ART & EXHIBITIONS LIST
pigment lustre.
I PORTRAIT GALLERY Queen Street. 556 8921. Mon-Sat 10am-5pm; Sun 2—5pm. Scottish Photography 1938—1988 Until 26 April. In January the Portrait Gallery opened their first permanent space devoted to photography. A fine group from photographers working in and from Scotland during the last 50 years have been selected from their collection for the inaugural display. The national collection which is housed at the Portrait Gallery. continues to grow. the most recent gift coming from the Edinburgh Photographic Society.
I PRINTMAKERS WORKSHOP GALLERY 23 Union Street. 557 2479. Mon—Sat 10am—5.30pm.
Peter Standen Until 26 Mar. Standcn has covered miles by cycle in Egypt. Morocco. France. Spain and Greece looking for clues. This exhibition. which takes stock of his work over almost four decades. illustrates his fascination for destruction and renewal of civilisation. He shows an Edinburgh ruined and being taken over by vegetation but still supporting people who can be found sunbathing in the gardens.
I OUEEN'S HALL (‘lerk Street Box Office 668 2019. Mon—Sat 10am—5pm. Cafe. Jackie Smith Until 2 April. Strident colour in the figurative paintings and drawings of this young artist.
I RIAS l5 Rutland Square. 229 7205. Mon—Fri 9.30am—5pm.
Richard Rogers in Scotland The Linn Products Building. L'ntil 7 April. Rogers is an uncompromisingly modern architect best known for the Pompidou (‘entre in Paris and more recently the Lloyds Building in London. both ofwhich turn the insides of architecture out. He‘s a man who has no time for barking back or nostalgia.
I RICHARD DEMARCO GALLERY Blackfriars Church. Blackfriars Street (off High Street). 5570707. Daily 10.30am—6pm.
Marlo Merz LInti126 Mar. Mario Merz was taken on a Demarco journey to Argyll where he visited the various stone circles. cup and ring marks and burial cairns near Kilmartin. It was an event which will be included in a Channel 4 documentary on Demarco by Murray Grigor. A videoof Merz in Argle is being shown in the gallery throughout the exhibition. which consists of Photographs of the man by Sean l-Iudson. a drawing and text and a massive table of glass. metal and slate. Unfortunately the hoped for installation did not come off. btit in a way that would have been the cherry. The table and documentation itself should not be missed. Organised in conjunction with the Scottish Sculpture Trust and supported by the Italian Institute.
I ROYAL MUSEUM OF SCOTLAND Chambers Street. 225 7534. Mon-Sat 10am—5pm. Sun 2—5pm. Cafe.
European Art 1200—1800 A rich display in a refurbished gallery. Eighty gold snuff boxes lined up in tiny splendour contrast to the mighty weight ofdark Dutch oak. Imagination is fired with the inclusion of the Meisson Lion. This pettcd. ratherthan fierce majesty was just one of 259othcr animals and birds ordered by Augustus the Strong for his Japanese Palace. Together in shining white porcelain they would have been a right royal sight.
I ROYAL MUSEUM OF SCOTLAND Queen Street.556 8921. Mon-Sat 10am—5pm; Sun 2—5pm.
Scotland‘s antiquities share premises with the Portrait Gallery.
I ROYAL SCOTTISH ACADEMY The Mound. 225 6671. Mon-Sat 10am—6pm. Sun Noon-6pm.
Next exhibition BSA Summer Show 88 begins 23 April and runs to the middle of July.
I SCOTTISH ARTISTS 8 Howard Street. 556 6337. Mon—Sat 10am—4pm. Sun 2—4pm. Claudia Petrettl Until 25 Mar. Drawings
.. Al
The Scottish Gallery, Edinburgh Two Scottish painters share the gallery this month.
