Wilhelmina Barns-Graham: The Glaciers

I have contributed an essay to the major forthcoming book, Wilhelmina Barns-Graham: The Glaciers, which will be published by Lund Humphries on 7 October 2024. Grindelwald Glacier Wilhelmina Barns-Graham (1912-2004) is arguably best known for…

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Ben Sullivan: A Portrait Commission

I have enjoyed being part of the process to commission a portrait by Ben Sullivan of Melvyn Roffe, the outgoing Principal of George Watson’s College, Edinburgh. George Watson’s College Watson’s was established in 1741 and…

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A James McIntosh Patrick Discovery

I was excited to discover a special painting by James McIntosh Patrick (1907-98) recently, in a private Scottish collection. Braemar Castle, Royal Deeside This Spring I was invited to visit the home of a recently…

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Mabel Pryde Nicholson: An Artist of Edinburgh

I shall be giving the talk ‘Mabel Pryde Nicholson: An Artist of Edinburgh’ for Rottingdean Heritage on 10 August 2024. It will accompany the exhibition Prydie: The Life and Art of Mabel Pryde Nicholson at…

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Adam Bruce Thomson and Anne Redpath

I shall be giving my lecture ‘Anne Redpath: Queen of Edinburgh‘ at the City Art Centre, Edinburgh on 16 August 2024. It is part of the talks programme accompanying their exhibition Adam Bruce Thomson: The…

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John Duncan Fergusson at 150

The Scottish Colourist John Duncan Fergusson was born on this day 150 years ago. To mark this anniversary I have written a ‘Curation‘ for Art UK entitled ‘Beyond the Scottish Colourists: John Duncan Fergusson at…

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A Scottish Colourist at 150: John Duncan Fergusson

To mark the 150th anniversary of the birth of the Scottish Colourist John Duncan Fergusson (1874-1961) I have co-curated a touring display of his work and will be delivering a paper about his legacy for…

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Women in the Art World

I am thrilled to have joined the ranks of Carla van de Puttelaar’s Women in the Art World portrait series, after a sitting in Edinburgh’s New Town last Autumn. Carla van de Puttelaar Carla van…

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Anne Redpath and Adam Bruce Thomson

I am looking forward to giving my talk ‘Queen of Edinburgh: Anne Redpath and her Circle‘ at the City Art Centre in Edinburgh on 16 August 2024. It is part of the education programme accompanying…

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A Trio of Winter Talks

I am delighted to be talking about Scottish art in a trio of winter talks this November, twice at the National Galleries of Scotland and once at the New Club, Edinburgh. A Scottish Colourist in…

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F. C. B. Cadell at Shambellie House

I am looking forward to giving a talk about the Scottish Colourist F. C. B. Cadell (1883-1937) at Shambellie House in New Abbey, Dumfries on 6 October 2023. Charles ‘Ted’ Stewart Shambellie House was very…

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Andrea Geile ‘Fertile Ground’

It was my pleasure to mentor the artist Andrea Geile on the creative journey towards her retrospective exhibition, Fertile Ground, at the Gerhard Marcks Haus, Bremen. Andrea Geile Andrea Geile trained as a print-maker and…

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Modern Scots in Perth

I enjoyed helping to select the Modern Scots collection display which is now open at Perth Art Gallery. It covers 100 years of Scottish creativity, including Scottish artists’ engagement with European modernism. Read on to…

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A Season of Scottish Women Artists

A season of Scottish Women Artists is upon us! From Anne Redpath in Traquair, to a major survey exhibition in Edinburgh, to Joan Eardley in Kirkcudbright and Jessie M. King in Glasgow. Anne Redpath: The…

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Anne Redpath at The Granary Gallery

Please join me when I give the opening talk at the ‘Anne Redpath and her Circle‘ exhibition at The Granary Gallery, Berwick-upon-Tweed on 19 May 2023. Anne Redpath (1895-1965) Anne Redpath is widely recognised at…

