Tag: The Scottish Gallery

Art: A lost Eardley returns

As the National Galleries of Scotland opens Joan Eardley | The Nature of Painting at Modern Two, a remarkable rediscovery has brought one of her paintings back into public view more than sixty years after it was last handled by The Scottish Gallery. 

In the summer of last year, The Scottish Gallery received an unexpected call. A manager from a charity shop in the East Midlands had taken in a dark, unassuming painting through a house clearance donation.

On the reverse, a worn and fragmentary label revealed just six words: “Summer, Joan, Exhibited, The Scottish Gallery.” 

Intrigued, Director Tommy Zyw turned to The Scottish Gallery archive. After searching through its historic day books, he uncovered a handwritten entry from May 1961 recording the sale of a painting titled Summer Fields by Joan Eardley. The possibility was compelling.

The painting was retrieved and brought to Edinburgh for inspection. From the moment it was unwrapped, its authenticity was clear. The surface, the handling, the authority of the mark all pointed unmistakably to Eardley. Sixty-four years after it had left us, Summer Fields had returned.

Conservation brought the work back to life, revealing an atmospheric landscape painted in the final years of Eardley’s life in Catterline. A corner of a farmer’s field is caught in the golden light of late September, with the foreground alive with textured grasses and seed heads. It is a deeply observed and quietly powerful work, rooted in the landscape that she loved and defined her practice.

The painting was unveiled by The Scottish Gallery at the British Art Fair in September 2025, where it attracted significant attention, and was later exhibited at the gallery on Dundas Street, Edinburgh.

It has recently been acquired by a distinguished collector of Scottish art. Its rediscovery carries impact beyond the art historical. Sold on behalf of the charity from which it emerged, the work achieved the largest single work sale in the charity’s history of £29,500, directly supporting vital medical research in the UK. 

Tommy Zyw, Director of The Scottish Gallery commented: “This story speaks of the enduring power of Joan Eardley’s painting and of the role of careful stewardship, archives, and expertise in bringing such works back into the public arena.

“From Joan Eardley painting this work in Catterline, its sale in 1961, decades enjoyed privately then its arrival on the charity shop’s shelf, to the phone call that started its return to Scotland; we have been proud to support Summer Fields on its continuing journey.”

Since first exhibiting Joan Eardley’s work in 1955, The Scottish Gallery has played a central role in shaping and sustaining her reputation through scholarship, exhibitions, and careful placement in major private and public collections, ensuring each work is presented with context, care, and authority.

The Gallery sells many works on behalf of private clients and families, offering a discreet and considered alternative to auction, allowing works to be placed directly with committed collectors and achieve consistently strong results without the uncertainty of a single sale day.

Running from 2 April to 28 June 2026 at Modern Two, the National Galleries of Scotland exhibition brings together over 30 works by Eardley, alongside paintings from the national collection. 

It places Eardley’s work within a wider artistic context, revealing her engagement with both international and Scottish contemporaries, while reaffirming her status as one of the most powerful painters of the twentieth century.

It is a timely moment to reflect not only on her legacy, but on the extraordinary journeys her paintings can take.

The Scottish Gallery to present ‘From the Forest to the Forge’ by Lachlan Goudie

‘From the Forest to the Forge’ 
by Lachlan Goudie

The Scottish Gallery, Dundas Street

30 October to 22 November 2025

For over 15 years Lachlan Goudie has been drawing and painting in extraordinary industrial locations across the United Kingdom. From shipyards on the River Clyde, to blast furnaces in Wales and high-tech Satellite manufacturing laboratories in Portsmouth, he has found creative inspiration in the unlikeliest of studios.

Over the years these visits to engineering sites, factories, harboursides and mines have enabled him to produce hundreds of drawings, paintings and prints. When viewed together these images constitute an unusual archive; a picture history of modern British industry. A story of national achievement, pride and technological innovation.

Lachlan Goudie said: “I’ve always been fascinated by industry as a painting subject.  Growing up in Glasgow in the 1980s, my father described the days when the River Clyde bustled with ships and shipbuilding. 

“But when I went to see for myself, the River was all but silent.  So I began to draw the archaeology of a dying industrial landscape along the Clyde, desperate to re-capture what I had missed.