Downstairs, Phil Braham follows a bright light. Through forests, mountains, deep cave-like openings, he cracks open his paintings with shimmers of silver and slits of white. Generous with his oils, he builds the paint up to the point of climax as in Blackest Night where a bright white line pierces oily blue. By allowing light into dense, restrictive spaces only in narrow shafts or lines, Graham creates vast distances in an unpopulated landscape.
The actual source of the paintings is left unstated, almost abstract. For some they may have a religious accent, the light in the distance illuminating a godly presence. Equally, they might suggest an alien landing. The beginnings of this series in fact lay in a forest clearing near Edinburgh, the site of the Battle of Pinkie. Whatever interpretation comes to hand, it is clear that Graham is chasing a vision.
The same concerns are written into his small etchings. In these the forest is clearly drawn, often barren with trunks like telegraph poles. More understated than the large canvasses, they do perhaps capture the vision
1 ICE MOREJIWITH' IIIGOR ‘
1- ’ I, ,J' A V/ " t‘ or 41
more securely. The extravagence of the
oils creates more drama with less humility. Ink drawings on Japanese paper made this year, like the etchings, are his most sensitive work.
A row of coloured nudes line the stairs to Peter Howson‘s exhibition. But apartlrom this uncharacteristic diversion, it is the heavy jaw, hooded forehead and broken nose of urban manhood which still predominates. Like Phil Braham. Howson took part in the Vigorous Imagination exhibition during last year’s Festival. Having just completed huge prints at Peacock in Aberdeen, with a show in April at the Printmakers Workshop, Edinburgh. not to mention his activities down south, Howson is certainly vigorously bringing outthe work.
Here small pastels and oils study individual heads. Boxers, dossers, street-wise men look out and up. Survival on the street is a male concern in Howson‘s work. Even the few women who are included are drawn from that perspective. Here, one painting shows Howson shedding the skin of the timeless hero and depicting a dark man with a religious stare. That kind of shift
and change of mood is essential lorthe
development of his work. (Alice Gain)
and paintings of Florence and portraits. I SCOTTISH CRAFT CENTRE 140 (‘anongate. 5568136. Mon—Sat mam—5.30pm.
Permanent display of crafts made by Scottish craftspeople.
I THE SCOTTISH GALLERY 94 George Street. 225 5955. Mon—Fri 9am—5.30pm. Sat 9.30am—1pm.
The Scottish Gallery this month shows two artists who last year both took part in the Vigorous Imagination exhibition at the Gallery of Modern Art.
Phil Graham—Fractured Landscape Until 36 Mar. Phil Braham. who works in the Edinburgh WASPS studios. paints moody landscapes. mostly forests and empty of people.
Peter Howson New Works on Paper. Until 30 Mar. Peter Howson. a Glasgow painter. is best known for his heroic dossers and hard men. Most recently he has been involved in print—making with a
set ofhuge portraits of muscular men made at Peacock Printmakers. a set of linocuts for a book published by Paragon Press and a series of 25 etchings inspired by a hardnian's pub in Glasgow The Saracen I lead printed by Iidinburgh's Printmakers \\ orkshop for the Angela Flowers Gallery. London.
Teapots IIntiI 30Mar.
I SCOTTISH MINING MUSEUM I.ady Victoria ( ‘olliery . Newtongrangc. Midlothian. 663 751‘). Tue - I'iri lll;tiii--4.3l)piii; Sat Sun Noon 5pmz’1‘hur late opening 6.30- 8pm.
The history ot mining in Nlidlothian on a mining site.
I STEP GALLERY I low e Street. 556 1613. This new gallery opens with a mixed exhibition ofthe work of tw elvc artists including a large new silkscreen by Brian Kelly and paintings by Leslie Main. The gallery also displays work by Molly Bullick. a printer who hasturnedto
I STILLS GALLERY 105 Iligli Street. 557
I 140. Tues—Sat Noon-6pm. New Scottish Photography Unit to Mar. .-\ Stills exhibition showing the w ork of tour Scottish photographers. Lorna Bates. Matthew Dalziel. Ken Rey'noldsand Ewen Weatherspoon.
