National Galleries of Scotland announces Decades: The Art of Change 1900-1980, an exploration of 80 years of art at the newly reopened Modern Two
Decades: The Art of Change 1900-1980
29 April 2023
Free
Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art (Modern Two)
The Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art (Modern Two) in Edinburgh will reopen on 29 April 2023 with a spectacular new exhibition, Decades: The Art of Change 1900-1980.
This fascinating, free exhibitionwill take a journey through 80 years of art, from 1900 to the 1970s. Spanning a period of dramatic change, moving from the birth of the motorcar to the dawn of the space race, each work on display will be drawn from the Gallery’s world-class collection of modern art.
Decades: The Art of Change 1900-1980 will take visitors through a series of six chapters across six rooms at Modern Two. Each chapter speaks of a particular moment from across the twentieth century, when artists rebelled against the previous generation, creating works which came to characterise a period.
Beginning with French artists who painted with electrifying colour, the first room includes 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 fabulous new acquisitions, by Scottish Colourists FCB Cadell and JD Fergusson, feature in this room. Leith-born JD Fergusson, who 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, is vigorous and confident in its brushwork, bright and clashing in colour. 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. These new acquisitions have been generously donated by private owners.
Moving into the 1930s, artists such as Piet Mondrian believed that art could change society. This room will feature work by Alexander Calder, Paule Vézelay and Ben Nicholson.
Entering the 1940s, abstraction and idealism were replaced by grim realism. Featuring work by Francis Bacon, Joan Eardley and Bet Low, these paintings and sculptures, created both during and immediately after the Second World War, speak of a new reality.
The 1950s saw a battle between Abstraction and Realism. 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 will be shown together here for the first time. Josef Hermann’s project shows a row of miners – builders of a new socialist order; Victor Pasmore’s mural project is instead a daring essay glimpse of spiralling abstract forms. Exceptional creations by Alan Davie, Louise Nevelson, Fernand Léger, Eduardo Paolozzi and Elisabeth Frink will also be on display, making up the 1950s presentation.
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.
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 will 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.
Radical, questioning and experimental, 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.
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.’
New multi-media works by the celebrated Barbadian-Scottish artist, Alberta Whittle, will be revealed this spring in a free exhibition at the Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art (Modern One) in Edinburgh. Alberta Whittle: create dangerously will open on 1 April 2023 and will run until 7 January 2024.
Experience the ambition and breadth of Alberta’s career to date and come away feeling her call to ‘invest in love’. At the heart of Alberta Whittle: create dangerously is the artist’s generous spirit which promotes compassion and collective care as means of resisting racism and anti-Blackness.
Through powerful and poetic storytelling, Alberta confronts the violence of colonialism, the legacies of the Transatlantic trade in enslaved people, and impact of the climate crisis. Alberta pulls apart the belief that ’racism and police brutality is [just] an English problem or an American problem’.
Instead, she underlines Scotland’s complicity in the structures of white supremacy. Often deeply personal, weaving stories of family and belonging, Alberta offers a message of hope, asking us to imagine a world outside of these damaging systems and ways of thinking.
Taking over the ground floor of Modern One, this will be the largest exploration of the artist’s works to date. The exhibition will offer a survey of Alberta’s expansive practice, featuring sculptures and installations, digital collages, drawings and watercolours, and new works made especially for the show.
These include a group of new paintings, a striking addition to the artist’s ongoing series of digital collages and a wall-based multi-part relief sculpture, designed to be interacted with by visitors.
Alberta Whittle: create dangerously will mark the return of two major works to Scotland, which gained critical acclaim at the 59th Venice Biennale, 2022.
Alberta’s extraordinary tapestry, Entanglement is more than blood (2022) created in collaboration with Dovecot Studios, and her thought-provoking film, Lagareh – The Last Born (2022) co-commissioned and produced with the support of Forma – both commissioned by Scotland + Venice as part of her new body of work deep dive (pause) uncoiling memory presented at the 2022 Venice Biennale.
Entanglement is more than blood is a large-scale tapestry on a gate-like structure. Characteristic of Alberta’s art, it is imbued with rich symbolism, including water, snakes, diamonds, hands, and shells.
Acting as a portal, the tapestry explores the meaning of family, kinship and ancestral histories, themes that will echo throughout the exhibition. The imagery in the tapestry is also seen in Lagareh – The Last Born. Centring the collective strength of contemporary Black womxn, this 43-minute film is anchored in ideas of abolition, rebellion, grief, and love.