“In time I managed to gain access to the BAE shipyards in Govan and Scotstoun, the last two major yards surviving on the Clyde and my first visits coincided with a resurgence of shipbuilding activity. 

“I was the only artist permitted on site to document the construction of Britain’s vast naval flagships, the Queen Elizabeth Class aircraft carriers, and the craftsmen and women involved in that project.”

Lachlan Goudie’s experiences on the Clyde motivated him to seek out other locations that might contribute to a portrait of working Britain.

He added: “Over the course of more than a decade I have made a painting pilgrimage to, amongst other places, the UK’s deepest mine in Yorkshire, one of the world’s largest slate quarries at Dinorwig in Wales, the country’s most important oil refinery and a steel furnace the size of St. Paul’s Cathedral.

“At each extraordinary site I have found myself drawing rarely documented manufacturing processes, intricately assembled products and a workforce who often identify closely with the history and the economic importance of the jobs they do.”

Goudie is not the first painter to find themselves enthralled by both British industry and the countryside.  Over the centuries there have been many celebrated artists who saw no contradiction in taking their inspiration from nature as well as the country’s manufacturing landscape, the factories, forges and awesome engineering sites that built the modern nation.  

Pastoral painters like JMW Turner, Stanley Spencer and Dame Laura Knight produced a range of responses to the story of British industry, from social critique to full blown celebrations of the industrial sublime.

Lachlan Goudie added: “Many of us treasure the idea that we are a pastoral nation, but modern industry and nature are portrayed as being in perennial conflict.  The legacy of heavy industry and the environmental pressure this creates, has placed them at odds with one another.  

“As an artist, however, I find both subjects equally compelling. And through the course of my work I have discovered that natural and industrial landscapes share certain characteristics. 

“Sublime scale and intricacy are unexpected components of both environments.  ‘From the Forest to the Forge’ will include many works inspired by woods, trees, and the wonders of natural engineering.”  

In many cases, Goudie’s work has borne witness to the end of an industrial legacy and the environmental impact this represents. 

His paintings document the last days of steel production at Port Talbot and Redcar, the changing skyline of Glasgow as ‘Titan’ cranes were demolished and replaced, whilst on the northeast coast at Hartlepool, he has charted the dismantling of immense offshore rigs, monumental structures that once defined the North Sea Oil boom. 

On other occasions he has been able to record the resilience of steel rolling at Dalzell (the last surviving component of the immense Ravenscraig steel works) and the advance of innovative new technologies, at the Airbus space and satellite manufacturing labs in Portsmouth and Stevenage.

His creative relationship with British industry helped inform the making of two BBC documentaries; ‘The Colours of the Clyde’ (2014), which explored the work of Stanley Spencer in the shipyards at Port Glasgow during WWII, and ‘Awesome Beauty – The Art of Industrial Britain’ (2017), which investigated the legacy of British artists who, like Goudie, were inspired by industry.

This exhibition will, for the first time, bring together the complete range of works produced during his fifteen-year painting pilgrimage through Industrial Britain. The display will also include drawings and paintings produced in the woods of the Scottish Borders and in Dorset.

The Scottish Gallery to present a landmark double exhibition: ’50 Years of Naboland’ and ‘The Behrens Family’

2 – 25 October 2025 | The Scottish Gallery, Edinburgh

This October, The Scottish Gallery is proud to present a landmark double exhibition: 50 Years of Naboland and The Behrens Family. Together, these parallel shows celebrate one of the most original artistic journeys of our time, while also revealing the extraordinary breadth of creativity across three generations of the Behrens family.

For half a century, Reinhard Behrens has constructed and voyaged through his mythical land of Naboland. With its submarine expeditions, dreamlike seascapes, and imaginative cartographies, Naboland has become both a place and an odyssey. It is an astonishing body of work that defies convention and redefines storytelling through art. 

This immersive exhibition will transform two floors of The Scottish Gallery into Naboland itself, offering audiences the chance to step inside Behrens’ unique universe. The exhibition will also be accompanied by a new publication from The Scottish Gallery which will provide further insights into the mythology, imagery and enduring significance of Behren’s extraordinary creation.

50 Years of Naboland will position Reinhard Behrens rightly as one of the most original and visionary artists of his generation.

Alongside Naboland, The Scottish Gallery is delighted to present The Behrens Family, a showcase of creativity that spans painting, sculpture, music, film, automata and more.