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A Cadell for the Nation

I was delighted to be asked to write about ‘a Cadell for the nation’, to celebrate the gift of an important painting by the Scottish Colourist F. C. B. Cadell (1883-1937) to the National Galleries…

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A Trio of Talks

Please join me when I host a trio of talks about Modern Scottish Art on-line for the Scottish Society for Art History. Sandy Wood on the artist William Wilson The society was founded in 1984…

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Perth Art Gallery: Spoilt for Choice

I am spoilt for choice in helping to select displays for Culture Perth and Kinross’s refreshed Perth Art Gallery. It is a exciting time in the Scottish city with the new Perth Museum opening in…

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A Scottish Colourist in our Midst: F. C. B. Cadell

I am looking forward to giving the talk ‘A Scottish Colourist in our Midst: F. C. B. Cadell‘ on 13 October 2022, as part of the Moray Feu Bicentenary events programme. The event will be…

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Queen of Edinburgh: Anne Redpath and her Circle

I am delighted to be giving the lecture ‘Queen of Edinburgh: Anne Redpath and her Circle‘ for EDFAS (Edinburgh Decorative and Fine Arts Society) at the Scottish National Gallery on 21 September 2022, sponsored by…

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In Conversation with Lachlan Goudie

I can’t wait to be ‘in conversation’ with Lachlan Goudie about his terrific book, The Story of Scottish Art, at the Bookmark Book Festival on Saturday 8 October 2022, sponsored by Lyon & Turnbull. Lachlan…

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Collecting Scottish Women Artists

It was exciting to announce that Margaret Morris’s portrait of her pupil and assistant Flossie Jolley has been acquired by The Fleming Collection, in an article I have written for the Scottish Women and the…

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At Home with the Scottish Colourists

Join me ‘At Home with the Scottish Colourists‘ at Marchmont House in the Scottish Borders, for a very special weekend sponsored by Lyon & Turnbull this September. Marchmont House Marchmont House near Greenlaw in the…

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30 Years of The Fergusson Gallery

I enjoyed choosing a work for inclusion in the ‘30 Years of The Fergusson Gallery‘ display which runs at the gallery until 31 October 2022. The J. D. Fergusson Art Foundation John Duncan Fergusson (1874-1961)…

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Watch ‘Collecting Joan Eardley’

The recording of my talk ‘Collecting Joan Eardley’ for the Hunterian Art Gallery can now be viewed on their YouTube channel. Celebrating Joan Eardley The talk is about the acquisition of Joan Eardley’s work for…

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The Art Class

Enter the world of the art class, alongside teachers and students, as they work at easels, contemplate still life objects and inspire each other’s creativity. David Macbeth Sutherland David Macbeth Sutherland (1883-1973) was born in…

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Form and Colour: Barbara Hepworth

My paper ‘Form and Colour: Friendship, Patronage and Collaboration between Barbara Hepworth, Leslie Martin and Sadie Speight‘ for the Hepworth Research Network has gone live on their website. Hepworth Research Network The Hepworth Research Network…

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Joan Eardley Talk for the Hunterian

I am looking forward to giving the free on-line talk ‘Collecting Joan Eardley‘ for the Hunterian Art Gallery on 11 March 2022. Joan Eardley Centenary Joan Eardley (1921-63) is one of Britain’s leading twentieth-century artists.…

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Scotland and Japan Conference

I am looking forward to giving the Closing Remarks at the forthcoming Scotland and Japan conference, being held on-line via zoom and in-person at the National Museums Scotland on 10 & 11 February 2022. The…

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Art, Landscape & Space Journal

The latest edition of the Scottish Society for Art History’s journal has just been published and I am delighted to have contributed to it. It is based on the proceedings of the Society’s Art, Landscape…

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She Made It: Women Artist Exhibitions in 2022

