ART & EXHIBITIONS LIST
SEVEN PORTRAITS OF SEVEN PAINTERS
Gallery of Modern Art, Edinburgh
The labels against Alexander Mottat's portraits are tormal, grey, enscribed with date at birth (1943), collection (The Artist) and a brief note on each painting. Seven labels tor seven paintings. ln1978—81 Mottat painted seven portraits ot Scottish poets. A lucky number?
Certainly a comtortable number. Like the seven poets, the seven painters have been represented with a good measure of intimacy and understanding. The artists here would likely know Alexander Mottat as Sandy and though some (Ken Currie, Stephen Barclay, Peter Howson) were pupils under him at Glasgow School otArt, they are respected by Moltat as colleagues and equals.
In the Sixties Mottat hung his paintings on the railings with John Bellany outside the Royal Scottish Academy as a challenge to the established Scottish art scene. Changed days in the eighties - Bellany had a major retrospective at the Gallery at Modern Art in 1986 and now Mottat shows new work there. Yet, while travelling along very ditterent paths, the two artists have sustained their own beliels against markets and lashions since studenttimes.
Mottat's brand ol social realism is related to the tradition at Leger and Beckmann, painters he still admires- there is none at the painterly expression or gesture so much
I OPEN EYE GALLERY 75(‘umberland Place. 557 ltllll. Mott-Fri lllam- (rpm. Sat Illam -lpiti Dorothy Park: Western paints Eastern 25 l'niil H .ltily ('htiiese brusltpaintings. Daphne Garritl t ‘ntit It .luly. Recent pol celaltt. Jane Dickinson and Angus McFadyen: Rough with the Smooth 1 mil it July It“ c‘llc‘ly.
I THE PEOPLE'S STORY (‘anongate ( )pens latet this year Memorabilia ol all kitidsis sought loi' this neyy museum. tleyotedto all aspectsol Izdmbtirgh lite. Tools. clothes. ti ade union records. badges. photographs and lamily stories about the city 's past are all yyeleomed. ('ontact
l leleu ( ‘lark or Inlatne l-‘innic at tlte Social History Seetiott. l lttntly House Museum. 1-12 ( ‘ationgate. 325 343-1 ext (167‘) it yott lta\c anything toollet‘.
I PORTRAIT GALLERY Queen Street . 55h SUIT .\lon Sat lllam~5pm; StinZ—Spm. Masterpieces lrorn the Edinburgh Photographic Society Collection t’util ii Sept. A small btit pleasing exhibition of ysork by pioneer photographers lrotn l-.drnbutgh. lntormatiye. \yitty. \sell-choseu and \yell-labelled. this is just the sort ot eshibttion the .\'P('i organises stipetbly.
I PRINTMAKERS WORKSHOP GALLERY 23 Lunar Sheet. 557 247‘). Mon~ Sat
lllaitt 5 .‘tllptit.
Hidden in Nearness— Robin Deas L'ntil 9 July 'I he blcaknessol indtistrialdecay e\amtned in photographs. Most ol‘the pictures eotne lrom yery tiear bottle. from The and the east coast.
On Land. Etchings by Attons Bytautas L'ntil .illltily. Recent yyork by an artist highly skilled iii his chosen techniques. l.and.sea and sky are blended yy ith linear care in black and \y hite or still. atmospheric colour.
I Dueenslerry Museum, District (‘uuneil
5OThc List 8— 21 July 1988
emphasised as the Scottish tradition. But these paintings in their straight telling ot character are nevertheless uniquely Scottish. Nothing tancy. No tricks. Just the artist standing or seated against his or herown work. Gwen Hardie pushes her big shoes lorward in strident pose in lront of her ‘Venus with Spikes', Ken Currie stands lirmly with Diego Rivera at his side and Stephen Barclay an experienced glider as well as painter, cuts a romantic tigure, the young aviator in tront ot a striated landscape. Only Timothy Hymen is at odds with the Mottat blue which also coloured the seven poets. His portrait is immediately psychological rather than physical and the blue which reverberates in the other paintings has
()ltices. High Street. Sotitli ()ttL‘L‘llSIL‘l'l‘). 'l tie ck Thttrsonly . [Ill 35 August.
2.3” J .‘yllpm. local history ol ()tteenslerry.
