Category Archives: Art and Art Galleries

Scottish Government back the Burrell

The Scottish Government has awarded £5m towards refurbishment of the Burrell Collection to help with their plans.

The ‘internationally significant’ museum has received support from the Scottish Government ahead of a major modernisation programme.

The Burrell Collection closed in October 2016 for a £66 million refurbishment of the A-listed building. The project – the Burrell Renaissance – is essential to ensuring the site can continue to house the 9,000-piece collection, enabling expanded display space while improving facilities and the visitor experience.

Announcing £5 million Scottish Government funding towards the cost of the project, Culture Secretary Fiona Hyslop said: “The Burrell Collection is a world-class and internationally significant museum, with many rare and wonderful items. Not only that, but the building in Pollok Country Park is also a much-loved architectural gem.

“Currently only 20% of the collection is on public display at any one time and these substantial refurbishments will enable a much more significant part of the collection to be exhibited.

“I am pleased we can contribute £5 million towards ensuring that the building becomes a fitting 21stcentury home for the Burrell and I look forward to the museum reopening in 2020.”

Councillor David McDonald, Chair of Glasgow Life and Depute Leader of Glasgow City Council, said: “This is fantastic news and we are very grateful to the Scottish Government for what is a ringing endorsement of our ambitious plans for the refurbishment and redisplay of the Burrell Collection. Sir William’s great legacy has been described as the greatest gift a city has ever received and we have a duty to protect and promote the collection in the years ahead.

“Our plans will provide a world-class home for the 9,000 treasures, massively increasing access and enjoyment of the collection for generations to come.”

Eardley painting of Glasgow children to be sold at auction

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SHUGGIE AND JAMESIE TWO OF JOAN EARDLEY’S FAMOUS GLASGOW CHILDREN AT BONHAMS WINTER ART SALE IN EDINBURGH

A charming painting of two Glasgow street children by Joan Eardley is to be offered at Bonhams Scottish Art sale in Edinburgh next week on 4 December 2014. It is estimated at £25,000-35,000.

Shuggie and Jamesie, which has been in the same private hands since 1964, is one of the celebrated series of images of children that Eardley produced in her studio on St James’s Road Townhead in Glasgow during the 1950s. It is on these distinctive works and the later sea and landscapes of the area round Catterline in Aberdeenshire that her reputation as one of Scotland’s finest 20th century artists largely rest.

Joan Eardley was well known in Townhead and children would flock to her studio door looking for sweets in exchange for a few minutes modelling. She worked mostly in pastel, an ideal medium for capturing the image quickly before the children grew bored and started to fidget and run off. Shuggie and Jamesie appears pinned to the top of the easel in Audrey Walter’s photograph of Eardley working in her Townhead studio.

The Townhead of Eardley and her street children is long since gone. The tenement buildings that characterised so much of the area were demolished in the 1960s, the families either re-housed in new tower blocks or moved to estates like Easterhouse on the outskirts of Glasgow.

Bonhams Head of Scottish Art, Chris Brickley, said, “Joan Eardley’s street children became a kind of trademark during the early part of her career. Not only are they highly evocative and accomplished works in their own right they also bear poignant witness to a vanished age.”

Glasgow School of Art in photos

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The Glasgow Reporter was shocked to see the devastation that the fire wreaked on the beautiful Glasgow School of Art (GSA) building, even now some two months after the event. We are sure you will be too if you have not yet had the opportunity of visiting the site. The street outside remains cordoned off and the building closed.

The GSA has set up the Mackintosh Appeal which it explained would help the school be rebuilt:-

The Mackintosh Building suffered a major fire on 23rd May. This appeal is designed to provide philanthropic support to enable the School to recover.

The Mackintosh Building is the heart of the Campus at The Glasgow School of Art, home to many of our fine art students and an integral part of our collective identity. On Friday 23rd May a fire caused significant damage to this iconic building.

It is not yet clear what the financial need shall be, but it is likely to be significant. This appeal will solicit and accept funds from Trusts, Companies and Individuals in the UK and around the world that will be applied at the discretion of the Board of Governors in the most appropriate way in response to this situation. a.horn@gsa.ac.uk

You can donate online through the Big Give.

Peter Capaldi, the latest Doctor Who and an alumnus of the GSA has filmed a video message to staff and students at the GSA just after the fire.

A Message to The Glasgow School of Art from Peter Capaldi from The Glasgow School of Art on Vimeo.