Shot on location in Scotland, London, and Barbados, and featuring footage from Sierra Leone and Venice, Alberta has woven together contrasting stories of individual acts of resistance against racist violence with gentle moments of intimacy. Lagareh – The Last Born will play continuously throughout the day, and for visitors who wish to see it from the beginning, screening start times will be made available in the gallery and on the National Galleries of Scotland website.
Step inside a sound installation and listen to the voice of poet Kamau Brathwaite (1930-2020), a much-loved and hugely influential figure in Caribbean literature. Dealing with the themes of grief and loss, Alberta made this in personal tribute to Brathwaite, who was a close friend of her family as well as a collaborator.
Titled A portal for breathing love into the Elders or an Adoration for kith-folk who we long for (2021), this installation is comprised of objects of significance to the artist.
There will be a room dedicated to addressing the themes of rest and care, and connection and belonging in Alberta’s practice, where you can slow down and pause. Inside this room, visitors will find a beautiful bespoke quilt hanging on the wall, crafted by a group of women from North Edinburgh.
Inspired by Alberta’s practice and use of textiles and fabrics in her work, the quilt is being caringly made by a sewing group run by Project Esperanza, a charity dedicated to supporting women of African heritage, as well as women from other culturally diverse backgrounds. Facilitated by textile artist Francia Boakye, this quilt draws upon the makers’ lived experiences, weaving together their stories and their journeys as migrants to Scotland.
Alberta Whittle said: ‘This is an exhibition about hope. It is about the hope we can nurture within ourselves, but also the hope that we can have difficult conversations about the harm caused by colonialism, the Transatlantic trade in enslaved people, and the climate crisis.
“The exhibition presents an opportunity for self-reflection, and to think about the types of power we hold in the world and how we can use it compassionately.’
Lucy Askew, chief curator of Modern and Contemporary art at the National Galleries of Scotland, said: ‘We are incredibly happy to reveal more details about Alberta Whittle: create dangerously. This hugely important exhibition, devoted to the work of one of the leading artists working in Scotland today, is underpinned by Alberta’s deep generosity and warmth.
“Alberta speaks of fundamental truths about the violence and injustices of our past – ‘the burden of proof’ – and the legacy of systemic racism which permeates through our society today, asking us to confront this with her. With compassion and care, she holds and guides us, encouraging us to pause, to breathe, and to think differently.’
Jenny Waldman, director of Art Fund, said: ‘The screening tour of Alberta Whittle’s eloquent and multi-layered film, Lagareh – The Last Born, has brought it to audiences across Scotland; continuing to include and empower viewers as it did at the Venice Biennale last year.
“And now, Alberta Whittle: create dangerously at National Galleries of Scotland is enabling as many people as possible to view and enjoy this important work in the context of the artist’s major solo show.
“It is thanks to our members and supporters that Art Fund can help share the best of contemporary art, like this, across the country.”
A major Grayson Perry retrospective is announced today (28 November). The largest exhibition of Alberta Whittle’s career to date, a solo show by Do Ho Suh, and printmakers’ treasures are also among highlights of the National Galleries of Scotland’s new exhibitions programme.
Pottery allowed him the opportunity to indulge his fascination with sex, Punk, and counterculture, amongst other things, in the most unlikely and polite of art forms. Today he is one of Britain’s most celebrated artists and cultural figures.
Popular and provocative, Perry makes art that deals with difficult and complex ideas in an accessible and often funny way. He loves taking on big issues that are universally human: masculinity, sexuality, class, religion, politics and more.
On view will be subversive pots, brilliantly intricate prints, elaborate sculptures, and huge, captivating tapestries – all imbued with Perry’s sharp wit and social commentary. Working with traditional mediums, Perry addresses the controversial issues of our times.
We’ll reveal more information about the exhibition next spring. Running at the Royal Scottish Academy from 22 July until 12 November 2023, discover how and why he has become such a cultural icon.
Alberta Whittle: create dangerouslyis an immersive exhibition which invites you to slow down and pause.
At the heart of Alberta’s solo show is her generous spirit which promotes compassion and collective care as means of resisting racism and anti-Blackness. Alberta addresses the brutality and harm caused by colonialism, the Transatlantic trade in enslaved people, and the ongoing climate crisis.
Through richly symbolic artworks, she pulls apart the belief that ’racism and police brutality is [just] an English/Scottish problem or an American problem’. Instead, she underlines Scotland’s complicity in the structures of white supremacy.
Often deeply personal, weaving stories of family and belonging, Alberta ultimately offers a message of hope, asking us to imagine a world outside of these damaging systems and ways of thinking.
