric Effiong in the Netflix comedy series Sex Education (2019–23) and in Greta Gerwig’s record-breaking film Barbie (2023). Gatwa has been nominated at the BAFTA TV Awards for Best Male Comedy Performance three years in a row and has won a BAFTA Scotland award (2020). Made in March 2020,
Wilson described Gatwa as ‘a photographer’s dream to work with; friendly, expressive and giving’. Photographed in a colourful yellow suit, mid-laugh, the portrait captures Gatwa’s magnetic personality.
Born in Rwanda, Gatwa arrived in Scotland at just two years old in 1994 with his family as a refugee fleeing a genocide, as Rwanda was embroiled in a civil war. He grew up in Edinburgh and Dunfermline and went on to graduate from the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland in 2013.
It was his award-winning appearance as queer teenager Eric Effiong in the Netflix comedy series Sex Education that firmly launched his career and quickly cemented his position as an audience favourite.
Having spoken out about how powerful and necessary representation is, Gatwa’s role in Sex Education explored complex issues around Black, queer and religious identity. In May 2022, he was announced as the next lead in the cult BBC series Doctor Who, with the New York Times calling him ‘a Doctor Who for the 21st century’. Gatwa is the fourth Scottish, and the first Black and openly queer, actor to star in this role.
Robert Wilson (born 1969, London) is an acclaimed commercial and portrait photographer whose sitters have included major figures in a wide range of fields, including actors Dames Judi Dench and Joan Collins, sport stars Mo Farah and Venus Williams and Nobel Peace Prize winner Kofi Annan, to name a few.
His work has evolved to lifestyle, sports and documentary style projects and is recognised for its accessibility and depth for revealing humanity. Wilson was also a war artist for the British Army, firstly documenting the people and places within Helmand Province, Afghanistan, and later the withdrawal of the British troops and the deconstruction of the war machine.
His unique and emotional portraits are exhibited in galleries across the UK, with this portrait the latest to join a national collection.
Anne Lyden, National Galleries of Scotland Director-General, said:“It is exciting to see this dynamic portrait of the hugely talented actor and style icon Ncuti Gatwa enter the national collection.
“Gatwa joins the ranks of previous Doctors already in our collection, and we look forward to welcoming fans of the new Doctor Who when they visit to see this stunning photograph by Robert Wilson on our Portrait gallery walls.”
Robert Wilson, said: “Ncuti was an absolute joy to photograph. We were shooting several of the nominated candidates for the BAFTA awards that day, which happened to be the second to last day before the country went into lockdown due to Covid.
“The atmosphere on set was a little strange due to the various health precautions that were taking places and the impending thought of a lockdown. But, despite the slightly surreal atmosphere, Ncuti gave me a complete range of poses and expressions, from humorous, to serious, to melancholic.
“Within 15 minutes I had shot 224 beautiful frames, any one of which could probably have been used for the feature. He is a true professional, and I think we managed to capture his warm personality brought to the shoot that day.”
The National Galleries of Scotland celebrates the return of Antonio Canova’s The Three Graces to the National in Edinburgh, for the first time in eleven years.
Jointly owned with the Victoria and Albert Museum, London, this extraordinary marble sculpture usually rotates between the two locations every seven years however was delayed due to the opening of the new Scottish galleries at the National.
Regarded internationally as an exquisite example of neoclassical European sculpture, this is an exciting opportunity for visitors to see the work in the heart of Edinburgh for free.
The sculpture represents Euphrosyne, Aglaia and Thalia, the three daughters of Zeus and Eurynome according to Greek mythology.
The three graces are associated with Aphrodite (Venus) and embody qualities such as shared friendship or chastity, beauty and love.
Scottish film star Graham McTavish dives into the dramatic seascape that is William McTaggart’s The Sailing of the Emigrant Ship in the newest film in the Perspectives series by National Galleries of Scotland.
Released on 6 February the Outlander actor explores how the painting resonates with his own personal experiences of emigration and shares his research into the passage of Scots to New Zealand during the Highland Clearances.