This family exhibition includes works by:

Reinhard Behrens

With its submarines, strange coastlines, and dreamlike cartography, Reinhard’s work invites us to consider travel, place, and the persistence of wonder.

Margaret Behrens Smyth

Margaret Smyth, painter, brings a quiet lyricism to her work. Her paintings, often rooted in nature and memory, offer a meditative counterpoint to the narrative drama of Naboland. Together, Reinhard and Margaret’s artistic lives have formed a deeply generative partnership that has nurtured creativity across generations.

Kirstie Behrens

Kirstie Behrens is an accomplished printmaker specialising in etching and drawing. A graduate of Duncan of Jordanstone, Dundee, her practice is grounded in careful observation and process, with a particular sensitivity to mark-making and material. Her work reflects her mother’s quietude and her father’s precision, offering a contemplative and refined perspective on the world.

David Behrens

David Behrens is a trained musician blending music, sculpture, and movement in his kinetic automata and mobiles. He channels a playful intelligence into his artistic practice, with each mobile or automata animated by a sense of narrative and mechanical poetry. While David’s art shares his father’s sense of invention, his speaks with a distinct voice shaped by sound, rhythm, and cinematic vision.

Together, these four voices offer a kaleidoscopic view of artistic inheritance, innovation and collaboration, demonstrating how creativity can flourish within and across generations.

Christina Jansen, Director of The Scottish Gallery, says: “It is time that Reinhard Behrens is recognised for his astonishing art odyssey.

“50 Years of Naboland is not just a retrospective, it is a journey into imagination itself. Alongside the wider Behrens family, this exhibition affirms their collective brilliance and unique contribution to contemporary art.”

The Scottish Gallery presents Victoria Crowe ‘Decades’, celebrating the artist’s 80th year

For Edinburgh Art Festival 2025, The Scottish Gallery presents Victoria Crowe Decades, celebrating the artist’s 80th year. This exhibition showcases a powerful collection of new works, that reflect over six decades of Crowe’s dedicated artistic journey.

Decades invites viewers into a deeply personal world, where themes of life, nature, and memory intertwine with the landscapes, portraits, and experiences that have shaped the artist’s path.

Victoria Crowe’s first solo exhibition at The Scottish Gallery took place in 1970, and since then, she has worked in partnership with The Gallery for over five decades.

Victoria Crowe said: “As I approach my 80th birthday, I have created a new body of work that looks back to move forward, which I hope offers a nuanced look at my artistic progression and approach over the years.

“By weaving together the strands of memory, place, and emotional depth, I have revisited past explorations whilst still engaging with ongoing concerns.”

Decades will be a powerful reflection of the Victoria Crowe’s life and work which will be held over two floors of The Scottish Gallery and Dovecot Studios will continue the celebration with a thoughtful curation of her collaborative relationship with the world-renowned weaving studio.

“Crowe’s outstanding body of work reflects not only the evolution of her artistic vision but also the deep connection she shares with life, memory, and nature. As The Gallery celebrates her 80th year, Decades serves as a powerful reminder of the enduring relevance of art and stands as a testament to Crowe’s dedication, vision, and ever-evolving creative spirit. It is a privilege to stand alongside her as we share this new chapter.” — Christina Jansen, The Scottish Gallery

NOW | New Horizons

Recent residencies, including time spent in Orkney and at Dumfries House, have further shaped the artist’s work as has the heightened awareness that lockdown brought to our consciousness.

Her recent work has explored the familiar landscape psychologically transformed, a transitional place in the ecologically changing world. Crowe’s exploration of new horizons, both physical and conceptual, culminates in a series of striking new works capturing the liminal quality of twilight and the resonance of time’s passage.

THEN | Decades

  • The Kittleyknowe Years. The journey begins in 1968 with the artist’s first landscape sketchbooks capturing the emotional resonance of life in the Pentlands. For over two decades, the artist lived in the remote landscape of Kittleyknowe, where intimate observations of nature were paired with the intimate portrayal of her neighbour and shepherd, Jenny Armstrong.
  • Portraits. The exploration of psychology and the inner life are essential to her portrait work. Crowe’s work investigates not only the physical likeness of subjects, but their unspoken emotional experiences—highlighting themes of loss, love, melancholy, and memory: what lies beneath the surface.
  • Venice. For 12 years, the artist had a studio in Venice, a city rich with history and fragile beauty. These paintings delve into the artist’s response to grief, finding parallels between the endurance and survival of Venice and the inner sense of continuum.
  • Plant Forms. From botanical studies to symbolic references in art history and herbal medicine, Crowe’s plant studies offer a meditative look at the passage of time and the fragility of life.