Want to know which are the best exhibitions of work by 20th-century British women artists in 2022? Look no further than this ‘She Made It’ article! I have chosen my favourites, which take us from…

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90 for 90: Fountainbridge Library and the Building Centre

I was delighted to be one of 90 industry experts invited to choose a building or public space, built within the past 90 years, to celebrate the opening of the Building Centre in 1931. It…

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The Boswell Collection

I am delighted to have joined the Harry and Margery Boswell Collection committee at the museums of the University of St Andrews. Harry and Margery Boswell The collection was inaugurated by Margery Boswell in 1995,…

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Phoebe Anne Traquair for Homes & Interiors Scotland

I was delighted to be asked to choose my favourite interior for Homes & Interiors Scotland magazine. For the ‘I LOVE THIS’ feature in the current issue I chose the Mansfield Traquair Centre in Edinburgh.…

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Barbara Hepworth and Wilhelmina Barns-Graham

I thoroughly enjoyed writing about Barbara Hepworth and Wilhelmina Barns-Graham’s friendship for the Wilhelmina Barns-Graham Trust. Wilhelmina Barns-Graham’s Diaries The article is based on Wilhelmina Barns-Graham’s diaries of 1940 and 1941 which have recently been…

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A Magician of the Brush: Robin Philipson

I am delighted to be chairing the on-line talk A ‘Magician of the Brush’: Robin Philipson, to be given by Elizabeth Cumming for members of the Scottish Society for Art History, at 6.30pm on Tuesday…

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In Memoriam: Elizabeth Blackadder

The death of Elizabeth Blackadder (1931-2021) earlier this month is a sad and significant loss to the British art world. As a student and teacher Blackadder was a link between generations of leading modern Scottish…

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Scottish Women Artists in Glasgow

I look forward to talking about Scottish women artists when I give my lecture ‘The First Women of the Royal Scottish Academy‘ to members of GAFAS, the Glasgow Antiques and Fine Arts Society, on 15…

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Unexpected Joan Eardley

I’m delighted to see my article ‘Unexpected Eardley’ in the latest issue of The Fleming Collection’s Scottish Art News magazine. It discusses unusual places where you can find paintings by the leading Scottish artist Joan…

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Ben Nicholson and his Artist Relatives

I am delighted to have written the blog ‘A Private Family Portrait: Ben Nicholson and his Artist Relatives‘ for Pallant House Gallery, Chichester. Ben Nicholson: From the Studio Exhibition It was written to accompany Pallant…

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Scottish Women Can Paint Event

Please join me at the Beyond Borders Festival ‘Against All Odds: Scottish Women Can Paint’ event on Saturday 28 August 2021. I shall be part of a panel discussion chaired by award-winning broadcaster Edi Stark,…

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From the Highlands to Hampshire: Collecting Joan Eardley

I am delighted to have edited an Art UK curation, ‘From the Highlands to Hampshire: Collecting Joan Eardley‘ as part of the Joan Eardley Centenary celebrations. Art UK Art UK is an amazing research resource.…

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Researching Women Artists

I am delighted to have become a member of two groups researching women artists. The first is the Hepworth Research Network. This is a partnership between the Hepworth Wakefield, Department of History of Art at…

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Collecting Joan Eardley

As part of the Joan Eardley (1921-63) centenary celebrations, I am delighted to be giving a keynote presentation ‘From the Highlands to Hampshire: The Collecting of Joan Eardley’ at the Joan Eardley New Perspectives on-line…

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A Quartet of Events!