This will be the largest showing of Alberta’s works to date, with sculptures, digital collages, watercolours and new paintings made especially for the show, taking over the ground floor of Modern One.
Alongside never-before-seen artworks, the free exhibition offers you the opportunity to see Alberta’s extraordinary tapestry, Entanglement is more than blood, and film, Lagareh – The Last Born – which was on display at the Venice Biennale 2022, commissioned by Scotland+Venice.
Alberta Whittle: create dangerously, running from 1 April 2023 until 7 January 2024, will explore the ambition and breadth of the Barbadian-Scottish artist’s career to date. Alberta Whittle: create dangerously is kindly supported by Baillie Gifford, National Galleries of Scotland Foundation and The Alberta Whittle Exhibition Supporters’ Circle.
A first for us and for Scotland: a solo exhibition coming winter 2023/24 of the South Korean-born, London-based Do Ho Suh.
One of the world’s leading contemporary artists, Do Ho Suh will explore the foundational role that drawing and paper play in Suh’s artistic practice, focusing on his collaborative methods, experimental techniques, and innovative use of materials.
The free exhibition, taking over an entire level of Modern One, will present the artist’s complex and compelling thread drawings – in which cotton thread is embedded on handmade paper – alongside architectural rubbings, paper sculptures, cyanotypes, printmaking and watercolours.
There will also be a major new installation of Suh’s famed ‘hubs’, life-size sculptures that recreate physical spaces in colourful, translucent fabric. You can step right inside and immerse yourselves in this innovative reimagining of places meaningful to the artist and his life.
Do Ho Suh is kindly supported by National Galleries of Scotland Foundation, and our associated engagement and audience development initiatives are kindly supported by Baillie Gifford.
Printmaking, one of the most accessible art forms, takes centre stage next Winter. Come and experience the print pioneers who have made their mark in the last five hundred years in Rembrandt to Rego: The Printmaker’s Art.
You will go on a journey from Albrecht Dürer in the fifteenth century right through to contemporary artists including Tracey Emin and Chris Ofili. On the way you will discover how artists have pushed the boundaries in both subject and technique through screen printing, etching, engraving and more.
The show includes many brilliant artists who are now famous for their printmaking; see prints by Andy Warhol, William Blake, Rembrandt, Francisco de Goya, Elizabeth Blackadder, Paula Rego, Bridget Riley, Pablo Picasso and more.
Appreciate the techniques, tools and materials up close – you may even be inspired to give it a go. Rembrandt to Rego: The Printmaker’s Art runs from 2 December until 25 February 2024.
Taylor Wessing Photographic Portrait Prize 2022 marks a welcome return to the Scottish National Portrait Gallery.
Capturing and sharing emotional, dramatic, or everyday moments in life is the magic of this exhibition.A truly global affair, the prize celebrates the very best in contemporary photography on an international scale.
Sharing work by celebrated professionals and enthusiastic amateurs alike, the images selected for the exhibition share in their ability to move onlookers.
This year’s prize-winning photographs examine a range of subjects – from queerness, transness and the concept of chosen family, socially distanced glimpses into daily lockdown life, to identity and life in former Soviet states.
See several famous faces up close, including footballer and activist Marcus Rashford and Stranger Things star Finn Wolfhard. The variety of themes explored throughout the exhibition is matched by the high-quality, contemporary portraiture that reflects the shifting world of today. This free exhibition runs from 17 June until 10 September 2023.
Also at the Scottish National Portrait Gallery,Making Space: Photographs of Architecture will explore how architecture impacts our lives.
As a record of human life past, present, and future, architecture and people are intrinsically linked. A poorly built environment exacerbates inequality, but architecture has the power to address social issues including homelessness, poverty, and displacement.
This fascinating exhibition will also consider how the built environment has a significant role to play in creating a more sustainable future. On display will be a diverse range of photographic styles, formats and processes dating from the 1840s to the present day.
Follow the line from Hill & Adamson’s early experiments on Edinburgh’s Calton Hill through to spectacular contemporary photographs by Andreas Gursky and Chris Leslie which capture the breath-taking scale of modern buildings. Entry to this exhibition is free and will take place from 7 October 2023 until 3 March 2024.
Your Art World,from summer 2023 to spring 2024, will help young people across Scotland to discover a whole new world of creative possibilities.
This inclusive and interactive exhibition is free to see and includes work generated over the past year from a nation-wide call out to those aged between 3-18 years old.