McTavish has long been engrossed in the extraordinary history of Scotland, exploring the heritage of his birth country and its people.
Together with Outlander co-star Sam Heughan, the intrepid Scotsmen recently published a book on their adventures journeying across New Zealand, Clanlands in New Zealand: Kiwis, Kilts, and an Adventure Down Under.
While exploring the new Scottish galleries at the National in Edinburgh, which is home to the nation’s historic collection of Scottish art from 1800 to 1945, McTavish became gripped by the work of McTaggart and the significance of the moments captured in his paintings.
The Sailing of the Emigrant Ship, painted in 1895, depicts a ship of Scottish emigrants moving off under a stormy sky, with a glimpse of a hopeful rainbow in it. On the shore, other members of the clan have been left behind.
In the Perspectives film, McTavish discusses the painting with the National Galleries of Scotland’s Outreach Co-Ordinator, Robin Baillie, detailing his research.
McTavish admits that Outlander has played some part in romanticising these landscapes, but that it is important to remember the historical significance of what these people went through.
‘I don’t think we can imagine it now, what it must have been like for Scots in the 1800s. Wearing big woollen coats and getting on the boat knowing it could take about 120 days on average to get to New Zealand.
‘The rainbow in the painting is showing this idea of a promised land, but a lot of them were sold a lie. Those people were told there were beautiful plots of land for them to farm on, but when they arrived it was thick bush down to the shoreline and precipitous cliffs. They must have got there and thought “we have been robbed” but they didn’t have the option to turn back, they had to get off the ship.’
McTavish has spent years discovering Scotland’s torrid history and is fascinated by how this has changed Scotland’s landscapes and how the country is viewed worldwide today.
The Sailing of the Emigrant Ship is one of very few 19th-century paintings which explore this topic directly ̶ the wider topic of the Highland (and Lowland) Clearances is also addressed in the new Scottish galleries through the interpretation and in landscape paintings.
‘I speak to many, many people, Americans in particular, and when they talk about that Scottish landscape, I try to explain they are experiencing a landscape which has been decimated.
“The emptiness of those glens and straths, that wasn’t how they were. And now they talk about the great vistas and beautiful views across the mountains, views that would have been populated by people living and having their own communities.
“But the absence of those people is what tells the story of those clearances.’
Having moved around from a young age, McTavish was born in Scotland, then his family relocated to London before emigrating to Canada, and then (several years later) to New Zealand.
Exploring his experience, McTavish shares his own resonance with the painting: ‘In the book Sam and I just published, Clanlands in New Zealand: Kiwis, Kilts, and an Adventure Down Under, I became particularly interested in the emigration of Scots to New Zealand and what that experience would have looked like.
‘I was an emigrant, first of all I left Scotland to go to England, then I left there to go to Canada. You feel very alone, I think is one way of describing it. I felt this enormous pressure to speak in a Canadian accent, it sounds silly, but I was 8 and I wanted to fit in. So, to think of all these people that are portrayed here and what they left behind and the unknown they were going to – it really is amazing.’
‘There’s a courage involved in stepping off the shore of your home and knowing you may never return. It takes a particular type of person or a particular type of circumstance that takes you there. Many of them would have had no choice.’
In the recently released Perspectives film, McTavish explores how McTaggart’s painting evokes his own memories of emigrating throughout his life and the emotions it sparks.
‘I have made choices in my life that have moved my family across the world but that was nothing compared to what these people did. I made the decision to move to LA from London, with my wife and child. I remember telling friends at the time and they’d say “what, you’re moving to America? When am I ever going to see you?”. And that’s in the 21st Century!
“It would have been a knife in the heart for a lot of these people in the painting, doing that in the 1800s and never seeing many of your loved ones again.’
‘It would have been this tangle of emotions that they would have felt. There would be some sort of feeling of hope, along with the desperate need for change. So desperate that it would force them to leave the place they loved and grew up in.’
