Scottish Colourists works come home to Scotland
Published: 6 September 2011
Colour, Rhythm and Form: J. D. Fergusson and France
Colour, Rhythm and Form: J. D. Fergusson and France
Hunterian Art Gallery
10 September 2011 - 8 January 2012
Admission £5 (£3 concession)
From 10 September, visitors to the University of Glasgow’s Hunterian Art Gallery will have the chance to see three important Scottish Colourist paintings, from the collection of the Centre Pompidou in Paris.
The paintings are the highlight of ‘Colour, Rhythm and Form: J. D. Fergusson and France’, a new exhibition which marks the 50th anniversary of the death of Scottish artist J. D. Fergusson (1874 –1961). Fergusson is one of Scotland’s most important 20th century artists and a key member of the internationally renowned group known as the Scottish Colourists.
The three works, ‘La Déssee de la Rivière’ by J. D. Fergusson, ‘La Forêt’ by S.J. Peploe and ‘Lac Lomond’ by G.L. Hunter, are on loan to The Hunterian from the French Government and will be on display together in the UK for the first time.
Although the term ‘Scottish Colourist’ was not used until much later, Fergusson, Peploe and Hunter exhibited together in Paris as Les Peintres de l’Écosse Moderne (Modern Scottish Painters) in 1924 and Les Peintres Ecossais (The Scottish Painters) in 1931. On the opening day of the 1931 exhibition, the French Government bought ‘La Déssee de la Rivière’ by Fergusson, ‘La Forêt’ by Peploe and ‘Lac Lomond’ by Hunter for the French National Art Collection - a great accolade for the artists and for Scottish art.
Fergusson’s work epitomised a new spirit in Scottish painting which was closely linked to developments abroad. His lifelong engagement with France began with trips to Paris in the 1890s and from then France was of vital importance to him as inspiration, studio and home. ‘Colour, Rhythm and Form’ highlights this enormous influence and demonstrates how it inspired him to produce his most substantial work.
The exhibition is organised into four main sections covering Fergusson’s time in Paris, in the South of France, the breakthrough Colourist exhibitions in Paris and finally his return to Glasgow. It consists of around 50 paintings, watercolours, drawings and sculptures alongside a range of archive material.
The Hunterian’s significant Fergusson collection is at the heart of the show with ‘Les Eus’ and ‘Anne Estelle Rice, Closerie des Lilas’ amongst the key works, as well as two significant recent acquisitions, the bronze head ‘Eastre’ and the oil painting ‘In the Woods, Cap d'Antibes’. Loans from across Scotland also feature, including Stirling University Art Collection’s seminal ‘Rhythm’ and a number of important works from the Fergusson Gallery in Perth, including ‘Le Manteau Chinois’ and ‘Self Portrait’.
‘Colour, Rhythm and Form’ is accompanied by a range of special events including a series of 10 minute lunchtime talks, an evening lecture titled ‘J.D. Fergusson in Context’, Saturday art classes for children inspired by the exhibition, and a one-day symposium organised by the University’s Department for Adult and Continuing Education (DACE) examining Fergusson's contribution to art in Britain and France.
Hunterian Art Gallery
University of Glasgow
82 Hillhead Street
Glasgow G12 8QQ
Our opening hours are changing. From 10 September The Hunterian will open Tuesday - Saturday 10.00am - 5.00pm and Sunday 11.00am - 4.00pm.
For further information contact:
Sarah Skinner, Curator
Email: Sarah.Skinner@glasgow.ac.uk
Telephone: 0141 330 4760
For images contact:
Harriet Gaston, Communications Manager
Email: Harriet.Gaston@glasgow.ac.uk
Telephone: 0141 330 3310
Notes to Editors
The Hunterian
Founded in 1807, The Hunterian is Scotland’s oldest public museum. Built on William Hunter’s founding bequest, the collections include scientific instruments used by James Watt and Joseph Lister; outstanding Roman artefacts from the Antonine Wall; major natural sciences holdings; one of the world’s greatest numismatic collections and impressive ethnographic objects from the Pacific Ocean.
The Hunterian is also home to a major art collection ranging from Rembrandt and Chardin to the Scottish Colourists and contemporary art; the world’s largest permanent display of the work of James McNeill Whistler; the largest single holding of the work of Charles Rennie Mackintosh and The Mackintosh House, the reassembled interiors from his Glasgow home.
There are four Hunterian venues on the University of Glasgow campus - the Hunterian Museum, Hunterian Art Gallery, home to The Mackintosh House, the Zoology Museum and the Anatomy Museum.
The Hunterian Re-launch - September 2011
After almost two years of closure, September sees the re-opening of the Hunterian Museum. The Museum will re-open to the public on 16 September with a new permanent gallery devoted to the Roman frontier in Scotland.
From 10 September, The Hunterian will also introduce a number of new initiatives including Sunday opening, a new look website, gallery tours, a Friends scheme and a new bi-annual exhibition programme which begins with ‘Colour, Rhythm and Form: J. D. Fergusson and France’.
First published: 6 September 2011