Your Art World’s goal is to inspire and empower young people to think and act creatively but there’s also the added bonus of having their artwork showcased. All submissions will be displayed both online and at the Scottish National Gallery.
Your Art World is generously supported by players of People’s Postcode Lottery.
The final programme highlight is the return of a keenly-awaited tradition: the opening of Turner in January, an exhibition of mesmerising watercolours to help us through the dark days of winter.
Scotland’s famous collection of J.M.W. 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.
Presented at the Royal Scottish Academy, Turner in January will open on New Year’s Day 2023 and be open throughout the month of January. Turner in January is generously supported by players of People’s Postcode Lottery.
Sir John Leighton, Director General of the National Galleries of Scotland said: “There is so much to look forward to across our Galleries next year.
“From connecting with Grayson Perry’s craftsmanship up close to slowing down with Alberta Whittle to experience compassion and care, there is something for everyone to discover. Everyone is invited to our Galleries to learn, find a moment of calm, or feel inspired.”
Completing the exhibition programme are free displays currently at the Scottish National Gallery and Modern One respectively: Conserving Scotland’s Art until 16 April, which shines a light on how we preserve art for future generations to enjoy; Conversations with the Collection, offering a fresh way of presenting modern and contemporary art; and until 12 February, New Arrivals: From Salvador Dalí to Jenny Saville, a fascinating showcase of our latest modern and contemporary acquisitions.
In a unique live broadcast, National Galleries of Scotland present the first abridged rehearsed reading from the play by Scottish-Ghanaian artist Maud Sulter, Service to Empire. Directed and abridged by Adura Onashile and co-curated with Mother Tongue, the reading will be followed by a live Q&A.
Best known as an artist and poet, Sulter wrote Service to Empire, published with her imprint A19, in 2002. In this play she reimagines the relationship between the parents of Jerry Rawlings, the former President of Ghana: his father was a Scot, his mother Ghanaian.
Exploring long-lasting colonial legacies across two continents, Sulter considered her play provided “an incisive observation of the explosive reverberations” of their affair and its impact on Ghana’s former President (in office 1979-2002). Although the play was written 20 years ago, it has never been performed. This reading is long overdue, bringing to light the work of this internationally renowned artist.
The National Galleries of Scotland collection includes two works by Sulter: Urania from the series Zabat (1989) and La Chevelure (2002) which is currently on display at the Scottish National Portrait Gallery in The Modern Portrait exhibition.
Through her multi-disciplinary practice Sulter questioned the representation of Black women in art and literature: “I’m interested in absence and presence in the way that particularly Black women’s experience and Black women’s contribution to culture is so often erased and marginalised … it’s important for me as an individual, and obviously as a Black woman artist, to put Black women back in the centre of the frame.”
Mother Tongue has researched and curated Sulter’s work for several years. In 2018 they were awarded an Art Fund New Collecting Award with Glasgow Museums which resulted in Revisiting Black Artists in Scotland Through New Collecting at Gallery of Modern Art, Glasgow 12 March – 3 July 2022, a group show featuring Sulter’s work, with Art Fund support and funded by The National Lottery through Creative Scotland, with generous input from the Estate of Maud Sulter.
“The Estate is thrilled that Sulter’s words are being brought to life in this spell binding reading directed by Adura Onashile. The estate offers warmest thanks to the director, the cast, Mother Tongue and National Galleries of Scotland for bringing this project to fruition.” The Estate of Maud Sulter.
Adura Onashile, Directorsaid: “It felt really important to me to present this rehearsed reading of Maud Sulter’s only play for the first time. As an interdisciplinary artist her approach to playwrighting is incredibly visual and rich in its scope and rigour.
“It’s been exciting to delve into her vision of a story that is both personal and universal. Although this is only a rehearsed reading, we hope introducing the work to a wider audience will continue to highlight the breadth of Maud’s vision and inspirations.”
“Maud Sulter’s work was so ground-breaking that even 20, 25, 30 years on from its production, it feels very much of our present. She was a visual artist, poet, curator and cultural historian amongst other facets of her practice, and it’s important to us that her words are lifted from the page and vocalised making the play accessible to a much larger audience than it’s been able to have to-date.” Mother Tongue, co-curators.
Sir John Leighton, Director-General, National Galleries of Scotland said: “National Galleries of Scotland is delighted to support this vital and long overdue project to stage a reading of Maud Sulter’s play Service to Empire.
“Sulter is an internationally recognised Scottish contemporary artist whose visual and literary legacy is in the process of being rediscovered and reinterpreted by a new generation of artists.