I ( .lc‘t'ls Street Btu ( )lllCL‘ nus Jill‘). .\lon Sat lllam 5pm. (kite. Paintings by Duzi Zur t 'uui t" .l ttly. Described as a ‘yy anderiitg artist'. zur‘s concerns are solitude and sy mbolism.
Five PointSix lSlttly ‘) Aug, 'l her (irotip is based iii Izdiitbttrgh and consists ol l’eter Rain. Rolatid l-oittma aitd l)otig Mackie. 'l heit atttt is itot itisi to record bttt to esplore the detail ol patter ll aitd character Ill the landscape and urban enyirontiients.
I RIAS l5 Rutlatid Square. 22‘) 7205.
Mon l'ri‘)..‘~llatn 5pm.
The Way We Live Now I hill 5 .Atig. Scottish architects‘ yyork tit response to recent housing opportunities such as the tip-grading ol council housing as a result ot the rigltt to btiy policy and bttildingneyy schemes iii the ( ireen Belt and itiiiercity regeneration protects.
I RICHARD DEMARCO GALLERY Blacktriars ( 'httrch. Blacklriars Street (oll High Street t. 557mm \ton Sat
lllam ()PITT.
I ROYAL BOTANIC GARDEN 552 '7 l 71. (iardens .\lon Sat ‘lam— sunsetzStiit llam» sunset. l’laitt houses and exhibitions t mounted in lnyerleith l louse) Mon Sat lilam- 5pm; Sun l lam—5pm.
A Visual Diary arid Winter Harvest :- 31 .ltily. Andy (ioldsyyorthy takes nature and yyeayes it. bends it. knots it and stacksit. Alter all that he takes a photograph olit. Making sculpture in his enyironment is (ioldsysorthy ‘sprimary concern. taking photographs records them at a giy en moment. Visual Diary made oit l lampstead l Icath iii IUSo. records nature and time from construction to decay. Winter Harvest takes the form of a book. piecing together
been painted out in tavour ol brown. His strange pointed lingers suggest an anxiety more philosopher than painter.
Downstairs a most beautitul exhibition of paintings by Lucian Freud has just opened. Along with the Fruitmarket show of prints and drawings this is Freud’s tirst toray into Scotland and includes a painting completed so recently that it was not in the Hayward Gallery show earlier this year. On till October, the Freud show, a group of Bacons next door and the seven Mollats upstairs, make a triumvirate ol living British ligurative painters which cannot be missed. Lucian Freud, Paintings will be reviewed in the next issue at The List. (Alice Bain)
(‘ioldsyyorthy 's \york at the y illagc ol I’enponi in l)timtriesshire.
A Garden inthe Desert t 'ntii 7 Aug l'it‘sl sign ol this shoyy isa yyontlei‘lttlly incongruous looking group ot \y hite \yooden ‘palm trees' encircling the pond at tlte lrtilil til the ITUUSL‘ it specially commissioned and ty pteally oil-beat contribution lroin ( ieorge \\ yllie, lnside. the e\hibiiion tyy hose theme is the plants ot Southern ( )man and their traditional uses) gets a little more serious. btit eyery ellort has been made to make this academic stibtect accessible and interesting tot botlt the public and school parties. .\lost tamous platit ol the area is the l‘rankinceiisc tree. is hieh looks stubby atltl sttitltctl. but still manages to produce the much sought-alter l‘l';ltll\lllce‘ll\e ‘pearls'. or little solidilied drops ol’ resin tor burning as incense. The \ isit is lurthei reys aided by the rhododendrons in the Botanics. currently at their Ctlltltll'lltl and gloriotispeak.
Botanical Cabinett'ntil .‘sl .Iuty. Marksthe publication ot the detitiitiye history ol the (iarden's library . published by l l.\lS( ). Tyselye ot the most signtticant yoltimesare on display and shoyy beatitiltil yy oodctits troin a ISth century herbalandengrayings by the most tamotis Iloyy er painter ot all. l’iet're .loset Redotite. are amongst the gems. Accompanied by a tape-slide presentatiott \y hich places the library in its historical context.
I ROYAL MUSEUM OF SCOTLAND (‘hambers Street. 225 753-1. Mon Sat Illam 5pm. Sttn 3~—5pm. (Kile.
Aphrodite's Island: Art and Archaeology ot Ancient Cyprus L'ntil 4 Sept. An ey'ocatiy e exhibition about this gent ot’the Mediteranean. with photographs and archaeological linds yy ell displayed against sky-blue backdrops. Almost guaranteed to send you straight to the travel agent to
book your holiday there.