Please join me at a quartet of events in Spring 2021, looking at ‘Inspiring Women Artists‘, ‘Arran in the National Collection‘, ‘Women Artists at the Royal Scottish Academy in the 1920s‘ and ‘Paula Rego: Obedience…

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A Scottish Colourist Staycation

Can’t go away for a Spring break because of you know what? Let’s go on a Scottish Colourist staycation instead! The four painters, F. C. B. Cadell (1883-1937), J. D. Fergusson (1874-1961), G. L. Hunter…

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The Joy of Yellow

Yellow is the colour of Spring and with daffodils at their peak, let’s look at how modern Scottish artists have introduced the joy of yellow into their work. Dorothy Johnstone (1892-1980) In Black and Yellow…

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From Arran to the National Collection

I am delighted that my paper proposal ‘From Arran to the National Collection: Early Twentieth-Century Responses to the Island’s Landscape’ has been selected for inclusion in the Arran Arts Heritage Trail on-line symposium ‘The Isle…

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Happy International Women’s Day!

To celebrate International Women’s Day on 8 March 2021, I have created an Art UK Curation and am giving a talk celebrating the achievements of Modern Scottish Women Artists. A Dozen Modern Scottish Women Painters…

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The Signs of Spring

As the winter of Covid-19 drags on, be cheered by the signs of Spring which are beginning to appear. Four modern Scottish artists draw our attention to the start of this lovely season. The Shoots…

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Zoom Inspiration: Catherine Sargeant

It was great to be a Chair and Speaker at the Scottish Society for Art History’s recent ‘Art, Landscape and Space‘ on-line Study Day. I chaired the second session, ‘The Stimulus of Rural, Urban and…

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‘Inspiring Women Artists at Marchmont’ on-line event

I’m delighted to be Chairing the on-line event ‘A Prelude to Inspiring Women Artists at Marchmont‘ on 24 April 2021. The speakers are Professor Elizabeth Cumming of the University of Edinburgh, Dr Sally Anne Huxtable…

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An (Almost) A to Z of Modern Scottish Women Artists

Please join me when I give the free on-line talk ‘An (Almost) A to Z of Modern Scottish Women Artists for Museums & Galleries Edinburgh to mark International Women’s Day on Monday 8 March 2021.…

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Wilhelmina Barns-Graham in the 1940s

As a former Trustee of the Wilhelmina Barns-Graham Trust I was delighted to contribute to a series of films they are making about each decade of her important, long and prolific career. I was invited…

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David Eustace and 32 York Place

During a lull in this summer’s lockdown, I was lucky enough to observe the photographer David Eustace at work on a new portfolio of portraits. The series is now complete and has been named ‘Thirty…

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A Studio Visit

Hogmanay traditionally involves ‘first footing’, or the arrival of the first guest after midnight on New Year’s Eve. Whilst this hasn’t been possible this year, let’s visit some modern Scottish artists in their studios instead.…

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What a year!

As 2020 draws to a close, let’s take a look at some of its most memorable moments, from home schooling to working from home, via modern Scottish art.

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Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

I wish you a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year through modern British paintings! Christmas will be muted for most of us this year and few will be sorry to see 2020 come to an…

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My Favourite Public Sculpture

I was delighted to be asked by the Public Statues and Sculpture Association to choose my favourite statue or sculpture within the public realm. I chose Phyllis Mary Bone’s camel roundel in the Scottish National War Memorial.

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Norman McBeath’s ‘Perdendosi’ series

What began as a joke about the mispronunciation of our surnames (his is like ‘Macbeth’, mine is not ‘Strange’) turned into admiration for a beautiful body of work created during lockdown. ‘Perdendosi’ is the title…

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Filming at the Wilhelmina Barns-Graham Trust

I’ve just spent an enjoyable morning filming at the Wilhelmina Barns-Graham Trust. They are producing a series of films, one to mark each decade of her long and prolific career. I was given the pick…

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Christmas is Coming!