“It is an honour to work with Adura Onashile, a director held in such high esteem in her field. We are grateful to the Estate for their kind co-operation and to our partners, cast and crew for the painstaking care they have taken in representing Sulter’s intentions and making this essential project happen.”
Artists at Work 2: Exhibition celebrating talented colleagues at the National Galleries of Scotland
29 Oct 2022—12 Feb 2023 The Scottish National Portrait Gallery 1 Queen Street, Edinburgh EH2 1JD| 0131 624 6200 |nationalgalleries.org| Admission Free
Artists at Work 2 showcases incredible artwork made by colleagues at the National Galleries of Scotland (NGS) in a group exhibition at the Scottish National Portrait Gallery.
The exhibition celebrates the creative talents of over 100 colleagues working across the entire organisation and runs until February 2023. It is a celebration of the passion and skill of a team charged with caring for and sharing the national art collection for the world.
The exhibition displays a wide range of artistic disciplines; from paintings, drawings, illustration and photography to sculpture and jewellery making; all created by, amongst others, gallery attendants, conservators and retail team workers and follows on from the success of the first Artists at Work exhibition in 2018.
Artist at Work curators ran an open-call submission across the organisation earlier this year and were amazed at the response.
There are 121 artists exhibiting in the show with 157 works on display. Each artwork is supported with information labels that offer insight on the artist, their methods, process, and how their concept came about.
There was no prescriptive theme for the open call which allowed artists to choose art forms and concepts that are personal to their own artistic style and thematic objectives. Themes range from realism to surrealism, the natural world around us and some choose to celebrate topics such as gender and identity with their own personal inflections.
From self-portraits to local landscapes, photographic observations of lockdown life to interpretations of pop culture – Artists at Work 2 is a smorgasbord of artistic talent, colourful reflections, and thoughtful interpretations.
The curatorial team responsible for the exhibition are also exhibitors. The project leads were Darren Duddy and Victoria Gazeley with Aitor Moncho Tudanca (Visitor Assistant) and Silvia Baarlam (Gallery Attendant, Scottish National Portrait Gallery) working alongside them to coordinate the show.
NGS Gallery Shift Attendant, Victoria Gazeley who has co-curated and contributed to the exhibition, said: “We are thrilled to be hosting this exhibition at the Scottish National Portrait Gallery.
“The work on display represents the vast talents of National Galleries of Scotland colleagues and we’re delighted to offer a platform to spotlight this.
“Following on from the popularity of our first Artists at Work exhibition in 2018, we are looking to dazzle our audiences again in a gallery space that matches our growing ambitions. Many talented artists work across our organisation and this exhibition is a wonderful way to celebrate their creativity.”
Darren Duddy, Co-Curator and Conservation Technician at NGS, said: “A gallery is more than just a building and the artworks within. It is also about the people. This exhibition is a great opportunity to see what those of us who work, and volunteer here do in our free time.
“It is a difficult time for artists, and this is a great way for working artists to get their work seen in a national exhibition.”
The first Artists at Work exhibition was held in 2018 and excelled with 300,000 visitors seeing it.
We are delighted to be able to create another exhibition, this time moving from the Scottish National Gallery to the Scottish National Portrait Gallery, Photography Gallery where we have more designated space to display the fantastic works.
The exhibition is open to public from Sat 29 October in Gallery 13 (Robert Mapplethorpe Photography Gallery), Level 1 West, Scottish National Portrait Gallery.
Invites to this event have also been issued to other local stakeholders and to residents/businesses in the local area. Please do pass the invitation on to any other parties that you think may be interested.
Sensational find to go on display in Edinburgh this summer
The National Galleries of Scotland has discovered what is almost certainly a previously unknown self-portrait by Vincent van Gogh.
Believed to be a first for a UK institution, the mysterious image was revealed by an x-ray taken when art conservators examined Van Gogh’s Head of a Peasant Woman of 1885 ahead of the forthcoming exhibition A Taste for Impressionism (30 July–13 November) at the Royal Scottish Academy, Edinburgh. Visitors will be able to see the amazing x-ray image for the first timethrough a specially crafted lightbox at the centre of thedisplay.
Hidden from view for over a century, the self-portrait is on the back of the canvas with Head of a Peasant Woman and is covered by layers of glue and cardboard. NGS experts believe these materials were applied ahead of an exhibition in the early twentieth century. Van Gogh often re-used canvases to save money. However, instead of painting over earlier works, he would turn the canvas around and work on the reverse.