 

Masterpiece Month comes to Glasgow

MASTERPIECE MONTH MOVES NORTH: BONHAMS SPECIALISTS SEARCH FOR PICTURES WITH POTENTIAL IN SCOTLAND
Bonhams specialists hold valuation days in Edinburgh and Glasgow in hope of discovering interesting and valuable pictures
Local specialists from international fine art auction house Bonhams will be on hand in Edinburgh on Thursday 6th March and Glasgow on Thursday 13th March to offer expert advice and complementary valuation services. With expertise in Old Masters, 19th Century and Modern paintings and prints, the specialists look forward to discovering what kind of appealing pictures they might find.
Masterpiece Month is a series of picture valuation days that will be held throughout Bonhams regional network. Bonhams specialists will be available at the above locations, on the aforementioned dates, to offer free and confidential auction valuations; where appropriate, home visits can also be arranged.
Bonhams have held a number of valuation days in Scotland over the years, and the results speak for themselves: A painting by Sir Alfred Munnings, ‘The Fair’, found at a valuation day in Scotland, sold at our 19th Century European, Victorian & British Impressionist Art sale on January 22nd for £182,500; Pierre-Auguste Renoir’s ‘Les oliviers de Cagnes’, also sourced in Scotland, is estimated to sell for £250,000-350,000 at our Impressionist sale in June.
Bonhams is one of the leading auction houses in the world with over 57 specialist departments and a team of world-renowned experts who offer confidential advice on all aspects of buying and selling art at auction. We have had great success in sourcing material in Scotland in the past, and we hope that it will continue as we look forward to offering our services in Edinburgh and Glasgow in March.
For Glasgow: +44 (0)141 223 8866, glasgow@bonhams.com

Adventurous Artist Exhibition in Glasgow

Intrepid artist Phillip Gray is holding an exhibition later the month to raise funds the The Hope Foundation in conjunction with Breeze Art Galleries.

Phillip Gray, whose artwork is coveted by many celebrities, including Dolly Parton and George Bush, will display many of his works in the two-hour exhibition, including a brand new exclusive painting of the Scottish Highlands landscape as requested by Breeze Art Gallery. This piece will encapsulate the country’s wild nature and will be for sale during the exhibition.

Phillip Gray, a self-proclaimed extreme artist, creates landscape pieces which will be on display at the exhibition. His inspiration comes from the most extreme and harshest climates known to man, including 20,000ft up Mt Everest or the North Atlantic seabed. When asked about his art, he claims it is a form of expression designed to push his thoughts to extremes.

He says: “My extreme journeys into the unknown bring new challenges that push the boundaries of my mind body and soul. Voyages of discovery, sometimes dangerous, are a stimulus to drive me forward creatively and explore new worlds of emotional expression.”

Phillip Gray will also be giving a live demonstration of how he works to guests of the event. He builds on a feeling of his surroundings to create his amazing pieces. One of his most recent pieces include a landscape of the volcanic eruption in Iceland back in 2010. This stunted travel plans for many Europeans, but Phillip only saw the excitement and potential in thsi situation.

Philip added: “The contrast between fire and ice inspired me to paint with a wider palette and freed my imagination to create paintings that are both science, yet somewhat surreal too.”

Breeze Galleries are very excited to work with Phillip in order to raise funds for such a great cause. Proceeds will go towards The Hope Foundation, a charity close to the artists heart supporting children in India and the Philippines. The Hope Foundation, based in Kolkata, provides education, healthcare and general support for children without parents.

Bob Corsie, founder of Breeze Galleries, said: “We are very excited to be welcoming Philip Gray back to Glasgow, especially as he will once again be providing us with a live demonstration. Philip’s work is stunning and visitors to the exhibition will no doubt be captivated by the massive, colour filled canvases, which seem to pull those looking at them right into the heart of the landscape he is depicting.”

The exhibition will be on November 18th, between 2-4pm in the Breeze Art Gallery in Frasers, Glasgow. For an invitation to the event call Breeze Galleries on 0800 1300 345 or go to the Breeze Gallery website here.

More information on The Hope Foundation and what the charity does to help orphaned children can be found on their website here.

Cashback for Communities helps young filmmakers

Scotland’s Culture Secretary was in Glasgow yesterday to see how cash confiscated from crooks is supporting young people to develop their creative skills.

Fiona Hyslop, Cabinet Secretary for Culture and External Affairs, visited the Glasgow Media Access Centre (GMAC), where young people from targeted areas of the city are benefiting from Mad About Movies – a programme of free activities designed to boost their knowledge and understanding of filmmaking.

The centre has been awarded £39,205 in Cashback for Communities funding through Creative Scotland.

The funding is supporting GMAC’s Mad About Movies programme which includes regular movie clubs and a filmmaking summer school.  A training programme, also delivered through the project, will give teachers and youth workers the knowledge and skills to set up film projects for young people in their own communities.

