City centred art: Capital treasures go on display at City Art Centre

Published on Tuesday 10 May 2011 17:15

Many of Scotland's best-loved paintings belong not to the nation but the citizens of Edinburgh, who will soon get a rare chance to see many of them gathered in one exhibition space

YOU may not realise it, but if you're a taxpayer living in Edinburgh, you own a stake in a world-class, historically important art collection consisting of thousands of oil paintings, prints, and sculptures, thanks to a civic policy of investing in the arts that began back in the 18th century, when our forebears decided that a thriving cultural life was vital to the successful functioning of the city.

An art exhibition opening this weekend at Edinburgh's City Art Centre (CAC), Scotland's Art, 1650-2010, focuses on the massive, yet surprisingly little-known collection of art owned by the capital. For the first time since 1998, all five floors of exhibition space will be devoted to the collection, featuring some of Scotland's best loved paintings, along with hidden gems and more recent acquisitions.

Many don't realise the CAC is not part of the National Galleries of Scotland, but is wholly separate, and run by Edinburgh City Council. Its collection consists of three main components: a local history section comprising topographical views, portraits of Edinburgh people, and illustrations of aspects of Edinburgh daily life; the Scottish Modern Arts Association collection of works by late 19th and 20th century Scottish artists; and a collection of Scottish art acquired since 1962.

According to Scotsman art critic, Duncan Macmillan, the exceptional collection is "ridiculously little-known because for years the CAC has run a heavy exhibition programme aimed at maximum gate (think shows such as Star Wars or Gold of the Pharaohs]. But I think it's the best, and the most representative collection of art of the last 50 or 60 years."

Curator David Patterson explains: "Historically what happened is that the collection grew because of donations from private individuals over many centuries. The first time it was formally catalogued was the late 1970s.

"In the early 1960s Jean F Watson left a sum of money to the city with the express purpose of building an art collection. She didn't put that many strings in the bequest, just that it should be for acquiring work by Scottish artists or artists based in Scotland. What we've done is used the interest of that capital sum every year."

Additional acquisition monies come from various grants, including applications to the national Fund for Acquisitions, the Art Fund, and the Lottery Fund. Macmillan says the CAC is to be commended for using the Jean F Watson bequest wisely.

"Ian O'Riordan and David Patterson have been there for ages, working away below the horizon putting on this very heavy load of exhibitions, but keeping their eye on the permanent collection and using the money they've got quite wisely, I think, to keep up a representative collection of contemporary Scottish painting. Among the stars of the collection are James Cadenhead's Lady with Japanese Screen and Goldfish, and they've got wonderful William McTaggarts and Colourists, plus a very comprehensive collection of topographical pictures of Edinburgh."For anyone living in Edinburgh, the numerous paintings of the city are intriguing. Alexander Nasmyth's 19th-century view, dominated by ships on the Forth, is spectacular. The perspective is from the sea looking past the Martello Tower at Leith to the Castle, with Calton Hill and Arthur's Seat beyond. Nasmyth's son, Patrick, approaches Edinburgh Castle from an unusual angle in his 1814 painting. And Robert Barker's panorama from Calton Hill illustrates the extent of the New Town development by the 1970s. Edinburgh remains a subject for today's painters; Jock McFadyen's Great Junction Street, for instance, was painted in 1998.

Scottish history is the subject of Sir William Allan's 1830s depiction of the signing of the National Covenant in Greyfriars' Kirkyard, while Sir William Quiller-Orchardson's In the Picture Gallery reveals Victorian painters' love of narrative.

Fans of the Colourists will find much to enjoy, including John Duncan Fergusson's luscious The Blue Lamp, painted in 1912 - showing him responding to the latest developments in French art - as well as his Blue Hat (1909). The exhibition will also feature artists such as Callum Innes, Christine Borland, and Toby Patterson, all of whom have made a major impact on the international scene.

Beyond the confines of the CAC's storage facility - the bulk of any museum's collection typically languishes in storage - at any given moment there are hundreds of pictures on loan to other museums or at various public buildings. "There are about 40 paintings at the Usher Hall that belong to us," says Paterson.

Can taxpayers see the art works they effectively own, I wonder? "Absolutely," says Patterson. "We try to keep anything we lend in a public space, rather than someone's office. There are certain exceptions, so for instance, the Lord Provost has a number of things, but primarily everything is in conference rooms or meeting rooms or foyers so that people can access them. And buildings such as the City Chambers and Waverley Court have open days."

As part of their exhibition programme, they try to guarantee one floor of the gallery is devoted to a themed exhibition of works from the collection. Once the space is renovated, Patterson says, the basement will become a permanent gallery, showcasing the collection.

It will probably change twice a year, and admission will be free.

Some might ask why a city should acquire art at all. Historically, says Macmillan, Edinburgh has been investing in the arts since very early in the 18th century. "The city backed the first art school in Scotland; they backed the Trustees Academy; they've been involved all down the line with setting up and running the Edinburgh College of Art for a long time. They were quite clear that this was part of developing the local economy. They saw way, way back, in the 1720s, that if you invest in talent and design you have a better chance of succeeding economically.

"One of the things about Scotland is that there has been a tradition of civic collection nationwide that's really quite remarkable. Kirkcaldy, Perth, Paisley - places which, in world terms, are little more than villages - have significant collections. The civic collections of the four main cities, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Dundee and Aberdeen, all have different strengths. The Edinburgh collection is distinguished by the consistency with which it has been kept up, because of the Jean F Watson bequest. From a good foundation in the 20th century, they've managed to get representative works from significant people in a way that the National Gallery hasn't even done."

Patterson adds: "While it's not central to what councils do, when you consider schools and policing and everything else, I think it's vital. The cultural life of the city is part and parcel of why people like living in Edinburgh. We're very fortunate to have the Watson fund, which is ring-fenced, in these times when budgets are being cut or eliminated entirely."

• Scottish Art 1650-2010, Work from the City's Art Collection, Saturday until 10 July at City Art Centre, 2 Market Street. Open Monday - Saturday, 10-5, Sunday 12-5. Admission is free.

CITY CENTRED ART

• ALTHOUGH the collection is cared for at the City Art Centre, works are displayed at the Museum of Edinburgh, the Writers' Museum, the Museum of Childhood, the City Chambers, Queensferry Museum, the Usher Hall, and many other public buildings in Edinburgh. The collection is worth millions of pounds, with the most valuable works being by the Scottish Colourists, the Glasgow Boys and early Hill Adamson photographs.

• The Jean F Watson Bequest Fund is used to purchase (and commission) work from artists born, practising in, or associated with Scotland and, in particular, Edinburgh. Last year more than 40,000 was available to buy quality work. Between 2005 and 2010, the collection acquired 155 items by purchase, donation, bequest or gift.

• The City Art Centre is in a nine-storey former warehouse constructed between 1899 and 1902 as part of The Scotsman's newspaper buildings. It was converted to gallery use in 1980 and houses exhibition galleries over six floors.• The Scottish Modern Art Association was established in 1907 as a subscription membership organisation whose remit was to purchase contemporary works of art. "They used the annual fees to build a significant collection," says curator David Patterson, "and when they disbanded in the 1960s, Edinburgh got most of what they had, and it formed the nucleus of our collection. Most of our Colourist paintings are from them."