It may be possible to uncover the hidden self-portrait, but the process of removing the glue and cardboard will require delicate conservation work. Research is ongoing as to how that can be done without harming Head of a Peasant Woman.
Until then, the world can enjoy the tantalising discovery through a ghostly and utterly compelling x-ray image. It shows a bearded sitter in a brimmed hat with a neckerchief loosely tied at the throat. He fixes the viewer with an intense stare, the right side of his face in shadow and his left ear clearly visible.
Professor Frances Fowle, Senior Curator of French Art at the National Galleries of Scotland, said: “Moments like this are incredibly rare. We have discovered an unknown work by Vincent van Gogh, one of the most important and popular artists in the world.
“What an incredible gift for Scotland, and one that will forever be in the care of the National Galleries. We are very excited to share this thrilling discovery in our big summer exhibition A Taste for Impressionism, where the x-ray image of the self-portrait will be on view for all to see.”
The condition of the underlying self-portrait is not known but, if it can be uncovered, it is expected to help shed new light on this enigmatic and beguiling artist.
Later in date than the Head of a Peasant Woman, the hidden painting is likely to have been made during a key moment in Van Gogh’s career, when he was exposed to the work of the French impressionists after moving to Paris. The experience had a profound effect and was a major influence on why he adopted a more colourful and expressive style of painting – one that is so much admired today.
Head of a Peasant Woman entered the NGS collection in 1960, as part of the gift of an Edinburgh lawyer, Alexander Maitland, in memory of his wife Rosalind. Dating from an early period in Van Gogh’s career, the painting shows a local woman from the town of Nuenen in the south of the Netherlands, where the artist lived from December 1883 to November 1885.
Painted in March or April 1885, it seems to be a likeness of Gordina de Groot (known as Sien) who was a model for Van Gogh’s early masterpiece The Potato Eaters of 1885 (Van Gogh Museum, Amsterdam). Her facial features, white cap and simple work clothes are sketched in oil, using broad brushstrokes and earthy colours typical of French realist artists such as Jean-François Millet, whom Van Gogh greatly admired.
In 1886 the artist moved to Paris to be closer to his brother Theo, who was an early supporter of the Impressionists. Exposed to the work of this revolutionary group of artists, Van Gogh lightened his palette and experimented with broken brushwork.
At the studio of Fernand Cormon, where he took classes in painting, he met avant-garde artists such as Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec and Emile Bernard. He also encountered the work of Georges Seurat and Paul Gauguin, under whose influence he began to paint more expressively, using brighter colours.
In the summer of 1887 Van Gogh was experimenting with painting portraits, using friends and also himself as a model. Theo was out of town and unable to assist financially, so Van Gogh re-used canvases to save money. Van Gogh died in 1890 and his brother followed six months later, at which point the artist’s entire oeuvre was left to Theo’s widow, Jo Van Gogh-Bonger.
Probably around 1905, when the Peasant Woman was lent to an exhibition at the Stedelijk Museum, Amsterdam, the decision was made to stick the canvas down on cardboard prior to framing. At this date the Peasant Woman was evidently considered more ‘finished’ than the Van Gogh self-portrait.
The painting changed hands several times and in 1923 was acquired by Evelyn St. Croix Fleming, whose son, Ian, became the creator of James Bond. It was not until 1951 that it came to Scotland, having entered the collection of Alexander and Rosalind Maitland.
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Once revealed, the hidden self-portrait will be part of a group of several such self-portraits and other works painted on the back of earlier canvases from the Nuenen period.
Five examples are in the Van Gogh Museum, Amsterdam. Others in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York; the Wadsworth Atheneum Museum of Art, Hartford, Connecticut; and the Kunstmuseum Den Haag.
Records in the Van Gogh Museum confirm that in 1929 the cardboard was removed from three of their Nuenen pictures by the Dutch restorer Jan Cornelis Traas, revealing the portraits on the verso.
The remarkable story of how Scotland became home to one of the world’s greatest collections of Impressionist and Post-Impressionist art will be celebrated in a major National Galleries of Scotland (NGS) exhibition this summer.
A Taste for Impressionism: Modern French art from Millet to Matisse (30 July – 13 November 2022) will explore how visionary Scottish collectors in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries invested in what were then innovative and radical artworks.
World famous paintings by a stellar cast including Van Gogh, Degas and Gauguin will feature throughout, offering visitors a rare chance to delve into a fascinating yet little-known aspect of Scotland’s cultural history. Other highlights will include seven works by Claude Monet from across his career and, for the first time, the full set of Matisse’s vibrant Jazz prints.