‘To me the artist’s choices, of how McTaggart depicts the people, in the painting shows this. They look like they are disappearing, they are fading, they are not fully fleshed out and you can see through them. It is that sort of sense that the world is just dissolving. For the people looking back that is what they are seeing, their world as they know it disappearing.’
Throughout his travels and living in locations across the world, McTavish notes that the Scots he has met along the way have a strong pride in their heritage. McTavish himself admits he feels lucky that he always has Scotland to come back to.
Reminiscing about one particular line by his character Dougal in the hit TV show Outlander, he says it was a significant line for him to say, not just for the character but for himself.
‘Catriona Balfe’s character, Claire, talks about Dougal’s narcissism and how he is self-obsessed. He stands there and he takes the insults and then he says, “you’re right, it’s true I do love myself, but I love Scotland more”.
‘It meant so much for me to say that and to give him that grounding. We can all look at people like Dougal and think “what was he thinking?” But during that period of the second Jacobite rebellion, they really thought they could win, they absolutely did.’
‘Starting in Scottish theatre, I was constantly moving I didn’t have a sense of rooted home, wherever I was I made it home. But it is strange whenever I come back to Scotland there is a deep feeling of relief when I get here. It’s just a sense of real belonging, I don’t have a home in Scotland but when I am here, I feel at home.’
There is even more Scottish art, history and stories to discover at the new Scottish galleries at the National. Dive into dramatic landscapes, encounter iconic images and be wowed by colour.
A free experience for everyone right in the heart of Edinburgh’s city centre.
Opening New Year’s Day 2024, the National Galleries of Scotland celebrates the return of their keenly awaited annual display, Turner in January.
Taking pride of place in one of the upper galleries of Edinburgh’s Royal Scottish Academy, Joseph Mallord William Turner’s watercolours from the Scottish national collection will be exhibited throughout the month of January, free for the public to enjoy. Turner in January is a beloved tradition for many people in Scotland. It signals the dawning of the New Year, and as we leave behind the darkest days of winter, the bright vitality of Turner’s work is exactly what we need.
Scotland’s famous collection of Turner watercolours was left to the nation by the great art collector Henry Vaughan in 1900. Since then, following Vaughan’s strict guidelines, they have only ever been displayed during the month of January, when natural light levels are at their lowest. Because of this, these watercolours still possess a freshness and an intensity of colour, almost 200 years since they were originally created.
With almost 40 watercolours on display, including dramatic landscapes from the Himalayas, the Swiss Alps, and the Isle of Skye, visitors will journey through Britain, Europe and beyond, leaving behind January blues in favor of Turner’s idyllic views of the world.
Turner in January will also include a Smartify audio highlights guide, a brand-new addition to the exhibition for 2024. Freely available on their devices, visitors can immerse themselves further into Turner’s work through this highlighted guided tour of the exhibition, giving fresh insights and expanding on what is presented on the gallery walls.
This mesmerising exhibition captures the essence of the life and career of the 19th century London-born artist, with the works on display covering the breadth of Turner’s artistic talents. In a career spanning 50 years, Turner developed new ways of painting in watercolour and revolutionised ideas of what could be achieved in the medium.
Through a combination of exceptional talent and incredible hard work, he was able to capture in paint the sublime beauty of the natural world. Turner experimented with an array of techniques and colour, creating works which continue to captivate and excite audiences today.
Charlotte Topsfield, Senior Curator of British Drawings and Prints at National Galleries of Scotland said: “Henry Vaughan personally selected the watercolours in the bequest to share the full range and richness of Turner’s work with the widest audience.
“From early landscape drawings to glorious colour studies, delicate literary illustrations and visionary late watercolours, Vaughan’s Turners wonderfully demonstrate the artist’s infinite creativity and technical skill.
“Putting the Turner watercolours on show is a highlight of my year and I hope that it brings everyone else as much pleasure!”
Isabella Miller, Director of Audience at the National Galleries of Scotland said: “Turner in January brings with it an uplifting start to a new year at the National Galleries of Scotland.