Dovecot Studios & The Scottish Gallery | Victoria Crowe

2025 presents a unique opportunity to engage with the breadth of Victoria Crowe’s remarkable career. This summer, The Scottish Gallery is partnering with Dovecot Studios to present Shifting Surfaces, an exhibition that invites audiences to explore the inspiration and collaboration behind Crowe’s textile masterpieces.

The show spans her iconic Large Tree Group (2007) to the recent tufted rugs from the Orcadian Series (2023). Shifting Surfaces delves into the connection between her paintings and woven interpretations, highlighting her exploration of light, landscape, and memory.

This exhibition will be open from 26 July to 11 October 2025.

Jock McFadyen: Lost Boat Party

SCOTLAND’S Dovecot Studios, in partnership with The Scottish Gallery, will mark the artist, Jock McFadyen’s 70th birthday year with an exhibition of recent paintings which describe the romance and grandeur of the Scottish landscape, alongside the urban dystopia for which the artist is known.

The exhibition runs from 11 June – 25 September 2021.

Christina Jansen, director of The Scottish Gallery, said: “McFadyen paints the exterior world with a cool detachment that carries an emotional punch, and Lost Boat Party perfectly describes his approach – floating through the landscape to find and show the strange enigmatic portion only seen when looking for something else.

“The painting, Lost Boat Party, is a monumental work, depicting a seaside funfair which appears to have detached itself from the land and is slowly drifting out to sea. The metaphor for the human condition is unavoidable, and many of the paintings in the exhibition describe the sea with all its implications of threat and indifference, as well as painterly possibility.”

Over 20 large paintings will feature in Lost Boat Party, highlighting McFadyen’s understanding of the sublime landscape tradition.

It is no accident that the artist was taught by a generation of abstract painters whose presence is felt in these paintings, describing the contemporary world; paintings such as Mallaig and Estuary Music are almost minimalist, and all the paintings – save for one which has a tiny figure, difficult to find at only half an inch tall – are void of human presence, instead inviting the viewer to inhabit the haunting and occasionally hostile panoramas of land and sea before them.

Over the last seven months, Dovecot has collaborated with McFadyen to make a new artwork inspired by his paintings.

The Mallaig Commission will be unveiled at the exhibition, along with documentation of the collaboration. In working with Dovecot, McFadyen joins a roster of Royal Academicians, including David Hockney, Graham Sutherland, Barbara Rae and Chris Ofili.

Naomi Robertson, Master Weaver at Dovecot Studios, explained: “Our initial aim was to explore the beauty in the paintings. We have experimented with how to amplify the complex undertones in Jock’s use of paint through the blending of yarn as well as the innate sensuality of the textile surface.

“The way in which the final work absorbs light emphasises a depth of colour that is just not possible with paint.”

The exhibition forms part of the Edinburgh Art Festival 2021 programme and is the second in four UK exhibitions celebrating the artist’s impressive 45-year career.

Lost Boat Party follows Jock McFadyen goes to the Pictures at City Art Centre, Edinburgh and will be followed by exhibitions at the Royal Academy in London in early 2022 and a full retrospective at The Lowry in Manchester.

McFadyen’s career has included solo shows at the Imperial War Museum, Camden Art Centre, The National Gallery, Talbot Rice, and the Pier Arts Centre. In 1991, the artist designed sets and costumes for Sir Kenneth MacMillan’s last ballet The Judas Tree at the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden.

McFadyen’s work is included in over 40 public collections, including the V&A, SNGMA, Government Art Collection and Tate, as well as corporate and private collections in the UK and abroad.

A monograph on the artist was published by Lund Humphries in 2001 and in 2019 a second monograph, written by Rowan Moore, was published by the Royal Academy. McFadyen was elected to the Royal Academy in 2012.

Dovecot Studios: The Lost Boat Party exhibition 11 June 2021 to 25 September 2021