FLASH PORTRAITS
The Royal Museum In Chambers Street is not entirely closed. Round the back, an exhibition ol photographs by the Scot, Harry Benson, has kept the doors open.
A photo-journalist at considerable repute, particularly in the USA where his work regularly appears in Llle and Vanity Fair, Benson has captured the portraits oi the lamous, the elusive and the helpless. Greta Garbo happened to be swimming by him in Antigua one day and he snapped. ‘I wasn’t going to let the chance go by. i couldn’t.’ It's uncomiortable looking at such a private person. But the journalist’s instinct is to record and take the consequences later. Somehow his picture ol her is apologetic.
ills repertoire is wide. He took the last portrait oi Princess Grace, a picture oi Bobby Fisher the World Chess Champion being kissed by a horse and the open collln ol Micky Devine, the last ol the IRA Hunger Strikers to die. Though candid, there is no lack ol sympathy with the more uniortunate at his subjects. One oi the most moving pictures is at a young boy,
will demonstrate that ‘the first 10 years of photography were not years ofinnocence and fumbling incompetence‘ says Sara Stevenson curator of photography at the Portrait Gallery. ‘Some ofthe most astonishing and beautiful photographs ever taken belong to these early years.’ All photography buffs take note! Tassie Collection Until Tue 30 Sept. James Tassie (1735—1799) modelled portraits of many of the major figures of the Scottish Enlightenment including Robert Adam, Joseph Black and Adam Smith. Born and trained in Glasgow, Tassie cast these famous faces in his own distinctive porcelain-style paste, which he also used to make reproduction gems and cameos. So highly regarded was he during his time, that Catherine the Great ordered a complete set of 12,000 of his gems to be delivered to Russia. More on the Enlightenment can be seen across the road in the ‘Hotbed of Genius’ exhibition at the Royal Museum. 0 PRINCES STREET GARDENS Fringe Venue 132. South Alrica lnlormation Bus Until Fri 22 Aug. An independent group has set up this exhibition of material relating to apartheid. B-iowthe Balloon! Until Sat 23 Aug. In West Princes Street Gardens’ Tent. Over 50 exhibiting designers and craftworkers, bringing you the best in Scottish contemporary design. 0 PRINTMAKERS' WORKSHOP GALLERY 23 Union Street, 557 2479. Mon—Sat 10am—6pm. John Bellany— Etchings and Monoprlnts 1966-1986 Until 6 Sept. Ian Botham‘s portrait plus monoprints made at the workshop this year. See Gallery of Modern Art, Assembly Rooms and Traverse for other Bellany exhibitions.
who, alter missing the chance to go to Norway on a school trip, discovers that all his lrlends have died in a plane crash on the journey over. Benson linds him the next day at a riverside. His parents have told him to go lishing to target, but his quiet contusion stares out. (Alice Bain)
Special Courses Screen Printing and Lithography Basic Course 23 and 24 Aug and 27 and 28 Sept. Advanced course 25, 26 Oct. Etching Course 20. 21 Sept. Advanced Course 4 and 5 Oct. All courses last the whole weekend and cost £25 (£20 members. OAP. UB40 and Student). Life drawing class begins 4 Sept and runs to 11 Dec. Classes every Thurs 7—9pm. £10 for fifteen classes in advance or £2 each. Bring your own drawing board.
0 QUEEN'S HALL Clerk Street, 668 3456.
Mel Calman Cartoons Until Sat 30 Aug.
Display at early musical scores and 20th century Scottish music throughout Festival.
0 REID CONCERT HALL Bristo Square. The Historic Clarinet Until Sat 30 Aug. Edinburgh International Festival.
0 RIAS GALLERY 15 Rutland Square, 2297205. Fringe Venue 155. Mon-Fri 9.30am—5pm.
William Playlair—Architectlo the Modern Athens Until Fri 29 Aug. Recently discovered drawings by 19th century architect William Henry Playfair. ‘More than any other architect he has made Edinburgh as it is today. His large corpus ofdrawings including the Royal Scottish Academy. National Gallery and Old College all bear witness to his capacity to work in a myriad of styles in a way that is both personal and peculiarly suited to Edinburgh.