“It’s with great joy we witness the excitement from our returning visitors, along with the wonder this display brings to those discovering it for the very first time. Turner in January honors the legacy of Henry Vaughan’s bequest, while creating a now treasured tradition for many.
“It’s also a wonderful opportunity to marvel in the skill of our conservation and curatorial teams, who ensure the year-round care of these beloved watercolours, allowing them to be displayed and enjoyed each January.”
Laura Chow, Head of Charities at People’s Postcode Lottery, said: The yearly celebration of Turner’s watercolors invites us to enjoy vibrant colours, showcasing the beauty of our natural world.
“From the Swiss Alps to the Isle of Skye, the exhibition offers an uplifting escape from any January blues. I’m delighted that support from Postcode Lottery players, who have now raised over £5 million for National Galleries of Scotland, is making art and exhibitions like this free and accessible for all.”
Turner in January is open to the public from 12pm on Monday 1 January.
Ken Currie’s Unknown Man, a portrait of the preeminent forensic anthropologist, Professor Dame Sue Black, has been acquired by the National Galleries of Scotland.
This arresting portrait has been on long loan to the gallery since 2021 but has now been secured for the nation permanently. This acquisition ensures the continued enjoyment of this poignant work, currently available to view for free at the Portrait gallery.
Unknown Man depicts one of the most distinguished, internationally famous contemporary Scots, Professor Black. Currie’s large-scale painting shows her in surgical robes standing behind the covered remains of a body.
The idea for the portrait grew when Currie and Professor Black met during a BBC Radio 4 discussion on the relationship between art and anatomy.
Currie later visited the Centre for Anatomy and Human Identification at the University of Dundee, where Professor Black was Director. The artist was so moved by the work he encountered there that he asked her to sit for a portrait.
The title Unknown Man was given by Currie and relates to the essential aim of a forensic anthropologist – to identify remains and restore the identity of the deceased – while also referencing the covered body depicted in the painting.
Currie bestows Professor Black with the qualities of impassivity and sternness in his portrait. She stands, stock still and full-face, arms spread equally, holding the trolley before her. Professor Black wears dull blue scrubs and before her, under the dark green shroud, is stretched the most minimal or rudimentary indication of the corpse – which could be said to be the attribute of her profession.
Artist Ken Currie (born 1960) is renowned for his unsettling portrayal of the human figure, often large-scale, dramatic canvasses of startling originality.
His work prompts powerful responses as he deals with difficult, profound themes through figurative paintings which are carefully considered and painstakingly executed.
Currie’s subjects often emerge from darkness, suggesting fearful dramas which are all the more disturbing because so much is suggested but not explicitly articulated.
Currie also has another much-loved work in the national collection, Three Oncologists. This 2002 painting depicts three professors who were leading innovators in cancer research at the University of Dundee and its affiliated teaching hospital, Ninewells.
It shows the three, emerging from the darkness as modern-day heroes, battling on our behalf on the front line between life and death. Currie regards Unknown Man as being connected to Three Oncologists, and a progression from this work.
With both works currently on display in The Modern Portrait exhibition, visitors have a special opportunity to experience both in the same space. Unknown Man gives rise to strong feelings and emotions. Professor Black had a visibly emotional reaction when she saw the painting for the first time in 2021.
Sir John Leighton, Director-General of the National Galleries ofScotland said: “We are delighted to have acquired this powerful and moving work which has already generated a lot of interest and comment from our visitors.
“The Portrait gallery provides the perfect setting for this outstanding painting which now has a permanent home alongside other images of pioneers in the fields of science, sport and the arts.”
Professor Sue Black, said: “It was such a wonderful experience to work with Ken and I am so grateful that the portrait has been so well received even if it is a bit scary!
“I feel honoured that this has been acquired by the National Galleries of Scotland and secured for the nation permanently. It all feels more than a little surreal.”
Ken Currie, said: “I am delighted that Unknown Man has been acquired by the National Galleries of Scotland and will continue to hang in the Portrait gallery where it will hopefully inspire a new generation of young women to follow in the illustrious footsteps of Sue Black.”