Fotogralia Buffa 26 mar 23 April. Staged photography in the Netherlands Photo-montage. 3-1) staging and surrealistic imagery flavours the colourful work ofthese Dutch artists. Rommert Boonstra. Term 1 locks. l.y dia Scliouten and Ilenk 'l‘as are amongst those included. New Commission Stills are offering tour commissions worth £1000 each for woi k on the theme of women in Scotland. Photographers are asked to submit a written proposal together with examples ofprevious work by 29 April.
I TALBOT RICE ART CENTRE ( )Id ( ‘ollege. L'niy‘ersity of Edinburgh. 66“ 101 1 ext 4308. Mon —Sat. 10am 5pm. Sun 2pmr-5pm.
Tribal Kelims from Iran t not 3 Apt-it. I’Ial woven rugs traditionally used as wallhangings. grainsacks. rugs. tor marraige ceremonies and saddlebags. .-\ selling exhibition mounted by Rufus Reade.
I TDRRANCE GALLERY 29b Dundas St reel.
556 6366. Mon Fri 11am 6pm; Sat 10..‘~0ani-~lpm.
Christopher and Susan Carter l mu 26 Mar Watercolours.
I 369 GALLERY 209 ( iowgale. 335 51115. Mon-Sat Noon 5.30pm.
Simon Fraser I 'tttil 26 Mar. New wot k on mythic themes by this young Scottish artist.
The Last Art Auction 2-1 31:11.".311piii.
VIL‘WIIIIIIIUIIISill 1‘).\1ariioon .‘itillyyillbe
holding their last auction in aid of their building appeal. VI ork included in the auction by I‘ionna (‘arlislcz Ian I luglies. ('aroline NIcNairn. Is'eith .\lelnty re and others.
I I5 I I0“ e Street . 55S 1276. Mon -l-ri 10am 6piii;Sat 10am-4pm; Sunday's by appointment. Ceramics by Susan McKay t 'niil t) April. Though Susan (trained in Edinburgh and Dundee) has shown in many group show s throughout Britain. this will be her first soloexhibition.
IW.A.S.P.S. GALLERY Patriothall. Ilamilton Place (near Ihcalre Workshopl Tue-- Sun 12.30 5.30pm.
Three From Dundee I'nlil Sat 19 Mai Daily 10am 5pm.'l'wostudcnts show witlionc member of staff from Duncan oi .Iordanstonc ( 'ollcge of Art. Dundee DOTOIIIY Black 1 ~16 April. New drawingst an artist who unashamedly paints herself with and without lobster claws.
t l I
I This section lists exhibitions ofspecial
note held outside Glasgow and Edinburgh.
Galleries should contactAIice Bain with
information at least two weeks priorto
pub“cahon. I McLEAN MUSEUM AND ART GALLERY 9 Union Street. (ireeiiock. 0475 23741. With a toppri/eol £1000. artistsaie invited to submit ‘VI'orks on Paper" for selection. This year ( 'ordclia ( )liy er 1 art criticand writer). Arthur \‘y'atsoniai list and directorof Peacock Printmakers l and Jack Knoxtpainter) will select the mu 1.
('ontactthegallerylorturtheidetailsand
entry forms. ('losing date 4 April. Iixhibition held 21 May lislunc
0 SMITH ART GALLERY AND MUSEUM Dumbarton Road. Stirling. 0756 " I91“ Wall-to-WaII—Textiles for Interiors 1 'nul 10 April. The only Scottish show ingot an exhibition organised by ('or nerhouse. .‘ylanchester, 26 artists has c created special settings todisplay their embroidery. lino. rugs. felt and patchwork. For those interested in design and fabric. see also Art Gallery and .‘ylusueuru. ls'clvingroye. Glasgow for
furniture and uses images of shells. Tth SUM]th exhibmwu
'Ii'heIEi-s—lilS 31 March I‘le 49