0 ROYAL BOTANIC GARDEN Inverleith House. Mon—Sat 10am-5pm, Sun
11am—5pm. The beautiful Georgian ,
house, once home of the Gallery of Modern Art re-opens this summer with three exhibitions. all related to gardening and botany. Until Fri 31 Oct. See panel.
Gardens in Focus Photographs by Heather Angel.
ART & EXHIBITIQNS LIST .
The Ascreavie Watercolours By Margaret Stones.
John llope1725—1786 The Enlightenment ofScottish Botany. 0 ROYAL FINE ART COMMISSION 9 Atholl Crescent. 229 1109. Fringe Venue 124. Daily 10am—4pm.
Exhibition at Architecture Until Sun 31
Aug. What do you think ofsome of the latest developments in Scotland? What price must the architect pay in the clutches ofeommerce'? The Commission illustrate their views. See ifthey match your own.
0 ROYAL MUSEUM OF SCOTLAND Chambers Street. 225 7534. Mon—Sat 10am—5pm. Sun 2—5pm. Due to re-roofing work in the main hall. the museum will be temporarily closed to the public until Mon 6 Oct.. apart from the tearoom. information desk. lecture theatre and an exhibition ofphoto—journalism entitled Enterprising Shots (Until 20 Sept). Access is from the Lothian Street entrance at the rear ofthe building. See panel.
The Enterprising Scot Until 5 Oct. The museum's special summer exhibition is mounted in the Royal Scottish Academy on Princes Street. See below.
0 ROYAL MUSEUM OF SCOTLAND
' Queen Street, 556 8921. Mon—Sat
10am-5pm. Sun 2—5pm.
Hotbed ol Genius Until Sat 20 Sept. The Scottish Enlightenment is celebrated in a two-part exhibition at
-- ,1.
a i. .
York Buildings. Downstairs, j ultra-violet and infra-red add innovation to a series of tableaux and models which fall short of capturing the atmosphere and excitement of
the period. Better to visit the New Town and environs of the High
Street itself. Upstairs. a fairly academic survey sub-divides the Elightenment into subject sections. Portraits. caricatures and the tools of i the intelectual trades of the time. add life to the labels. O ROYAL SCOTTISH ACADEMY The Mound. 225 6671.
The Enterprising Scot Until Sun 5 Oct. £1.50 (£1). Edinburgh International Festival. The collection (or at least a proportion ofit) from the Royal Museum ofScotland. Chambers Street. moves down to the centre of town for the summer season. This exhibition looks at the reasons
behind the success of Scottish enterprise abroad and at home.
Charles Rennie Mackintosh Until 30 Aug. Watercolours.
0 SALTIRE GALLERY 13 Atholl Crescent. 228 6621. Fringe Venue
145. Mon—Sat 10am—5pm.
Capriccio Scozzese and Lorenzo Gailantini Until 30 Aug. Scottish
scenes by a northern Italian artist
who knows the country and its
people intimately. (iallantini will be sketching in the gallery.
0 THE SCOTTISH ARTISTS SHOP 6 Howard Street. 556 6337. Fringe
1 THE PINK :
Fionna Carlisle, whose bold, tigurative uncompromisinglv 2" the Viewer- There
paintings are on show at the 369 Gallery until 30 August, was surprised when a visitor described her work as being lull oi bright, Mediterranean colour. For her, the lite she leads in Crete has lent something other than the mere dazzle ol loreign shores and a happier climate. in the paintings, the continental night-lite which inspired them (she does sketches on paper napkins in night-clubs) recedes into a brilliant and conlused background leaving the ligures stark and statuesque, staring out
(Shari Evans)
i__,
is a hint in their mannered laces ol the Greek winters which the artist linds bitterly cold. Nonetheless, the pinks and blues which dominate every picture give a certain light iashionableness to the exhibition. Fionna Carlisle likes pink and was even wearing it when I met her, but she won't always use itso liberally in her art. She says at these pictures: ‘They've surprised me as much as they’ve surprised other people.’
The List 22 Aug — 43'in 39