Helmsdale Bowls Romatt treasure found in a railys ay cutting displayed tor the first time. From the Tits! and second centuries AI) these bronze bowls yyere l'ound neatly. packed one yy ithiti another Russian-doll style only a leyy feet below ground ley'el. ()yy ned by the Duke ot~ Sutherland. they hay e been loaned to the museum lor display and research.
New Shop Keeping itt litte \\ ith the major museums ol the yyoi'ld. the Royal Museum has opened a much enlarged and prolessionally rttit shop will books. ieyyellery . pottery . toys and T-shirts.
I ROYAL MUSEUM OF SCOTLAND Queen Street. SSoS‘Dl . .\lon Sat Illam ~5pm; '- Sun 2 5pm.
Scotland's museum ol antiquities shares premises \\ ith the National Portrait Gallery.
I ROYAL SCOTTISH ACADEMY The Mound. 325 (367]. Mon -Sat Illam- ~7pm: Sun
2 5pm. Admission L'l.2tl (Slip) Season Tickets £3.
RSA Summer Show 881'ntil 13 July . The great ady antage of a large atid necessarily unthemed shoyy such as this is that it isa great place to broyyse. to compare atid to get a good aitd yyide oy'ci'y ieyy ol'yy'hat contemporary artistic concerns are. Ranges lrom the decot‘aiiye and the dtill to the obsery ant. enquiring and inspired. New Shop A small btit interestinglittle shop selling limited editionsot‘printsand lithographs by RSA members as yy ell asa range ol gilts. some designed exclusively lor the Academy. Worth keeping an eye on as the stock \\ ill be continually expanded.
I SCOTTISH ARTISTS S l loyy ard Street. 556 (i337. Mon Sat Illam —-lpm; Sun 2 4pm. .\li\ed shoyy throughout .ltily.
I SCOTTISH CRAFT CENTRE l-ttl ('anongate. 55(iSl3o. Mon-Sat
Illaiii 5..‘\tlpm
\e\t eshibittoii yyill be in August
I THE SCOTTISH GALLERY U4 ( ieorge Street. 225 5955. Mon l-‘ri‘)am - 5.3llpm: Sat 9.30am -lpm.
Mardi Barrie. RSW l 'ntil (i Aug. Recent paintings ey oking gardens arid landscapes. l'sing a palette knile. she brings an almost abstract rlty thin to their shape and colotir. Recent Aquisitions t7 ntil t» Aug. Stock paintings by Scottish artists like('adell. Iiardley arid Redpatlt. See (‘ity Art ('enire lot more ot the same.
The Metal Vessel L'ntil (i Aug. A rare opportunity to look at what is happening in the tield ol metalysork in Britain. Work by lilteen craltsmen iticltidessilyeryyork. enamelling and patinated metalyyork. .\lost pieces hay e been made specitically lot' this exhibition.
I SCOTTISH MINING MUSEUM lady \‘ictoria ( "olliei'y . Newtongrange. Midlothian. (m3 75 It). Ttie l-‘rt
Illam «4.3llpm: Sat ck Sttn noon 5pm. l)eyoted to the history ol'miningin Midlothian. bttilt on a mining site.
I SCOTTISH SCULPTURE TRUST
Sculpture lrom Scotland t'nui _‘4il.lttne m the Iiconomist's l’la/a. London The space outside the Izeonomist btiildiiig in St James Street is otteii tised lot sctilpttiic by yottng Royal(‘ollcge students. .\'oyy lot the lust time. thanks to the Scottish Sculpture Trust initiatiy e. it ishosting \york by Scottish sculptors. and. asit happens they are all l'emale. thotigh yyomen yyere iii the minority betoi‘e selection.
I Scottish Stone and Brass Rubbing Centre. Trinity Apsc. (‘halmers (lose. I ligli Street. lidinburgh. lilam- (rpm Mon-Sat. Reopens 7.ltt|y or in its next home.the Trinity .Apse— the stiry'iying remnant ol a 15th century collegiate church. The ('entres collection of replicas are moulded. lrom ancient l’ictish stones. rare Scottish (irasses and Medieval church brasses materials for rubbings supplied by the centre.
I STEP GALLERY l loyse Street. 556 1013. Mon—Fri lllam~hpm. Sat lllams-lpm
It Makes No Ditterence L'ntil 4 July.