Jenny Waldman, Director of Art Fund, said: “I’m so pleased that Art Fund has been able to support the National Galleries of Scotland to acquire this important painting.
“I am sure that it will continue to delight and inspire visitors to the Portrait gallery for many years to come.”
The National Galleries of Scotland has announced that its blockbuster exhibition, Grayson Perry: Smash Hits, was visited almost 100,000 times in its four-month run. Since opening on 15 July, 95,852 visits were booked to enjoy the celebration of Sir Grayson Perry’s 40-year career at the National (Royal Scottish Academy) before it closed on Sunday 12 November.
On show exclusively in Edinburgh, Grayson Perry: Smash Hits explored the remarkable 40-year career of contemporary cultural icon, Sir Grayson Perry.
Visitors were able to enjoy over eighty works, including richly detailed tapestries, subversive pots and elaborate plates – some of which were on public display for the first time.
Developed in close collaboration with the artist, the exhibition renounced the tradition for chronological displays. Instead, Perry’s work was presented as a journey through themes including masculinity, sexuality, class, religion, politics and identity.
Grayson Perry: Smash Hits was the National Galleries of Scotland’s most visited exhibition in over ten years, and the fourth most visited since the reopening of the refurbished exhibition galleries in the RSA building in 2003.
Surpassing all expectations, over 10,000 people were welcomed in the first two weeks alone. The final weekend, which offered extended opening hours to allow as many people as possible to experience the exhibition, with over 2,200 visitors each day.
Home to Scotland’s superb art collection, the National Galleries of Scotland operates three galleries in Edinburgh.
At the National visitors can discover treasures from Botticelli to Titian, as well as the world’s largest collection of works by artists from Scotland. The Portrait gallery is packed with famous faces from history and contemporary portraits of pop culture icons, while Modern showcases the very best modern art.
As well as conserving and researching the national collection, the National Galleries of Scotland is committed to reaching the widest possible audience through an active programme, including partnerships across Scotland, the UK and abroad, as well as online.
Visitors enjoyed sharing their experience of Grayson Perry: Smash Hits with feedback captured by National Galleries Scotland throughout the duration of the exhibition. Some notable takeaways included:
“So accessible. I loved his commentaries. It is the only exhibition I have ever been to and laughed out loud.”
“I have never been to an exhibition where almost all of the visitors were smiling and laughing.”
“This was the best, most thought-provoking exhibition I’ve been to in years!”
Sir Grayson Perrysaid: “It was one of the most enjoyable and proud exhibiting experiences of my career. Many thanks to the brilliant team at the National Galleries of Scotland and the people of Scotland!”
Sir John Leighton, Director-General of the National Galleries of Scotland,said: “Welcoming almost 100,000 visitors to Grayson Perry: Smash Hits is a significant and proud moment for the National Galleries of Scotland.
“It has been a privilege from the start to work with Sir Grayson Perry in bringing this phenomenal exhibition to the people of Scotland. The response from our visitors, through their verbal and written feedback, photos they’ve shared and online engagement, has been incredible to witness.
“My congratulations and thanks to Sir Grayson – it has been smashing!’
Celebrate the 100th anniversary of Eduardo Paolozzi’s birth, in Paolozzi at 100
Explore the first ever retrospective by Edinburgh-based artist Everlyn Nicodemus
Meet Johannes Vermeer’s A Young Woman Standing at a Virginalin Edinburgh
See Images and Voices from Scotland’s Mining Communities
Immerse yourself in the work of Do Ho Suh
National Galleries of Scotland announces an extraordinary programme of unmissable free and ticketed exhibitions for 2024, on sale now.
Take a trip with Lavery on Location, feel empowered by Women in Revolt!, get lost in Drawings from Chatsworth House, marvel at the eccentric world of Paolozzi at 100or embrace thedefiant and inspiring works ofEverlyn Nicodemus, there is even more to be discovered across all three gallery sites in Edinburgh.