Ms Hyslop went to an acting workshop at GMAC today, where Scottish actor Atta Yaqub, star of ‘Ae fond kiss’, was talking to the young people involved in the Mad About Movies project about his own skills and experience.

She said:

“Through Cashback for Communities, the Scottish Government has reinvested more than £46 million recovered through the Proceeds of Crime Act, back into communities to benefit Scotland’s young people.

“In particular, the creative strand of Cashback is helping thousands of young Scots to access life-changing opportunities to boost their skills, improve their employability and reach their full potential through engagement with creativity and the arts.

“Today I was proud to meet some of the young people whose lives are being impacted by this important work.  The Mad About Movies project is an excellent example of how Cashback funding is making a real difference to their enthusiasm, confidence, outlook and skill base.”

Iain Munro, Director of Creative Development at Creative Scotland, said:

“During the Year of Creative Scotland 2012, the creative strand of the CashBack programme will allow over 8,000 young people across the country to create a film, choreograph or perform in a dance production or record their own piece of music.

“Taking part in creative activities can make a real difference to the lives of our children and young people.  It provides an opportunity for young people to shine and express themselves and learn how work as part of a group.  We look forward to the continued success of this life-changing programme for years to come.”

Beth Armstrong from GMAC, said:  “GMAC has a proud 30 year history of championing diversity and equality within the Scottish film industry.  We are delighted to be part of Cashback for Communities  which allows us to offer this amazing  programme of free film activities  for young  people from all over Glasgow.  If you’re 10 – 19 and Mad About Movies then get in touch and get involved”!

Flower Master Class at Blythswood Square

Do you ever look at beautifully styled images in glossy magazine and gasp at the fabulous flowers which celebrities have all around them?  Then why not go along to the Flower Master Class at Blythswood Square, Glasgow, when top florist Nick Priestly of Mood Flowers will demonstrate the latest trends – while enjoying a glass of prosecco and a sumptuous afternoon tea!

Nick has designed pieces specifically for ‘A’ list celebrities visiting Glasgow including Keira Knightley, Kylie Minogue and Cyndi Lauper and it was his flowers which greeted P Diddy when he stayed in the Penthouse at Blythswood Square.  He said: ‘Every client is different whether celebrity or not and I love the challenge of creating something which blends their personality perfectly with the backdrop for the arrangements.

‘For P Diddy I created beautiful vase arrangements of trailing crisp white phalenopsis orchids and tropical foliages which looked gorgeous in the Penthouse while for Rihanna’s hotel suite and dressing room at the SECC it was lots of mini vase arrangements using ivory Avalanche roses and nude coloured Vendela Roses.’

The Flower Master Class being held on Sunday 26th February is the next in a series at Blythswood Square.  Nick added: ‘Guests joining me for this session will see me create current trends in floristry along side signature pieces. They will then have the opportunity to put together their own mini masterpiece which they can take home together with some ideas to help them create the boutique hotel look in their own home.’

The Flower Master Class costs £60 per person (maximum 20) and includes a glass of prosecco and afternoon tea.  Also includes a beautiful arrangement of seasonal flowers created personally by each attendee.  For further details on this event, the Master Class on 10 June or to book, visit www.blythswoodsquare.com or call 0141-248 8888

Getting out of Glasgow – The Edinburgh School exhibition in Crinan

'Overlooking Plockton' by Adam Bruce Thomson OBE, RSA

If you are lucky enough to be travelling on Scotland’s west coast during October then point your car, carriage or sailing boat in the direction of the Crinan Hotel. At the end of Crinan’s famous canal you will find an inspired collection of drawings and paintings by a group of 20th century Scottish artists collectively known as The Edinburgh School.

As friends and colleagues they all studied at Edinburgh College of Art in the years before and just after the second world war. They went on to become some of Scotland’s  most acclaimed artists. Amongst them were Sir William MacTaggart, John Maxwell, Sir William Gillies, Denis Peploe, Anne Redpath, John Houston and Adam Bruce Thomson. The Edinburgh School is known for its virtuoso displays in the use of paint using vivid and often non-naturalistic colours. Their subjects range across still-life, seascape and landscape

A collection of around thirty paintings and drawing by these artists is on display during October at the Crinan Hotel. While many of the artists found inspiration from their travels in France and Italy, a number also found their subject matter nearer home. Houston’s dramatic East Lothian sunsets contrast vividly with Redpath’s townscape of Menton in France. Add watercolours by Blackadder and McTaggart and you have every reason to make your way to Crinan’s Gallery with Rooms. A very decent seafood bar and good autumnal rates for accommodation also make the journey well worthwhile.