Now that December has begun, it’s fair to say that Christmas is coming! Celebrations this year will be unlike any other, but modern Scottish artists can help you to enjoy the season nonetheless. A White…

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‘Art, Landscape and Space’ study day

I’m delighted that my paper about the sculpture in the grounds of the Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art has been selected for inclusion in the Scottish Society for Art History‘s ‘Art, Landscape and Space‘…

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Four of the First: Women Pioneers at the Royal Scottish Academy

Joyce W. Cairns (b.1947) was elected the first female President of the Royal Scottish Academy of Art and Architecture on 28 November 2018. To mark the second anniversary of this historic occasion, I look at…

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The First Women of the Royal Scottish Academy

I am delighted that my essay, ‘The First Women of the Royal Scottish Academy’ has been published on the Academy’s website today. It looks at the eight ‘first women’ of the Academy, from Christina Robertson…

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Joyce W. Cairns: First Female RSA President

There’s a great feature in today’s Sunday National newspaper marking the second anniversary of the artist Joyce W. Cairns becoming the first female president of the Royal Scottish Academy of Art and Architecture. My essay…

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Everyday Beauty: The Windowsill

Whilst many of us are spending more time than usual at home, let’s try to find beauty in our everyday surroundings. Modern Scottish artists have been inspired in a variety of ways by that common…

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The Beautiful Tulip

Tulips have provided inspiration to many artists, despite the fact that they continue to grow after being cut. This means that as models they do not ‘sit still’ and need to be observed, sketched and…

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Welcome to Winter!

With leaves falling from the trees, days shortening and temperatures dropping, it’s time to bid welcome to Winter through modern Scottish paintings. Winter Fashion One of the first signs of Winter’s approach is the need…

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Modern Scottish Art in Leicester

I am delighted that my feature for Leicester Museum & Galleries about the modern Scottish art in their collection has gone live on their newly launched website. It discusses works by John Bellany (1942-2013), Duncan…

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Happy Halloween!

Halloween is different this year given COVID-19 restrictions, but fear not, it can still be enjoyed via modern Scottish paintings. Halloween Frolics With door to door guising (trick or treating) considered unsafe by the Scottish…

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Working from Home

With the furlough leave scheme coming to an end, more people than ever are working from home. Let’s take a look at the ‘new normal’ of work away from the open plan office, via paintings…

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Women at Work

Let’s celebrate the working lives of modern Scottish women artists, in images they painted of their professional and personal worlds. Dorothy Carleton Smyth: The Artist In Self-portrait of 1921 by Dorothy Carleton Smyth (1880-1931), the…

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The Digital Future of the Art World Webinar

I am delighted to be a co-organiser and speaker at the Scottish Society for Art History and Creative Informatics webinar ‘Lockdown Legacy: The Digital Future of the Art and Digital Cultural Heritage World.’ It will…

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Beneath the Mask

With most of us now wearing masks on a daily basis, join modern Scottish artists in revelling in the human face. John Duncan Fergusson: Full-frontal Hortensia of 1907 by the Scottish Colourist John Duncan Fergusson…

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Fountainbridge Library: Building of the Month

I am delighted that my feature about Fountainbridge Library (1937-40), Dundee Street, Edinburgh has just been published as October’s Twentieth-Century Society Building of the Month. Doors Open Days 2020 The feature discusses this rare and…

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Harvest Time

As October begins and Autumn matures, we reach harvest time once again. Artists have celebrated this climax of the agricultural calendar in various ways. A Cornfield in Catterline In The Cornfield of c.1960, Joan Eardley…

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The Studio at 32 York Place

Whilst scrolling through the colour and noise of Instagram, a low-toned Mother and Son portrait slowed my finger to a stop. Taken by the photographer David Eustace it showed Elizabeth and Guy Peploe, daughter-in-law and…

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Opening Doors and Climbing Stairs at Fountainbridge Library

Fountainbridge Library, Dundee Street, Edinburgh is a rare example of modern Scottish architecture. Designed by John A. W. Grant (1886/7–1959) it was built between 1937 and 1940. It opened as a state-of-the-art library during the…

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Modern Scottish Women Artists talk now on YouTube