Visitors can indulge their wanderlust in National Galleries of Scotland’s summer exhibition at the Royal Scottish Academy, An Irish Impressionist: Lavery on Location, from 20 July 2024 to 27 October 2024.
Dip your toes in the sun, sea and society of the late 19th and early 20th centuries, through the works of renowned Glasgow Boy, Sir John Lavery. Travel through the extraordinary life of the Belfast born artist, from Scotland to New York via Paris and Morocco.
Witness sumptuous portraits, impressionistic landscapes and idyllic scenes of leisure against a backdrop of Tangier, Palm Springs and the Venice Lido. Be whisked away to Switzerland, Spain, Ireland and Italy, as well as cities such as Glasgow, Seville, Monte Carlo and New York.
At Modern Two, be inspired by stories of collaboration, creativity and rebellion as National Galleries of Scotland presents Women in Revolt! Art and Activism in the UK 1970-1990 from 25 May 2024 to 26 January 2025.
Touring from Tate Britain, this major survey of feminist art celebrates the women who challenged and changed the face of British culture. Discover the powerful and often provocative work of over 100 artists and collectives forged against the backdrop of seismic social, economic and political change over two decades.
Women in Revolt! explores key themes and issues, such as the Women’s Liberation Movement, Punk and independent music, the visibility of Black and South Asian women artists and the AIDS epidemic.
Showcasing painting, drawing, textile, sculpture, performance, film and photography alongside archival materials – with many artworks on display as part of this tour for the first time since the 1970s – this timely and urgent show is one not to be missed.
For the first time ever in Scotland discover Dürer to Van Dyck: Drawings from Chatsworth House, home to the Devonshire family. From 9 November 2024 – 23 February 2025 get a closer look at one of the finest and most significant holdings of drawings anywhere in the world, at the Royal Scottish Academy.
A spectacular group of 50 Flemish, Dutch, Early Netherlandish, and German drawings and watercolours, spanning from about 1500 to 1700, will be exhibited. Look forward to stunning drawings by Rembrandt, Holbein, Rubens, Dürer, van Dyck and more. Not to be missed, this exhibition is exclusive to the National Galleries of Scotland.
In January 2024 celebrate 100 years since the birth of Scottish ‘father of Pop’ Eduardo Paolozzi at Modern Two. Packed with the artist’s most popular works, Paolozzi at 100allows you take a step inside the whacky and eclectic mind of the artist and his take on popular culture and the machine age.
Tour through his early work from the late 1940s, to his designs and prints of the 60s and 70s, and later epic public art projects. Delve in to works such as his Mickey Mouse tapestry made with Dovecot Tapestry Studio and graphic and gold ceramic plate collaborations designed with Wedgwood.
Marvel at his colourful mosaic designs for Tottenham Court Road Underground station, and don’t miss the kinetic energy of the Calcium Light Night and Moonstrip Empire news screenprints. Free to visit, Paolozzi at 100 runs from 27 January 2024 to 21 April 2024.
Marking the bicentenary of the National Gallery in London, we have National Treasures: Vermeer in Edinburgh.
This incredible artwork A Young Woman Standing at a Virginal comes to Scotland, presenting a unique chance to see two works by Vermeer at the National in Edinburgh.
Compare one of Vermeer’s later works with one of his earliest surviving paintings, Christ in the House of Martha and Mary which is on permanent display at the National. A Young Woman Standingat a Virginal will open on 10 May 2024, the 200th birthday of the National Gallery, along with the rest of the National Treasures programme across the UK.
Explore the history and lasting impact of coal through photographs and voices from Scottish mining communities, as National Galleries of Scotland responds to the 40th anniversary of the Miners’ Strike of 1984.
In a powerful free exhibition at the Portrait from 23 March 2024 until September 2024, Before and After Coal: Images and Voices from Scotland’s Mining Communities hears from those who are the lifeblood of these, once booming, areas.
In 1982, American photographer Milton Rogovin came to Scotland to photograph Scottish miners – at their pits, in their homes, and during their leisure time.