While today a painting by the great Impressionists and Post-Impressionists will fetch millions at auction, artists associated with the movements were at first mocked in the press, and the prices paid for their works were surprisingly low.
Among the few collectors who had the foresight to buy what were then edgy works of art were a handful of Scottish tastemakers who snapped up pieces by the likes of Degas, Monet, Pissarro and Cézanne, often well before their English counterparts. Several of these individuals were ‘new money’ having become rich through shipbuilding and textiles.
As the market for Impressionism began to thrive, a sinister side industry in ‘fakes’ took hold, culminating in two major scandals in the early 1930s around the forging of works by Millet and Van Gogh. In keeping with the true spirit of the age, A Taste for Impressionism will include some counterfeit works which will remain unidentified to test visitors’ powers of discernment.
Among the exhibition highlights will be several of NGS’s world-class holdings, such as Gauguin’s Vision of the Sermon and Degas’s Portrait of Diego Martelli, as well as pre-Impressionist masterpieces such as Pissarro’s The Marne at Chennevières.
The fact that works of such renown and quality are held in Scotland is down to two chance factors—a series of innovative purchases by previous NGS directors in the first half of the twentieth century, and the generosity of benefactors such as Sir Alexander and Rosalind Maitland—both reflecting the enlightened state of Scottish taste in the inter-war period and beyond.
A large number of early collectors of Impressionism were women, including the champion yachtswoman Elizabeth Workman, who was brought up in Helensburgh. Described by the artist Percy Wyndham Lewis as ‘one of the only people in England to understand French art’ her reputation as a collector has been overshadowed by men such as Samuel Courtauld, who created a dedicated museum in his own name.
A Taste for Impressionism will reaffirm the role of Workman and other women who have to date been overlooked in this context. In doing so, visitors will be able to glimpse the affluent and cultured lifestyles of individuals such as Indian-born newspaper editor Rachel Beer, known as ‘the first Lady of Fleet Street’ and the flamboyant socialite Eve Fleming, whose son was the creator of James Bond.
Professor Frances Fowle, Senior Curator of French Art at the National Galleries of Scotland, said: “The Impressionist era is one of the most compelling periods in art history. It gave rise to a host of artists who are now considered among the very best, despite being largely dismissed by the establishment of their time.
Several Scottish art collectors were well ahead of their time in acquiring modern French works. We are thrilled to be telling their story for the first time through A Taste for Impressionism, an exhibition which we hope willdelight and inspire our visitors.”
A Taste for Impressionism will span the entire exhibition space of the Royal Scottish Academy building, charting how Impressionism emerged from the indulgence of the Romantic period to become a bona fide radical movement, through to the price-shattering auction phenomenon it is today.
In total there will be around 120 paintings, sculptures and works on paper taken from the NGS collection, as well as loans from Glasgow Museums, Tate, Aberdeen Art Gallery, Berwick Museum and private collections.
Laura Chow, Head of Charities at People’s Postcode Lottery, said: “We are thrilled that players of People’s Postcode Lottery are supporting National Galleries of Scotland to tell the fascinating story of how a group of radical art lovers made Scotland home to one of the world’s most impressive collections of Impressionist art.
“We are sure that this exciting exhibition, featuring works by many of the world’s most beloved artists, will appeal to a broad audience and we hope as many visitors as possible make it along.”
Vincent van Gogh
A stunning book The Impressionist Era accompanies the exhibition, offering readers and visitors an introduction to the art of the Impressionists and Post-Impressionists.
Written by Professor Fowle, one of the foremost experts in the field, it explores these artistic movements in the context of the history of collecting.
Colourful and vibrant illustrations help tell the fascinating stories of how key paintings and drawings found their way into Scotland’s national collection.
Artists covered include Monet, Millet, Gauguin, Bastien-Lepage, Charles Jacque, Troyon, Corot, Degas, Seurat, Van Gogh, Cézanne, Vuillard, Bonnard, Derain, Matisse, Legros and Rodin.
Three thousand art packs for refugees and asylum seekers have been made by the National Galleries of Scotland (NGS) thanks to support from players of People’s Postcode Lottery. Intended as a warm welcome to people arriving in Scotland who have fled conflict or persecution, they are being gifted in partnership with several charities and local authorities.
A large group of Ukrainian children and young people recently picked up their packs at an art workshop at the Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art.