My ten-minute talk ‘From Student to Professional: Modern Scottish Women Artists’ is now available on YouTube. I talk about Wilhelmina Barns-Graham, Pat Douthwaite, Joan Eardley and Anne Redpath, who have all contributed to modern Scottish…

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The Humble Jug

What would artists do without that stalwart still life prop, the humble jug? More informal and utilitarian than a vase and used in a myriad of ways, once you become aware of its self-effacing role…

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Fountainbridge Library and Doors Open Days 2020

My local library, Foutainbridge Library on Dundee Street, Edinburgh, is a rare and important example of modern Scottish architecture. Designed by John A. W. Grant (1886/7-1959), it was built between 1937 and 1940. It opened…

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Autumn is in the Air!

As September proceeds, there is a definite feel of Autumn in the air. Bessie MacNicol (1869-1904) captures the season’s warm sunshine and the turning of leaves from green to copper in Autumn of about 1898.…

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Scottish Art in the 1920s Lecture

I will be giving a free lecture to accompany the exhibition Bright Shadows: Scottish Art in the 1920s at the City Art Centre, Edinburgh. It is called ‘Proposed and Seconded: The Royal Scottish Academy Nomination…

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Happy 40th Birthday City Art Centre!

The City Art Centre, part of Museums & Galleries Edinburgh, opened in 1980. To mark its 40th birthday, I was asked to contribute to an Art UK curation by choosing my favourite painting from their…

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Edinburgh College of Art 2020 Graduate Show

I was delighted to be asked to respond to Edinburgh College of Art’s 2020 Graduate Show. Due to the COVID-19 lockdown, it is taking place on-line this year. The students and their teachers have made…

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Modern Scottish Art Treasures in Greenock

One of my favourite galleries is McLean Museum and Art Gallery, which is part of the Watt Institution in Greenock. They have a splendid collection of Modern Scottish art and during lockdown I had the…

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Four Modern Scottish Artists in the Walker Art Gallery

Did you know that the Walker Art Gallery, part of the National Museums Liverpool, has some super Modern Scottish art? I didn’t until I took at look at their collection on the terrific Art UK…

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Free Modern Scottish Women Artists Zoom Talk

Please join me when I give a free, 10-minute zoom talk at 11am on Saturday 22 August 2020, called ‘From Student to Professional: Modern Scottish Women Artists‘. It accompanies the Modern Masters Women exhibition at…

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Modern Scottish Work in Manchester Art Gallery

Manchester Art Gallery suggested that I write about modern Scottish art in their collection on the subject of ‘work’. I accepted the challenge! We decided on the following themes: How does work relate to time?…

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Scottish Art in Newcastle

I’m half-Geordie, so I particularly enjoyed writing about modern Scottish art in the collection of the Laing Art Gallery in Newcastle. I wrote about paintings by the Glasgow Boy E. A. Hornel, Glasgow School of…

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Wilhelmina Barns-Graham at Pallant House Gallery

Travel with Wilhelmina Barns-Graham to St Ives, Yorkshire and Switzerland via works in the collection of Pallant House Gallery, Chichester.

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The Great Escape

Escape the four walls of your lockdown home and go on holiday with four modern Scottish artists, to Italy, Spain and France, via paintings in UK public collections.

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School’s Out for Summer!

Celebrate the end of the school year and the start of the summer holiday via paintings in UK public collections by James Cowie, Norman Clark, Joan Eardley and Henry Stringer in this curatorial blog.

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Modern Scottish Art Festival

With the Edinburgh International Festival, Edinburgh Art Festival, Edinburgh International Book Festival and Edinburgh Festival Fringe all taking place on-line this year, Scotland’s capital city is unusually quiet this month. I thought I would try…

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A Summer of Art

It’s been a busy and exciting Summer of Art championing Scottish Women Artists this year, from talking about Wilhelmina Barns-Graham on BBC Radio Four’s Front Row to recording an interview about Alison Watt. Read on…

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