An exhibition of the Scottish Colourists from the Fleming Collection goes on display this weekend at Inverness Museum & Art Gallery.
The exhibition will include portrait, still life and landscape works by the Scottish Colourists SJ Peploe, JD Fergusson, George Leslie Hunter and FCB Cadell. They were some of the first artists in Europe to engage with the creative upheavals taking place in France at the turn of the twentieth century, which saw the birth of modern art. Hailed at the time as international radicals – equal to artists such as Matisse and Picasso – their work on show at Inverness Art Gallery reinforces their status as four of the most innovative artists in twentieth century British art.
The movement hit its prime during the early years of peace after World War One when Peploe and Cadell worked almost as one producing a stream of luminous still lifes, while Hunter established his reputation as a radical painter imbued with the spirit of Van Gogh and JD Fergusson produced joyous landscapes and innovative sculpture.
Although immersed in French cultural trends, the Colourists did not forget their Scottish roots especially in their brilliance at conveying the unique beauty of Scottish landscape, marking them out as French inspired artists with a singular Scottish identity.
James Knox, Director of the Fleming Collection said:
“It is such a privilege to bring the Fleming Collection’s stand-out Scottish Colourists to Inverness Museum and Art Gallery. The four Colourists were one of the most talented, experimental and distinct groups in 20th century British art, renowned during their heyday in the 1920s as masters of portraiture, landscape and still life. This exhibition reveals their concentrated brilliance reflected in their ability to produce challenging work of great beauty and delight.”
Cathy Shankland Exhibitions Officer for High Life Highland said, “We are delighted to be working with the Fleming Collection, which is owned by The Fleming-Wyfold Art Foundation, to bring this wonderful selection of paintings to Inverness Museum and Art Gallery for the summer.”
Also opening in the Small Gallery at Inverness Museum & Art Gallery is an installation by Highland artist Lar MacGregor entitled ‘Susurrus.’’ The artist describes the work as ‘a gentle stroll…with dementia, loss and separation through a series of abstracted sculptures.’ The centerpiece., ‘Leaf Litter,’ evokes the freedom of children playing in swathes of fallen leaves and the exhibition explores the shared experiences that have dominated our lives in a time of pandemic.
Both exhibitions open on Saturday 26th June and run until 28th August.