Artist, Nicky Bird has updated Rogovin’s documentation of these communities by meeting with individuals and families connected with the photographs, who share their views on the past and the present in these former mining towns and villages.
From 19 October 2024 – 25 May 2025 get ready for the first ever retrospective exhibition by Tanzania-born, Edinburgh-based artist, Everlyn Nicodemusat Modern One.
Discover works spanning 40 years of the artist’s life, as well as new works created especially for this show. This inspiring free experience is made possible by the prestigious Freelands Award won by Everlyn Nicodemus and National Galleries of Scotland in 2022.
Believing that creativity can be a form of healing, her exceptional artworks are a powerful response to the global oppression of women, the profound impact of racism and her personal trauma and recovery.
Experimenting with colour, form and mark making her practice invites us to explore and question our understanding of identity, belonging and faith. This ambitious exhibition celebrates Nicodemus as a painter deeply invested in the social fabric of her time.
It will be accompanied by an inclusive and welcoming programme of community engagement, taking inspiration from the artist’s collaborative ways of working.
The much-lovedTurner in January returns to the Royal Scottish Academy. The free annual display of these watercolours is a keenly awaited tradition for many people in Scotland. At the dawning of the New Year, as we leave behind the darkest days of winter, the bright vitality of Turner’s watercolours is just what we need.
There is also the chance to see further works by Turner at Duff House. National Galleries of Scotland hold the only complete set of Turner’s finished vignette illustrations that remain together in the same collection; these form his 20 watercolours for The Poetical Works of Thomas Campbell, published by Edward Moxon in 1837.
For the first time in over 20 years, these illustrations are on show at Duff House for selected dates until Sunday 24 March. Also on display at Duff House until Sunday 25 August 2024 is the iconic portrait of the infamous romantic poet Lord Byron by William Edward West, 1822.
Launched in 2009 in partnership with Tate, the hugely successful ARTIST ROOMS programme will continue to share the superb collection of modern and contemporary art across Scotland and the rest of the UK. Exhibitions in 2024 include Louise Bourgeois at Aberdeen Art Gallery and Museum from 2 March 2024 to 9 June 2024 and Vija Celmins at Dunoon Burgh Hall from 17 May 2024 to 18 August 2024.
A first for National Galleries of Scotland and for Scotland, immerse yourself in the wondrous imagination of one of the world’s leading contemporary artists, Do Ho Suh: Tracing Time, from 17 February 2024 – 1 September 2024.
In this major solo exhibition by the South Korean-born, London- based artist, experience works, some never-before-seen, that ask: where and when does home exist? Discover the artist’s compelling and technically innovative thread drawings – in which multicoloured threads are embedded in handmade paper – shown alongside animations, architectural rubbings, paper sculptures, printmaking, watercolours and the artist’s sketchbooks.
This free exhibition takes over an entire level of Modern One, with works spanning 25 years of the artist’s practice. The exhibition includes an immersive installation of Suh’s famed ‘hubs’, life-size sculptures that recreate physical spaces meaningful to the artist and his life in colourful, translucent fabric.
In this wide-reaching and timely exhibition, drawing is the connective thread that binds together Do Ho Suh’s creative energies.
Opening this winter, discover 500 years of boundary-pushing artwork in The Printmaker’s Art: Rembrandt to Rego at the Royal Scottish Academy in Edinburgh. At this National Galleries Scotland exhibition, 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 is on from 2 December 2023 until 25 February 2024.
Summer 2024 will also see a celebratory display of two rooms of works by internationally renowned Scottish artist Bruce McLean, to mark his 80th birthday. Free to visit at Modern One, trace Bruce’s humorous and lively six-decade long inquiry into sculpture and revel in his criticisms of the art world from within.
Through works made across a range of media – including photography, performance, painting, printmaking, film, and ceramics – this display invites you to challenge your thinking about sculpture and expand your ideas of what it can be.
You’ll also be met with works that reveal Bruce’s fascination with every aspect of human behaviour. From the trivial to the outright brash, you’ll encounter gestures, manners, the ‘theatre’ of social interaction, and the style and posturing of those who are intent to impress.