The ‘Edinburgh School’ Exhibition runs until to 24th October 2011

The Crinan Hotel, Crinan by Lochgilphead, Argyll PA31 8SR, Tel: 01546 830 261

By All Means Necessary – Glasgow School of Art

An innovative student exhibition sparks the interest of ‘arty types.’

Friday 22 April saw Glasgow’s art lovers flock to the top floor studio at uber-cool hangout, The Art School, to witness a special exhibition of recent work by artists Jackson Marlette and Robin Leishman.

The two students in their final year at Glasgow School of Art put together the unique event, calling it By All Means Necessary, in a matter of weeks, and greeted the many guests with a cold beer and a polite eagerness to discuss the concept for the exhibition:-

“The idea was to show that massively differing personal inspirations can sit side by side in a harmonious habitat through linking imagery,” said Robin.

“We wanted to show that art doesn’t need to be consciously curated together to work collaboratively in this sort of space. There just needs to be an overlap in passion to allow the work to make sense together, and in our case what links our work is the psychology, imagery and military motifs.”

Indeed, walking into the exhibition space, sparse but for the adorned walls, visitors were confronted with two very different fine art styles.

Jackson Marlette’s work used primarily paint and spray paint on canvas (materials that are sometimes considered ‘primitive’ in a contemporary sense), and focused on memory and paranoia.

The most striking aspect of his work was the imagery of guerrilla militia and live arms, set against a background of vivid primary colours and erratic brush strokes to create a contrast between the unsettling and the childish. Needless to say, the result was disturbing,  yet captivating.

Like Jackson, Robin’s work also focused on childhood and memory, however the materials used in his case included photography, and pine and steel etchings.

A favourite among visitors was a mural of photographs showing toy soldiers carrying a wounded comrade away on a stretcher. The photos had been stitched together with thread to create one large, touching scene.

Robin said: “I wanted to explore the relationship that we all form with inanimate objects in order to stimulate an organic memory of the past.”

“It’s privately a shrine to the memory of my father. By using the military toys that he once played with as a child, I was hoping to create a bridge to a man that I never knew by developing a relationship with his possessions, and using their motifs to engage in a visual dialogue.”

If the effect of By All Means Necessary was to show that different styles of art can exist in the same space harmoniously, linked only by one single inspiration, then the brief was undoubtedly met.

Guests at the exhibition marvelled at the unique notion of a joint showcase, and Leishman and Garrett have certainly caught the attention of Glasgow’s art luvvies, which will surely stand both artists in great stead for the future.

You can next see Robin Leishman and Jackson Marlette’s work displayed at the Glasgow School of Art’s Fine Art degree show from June 11- 18.


Photography exhibition launched at Cookie

Rapidly earning a reputation for itself as a unique space within which to exhibit an eclectic range of art works, on 1 December at 5.30pm Cookie, the award-winning bistro in Glasgow’s southside, will launch ‘Creative People’, a month-long photography exhibition by portrait photographer Paul Harkin.

The exhibition comprises a series of 20 images of writers, musicians, actors and philosophers, with subjects including authors Jason Donald, Ewan Morrison, Elizabeth Reader and Beatrice Colin as well as musicians Zoey van Goey and members of Glasgow-based choir the Parsonage.

Cookie co-founder Domenico Del Priore said: “Having hosted a series of fine art shows over recent months, ‘Creative People’ represents Cookie’s first foray into photography. The majority of Paul’s images are studio based or use artificial lighting, which structures the mood. They draw on the traditions of the painter rather than the photographer, where the artist creates a likeness in collaboration with his sitter.

“In this sense they negate photography’s advantage of capturing a fleeting moment. The removal of this only goes to reinforce photography’s dilemma of seemingly representing reality, though never quite being capable of it.

“Each sitter is presented literally under a spotlight. In doing so these photographs beg the questions: do they say something more about the sitter or the photographer? Is this technique a more accurate likeness of the person? What can you understand of the nature of the person in the photograph? These questions in themselves make Paul’s work an interesting show to be seen over Christmas at Cookie.”

Paul Harkin is a Glasgow-based photographer whose images have been used in magazines and on book jackets. ‘Creative People’ was immediately preceded at Cookie by ‘International Satellite’, an exhibition pulling together artists from all over the world from the ‘Low Brow’ genre, curated by Recoat Gallery.

Recently named Glasgow Newcomer of the Year 2010 for breaking the mould of local eating and drinking, Cookie is based at 72 Nithsdale Road, Pollokshields, Glasgow. For further information about Cookie and future events log on to www.cookiescotland.com or check it out on Facebook.