Organised by NGS and Dnipro Kids, a charity which supports orphanage children from Ukraine, activities across the day included an introduction to painting with their new watercolour sets, clay sculpture making and exploring the gallery spaces.
Thousands of the packs have been shared among other charities, including Aberlour Scottish Guardianship Service, Scottish Refugee Council, SCOREscotland, Cyrenians and The Welcoming. Local authorities across the country have also assisted in distributing the art materials to refugees and asylum seekers in their areas.
The packs contain 10 high-quality postcards showing artworks from the national collection, specially chosen for the children and young people receiving the packs. The images were selected with the intention of providing hope, to spark their curiosity and to introduce them to Scottish culture.
For instance, Una and the Lion (c. 1860) by William Bell Scott draws on the story of a brave young girl undertaking a frightening journey on her own. The packs also contain a sketchbook, pencil, colouring pens, a watercolour set and paint brush.
Sir John Leighton, Director-General of the National Galleries of Scotland, said: “It is a privilege for the National Galleries of Scotland to play a small part in extending a warm welcome to the people who will receive the art packs, and we very much hope they enjoy getting creative with them.
“We are also grateful to the charity and local authority partners who are helping us with distribution. We would welcome hearing from other such organisations should they be interested in requesting art packs for their beneficiaries.”
Steven Carr, Chair of Dnipro Kids said: “We’re very grateful to the National Galleries for their help. This art packs and visit have been wonderfully stimulating for the kids, who have enjoyed themselves immensely.
“The welcome and kindness from the people of Scotland continues to amaze us all, and this is another example of how people have opened their hearts to our group.”
Laura Chow, Head of Charities at People’s Postcode Lottery said; “We are pleased that players of People Postcode Lottery support the National Galleries of Scotland in extending a warm welcome to children and young people forced to flee from danger in their home countries.
“We hope the art packs offer all recipients the opportunity to spend some time getting creative as they settle in here in Scotland.”
A public consultation has started on ambitious plans by the National Galleries of Scotland (NGS) to construct a vitally important new building in Granton, North Edinburgh. Titled The Art Works, the facility will house Scotland’s extraordinary national art collection and provide a significant, long-term contribution to benefit and enhance the local community for years to come.
Located at the heart of one of Scotland’s most diverse yet socioeconomically deprived areas, The Art Works has a unique dual purpose at its core: firstly, as a base for more than 100,000 works of art to be cared for, conserved and researched; and secondly as a key focal point for community investment, pride and growth.
The building will by fully accessible and open to all, offering world-class visitor facilities, rooms for education and community programmes, and new outdoor public spaces – all designed to meet the needs of and help realise the huge potential of the local community.
Previously known as the National Collection Facility, proposals for a building of this kind have been in the early stages of concept development since 2015. Now known as The Art Works, the project aims to bring Scotland’s vast and extraordinary national art collection into a single future-proofed location.
At present the collection is stored across several sites where access and space are extremely limited, logistics are difficult, and conditions are suboptimal for enabling the full potential for public access, conservation and research to be realised; and also for allowing works to be made available for display and loan.
The Art Works will be instrumental in addressing each of these issues, enabling much greater access to and engagement with Scotland’s artistic treasures. The scope for touring the collection around Scotland and internationally will be greatly increased, meaning more people than ever before will be able to connect and engage with Scotland’s incredible artistic legacy.
Sir John Leighton, Director-General of the National Galleries of Scotland said: “This is an incredibly exciting moment for both the National Galleries of Scotland and the communities of North Edinburgh.
“The Art Works has the potential to be truly transformative, not only in how Scotland’s national collection of art is cared for and shared more widely, but also by providing much needed new facilities to unleash the creative confidence and spirit of the local area.
“I would encourage everyone to get involved in the consultation and together help design a major new building in Granton that will work for and provide inspiration to all.”
As part of the Granton Waterfront project, which is adopting ambitious plans on low-carbon travel modes and energy-efficient new housing, The Art Works will play an important role in Scotland’s green recovery as the country’s largest building designed to the Passivhaus standard, which goes beyond the requirements for meeting Scotland’s 2030 carbon reduction targets.
The Art Works will be located on a site west of Madelvic House on Granton Park Avenue. The project is at the pre-planning application consultation stage which enables members of the public to share their views on the proposals.
These will be considered before NGS proceeds to submit a full planning application.
People can find out more about the proposals at an event on Monday 6 June 2022 from 3pm-7pm at Edinburgh College (Granton Campus).
In addition, an online question and answer session with the project team is planned for Tuesday 7 June 2022 between 5pm-7pm.