Sharp, witty and satirical, this unmissable display showcases the breadth of Bruce’s boundary-pushing work across two rooms and spotlights him as one of the most important artists of his generation.
In 2024 the National Galleries of Scotland will mark a significant 40 years since the beginning of its photography collection, with a spectacular exhibition at the Portrait. Showcasing the birth of photography through to the present day, the exhibition celebrates Scotland’s world-renowned collection.
Sir John Leighton, Director-General of the National Galleries of Scotland said: ‘There is so much for visitors to look forward to next year at the National Galleries of Scotland, with our tantalising 2024 exhibition programme.
“Whether immersing yourself in Sir John Lavery’s idyllic beach scenes, soaking up the history of Women in Revolt! or stepping into the eclectic world of Eduardo Paolozzi, there is something for everyone to enjoy.
“Our four galleries are yours to discover, from the world’s greatest collection of Scottish art at our new Scottish galleries, international highlights at the National, the very best contemporary art at the Modern and famous faces from history to pop culture at the Portrait, we can’t wait to welcome you.’
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’sprintmaking 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.
National Galleries of Scotland has announced extended opening hours throughout the final weekend of its blockbuster exhibition, Grayson Perry: Smash Hits, at the National (Royal Scottish Academy) due to phenomenal demand.
To make sure everyone can see Grayson Perry: Smash Hits, the Royal Scottish Academy will be open from 9am until 9pm on the 10, 11 and 12 November, with tickets on sale now.
Only a few more weeks remain to explore the remarkable 40-year career of contemporary cultural icon, Sir Grayson Perry. On show exclusively in Edinburgh, the exhibition has exceeded all expectations, welcoming over 10,000 people in the first two weeks alone.
Visitors can see over eighty works, including richly detailed tapestries, subversive pots and elaborate plates – some of which are on display for the first time.
Grayson Perry: Smash Hits has been developed in close collaboration with the artist. Much like Perry, the exhibition doesn’t play by the rules, renouncing traditional chronological displays in favourof presenting Perry’s work as a journey.
Smash Hits leads audiences through the many themes embedded within his provocative art, including masculinity, sexuality, class, religion, politics and identity.
There’s also a chance to tour Smash Hits with the artist himself, through a free audio guide of 19 works, available via Smartify. Let the artwork come to life through Perry’s engaging and witty commentary, as he discusses the wide range of inspirations and stories locked within each object.
The exhibition brings together Perry’s meticulously detailed prints and imaginary maps along with many of his tapestries. This includes the rarely shown Walthamstow Tapestry (2009) which, at a striking 15-metres in length, presents a birth-to-death journey through shopping and brand names.
There’s also an opportunity to encounter the intricate cast-iron ship, Tomb of the Unknown Craftsman (2011). A collection of new works, some completed this year, have been presented to the public for the first time, including the tapestry Sacred Tribal Artefact (2023), and a series of pots and plates exploring themes of national identity.
Perry’s latest pots, such as A Plague of Diaphobia (2022) and Ye Olde English Pot (2023), are presented in the form of medieval beer flagons. Decorated with traditional slipware techniques, they reference subjects ranging from the polarising effect of internet to heraldic iconography.
Sir John Leighton, Director-General of the National Galleries of Scotland,said: “It has been a privilege to see the excitement and enthusiasm shown towards Grayson Perry: Smash Hits since it opened in the summer.
“With thousands of visitors pouring through the doors every week, the demand for Sir Grayson Perry’s inspiring body of work is evident. The National Galleries of Scotland are delighted to announce our extended opening hours during the exhibition’s final run.
“We hope they can allow as many people as possible to see the largest exhibition of Sir Grayson Perry’s work before we must close the doors in November.”
Visitors can take advantage of a bumper three days to say a fond farewell to what has been a truly smashing experience. Don’t miss the final chance to see Grayson Perry: Smash Hits at the National (Royal Scottish Academy).
