Famous Glasgow School of Art Graduates: Here are 10 well-known faces who studied at the art school - from Peter Capaldi to Frank Quitely
It’s produced the majority of Scotland’s leading contemporary artists – along with no shortage of musicians, actors and media figures.
Originally founded in 1845 as the Glasgow Government School of Design, it officially changed its name to The Glasgow School of Art in 1853 before it moved from its original home in Ingram Street to the McLellan Galleries in Sauchiehall Street in 1869.
Work on its famous home on Renfrew, designed by Charles Rennie Mackintosh and destroyed twice by fire in recent years, started in 1887 thanks to a donation from the Bellahouston Trust.
Since then the school has expanded to a number of other buildings in Glasgow, organised into five distict academic schools covering architecture, design, fine art, simulation and visualisation, and innovation.
The Glasgow School of Art has been particularly successful in producing leading contemporary artists including, since 2005, an amazing 30 per cent of recent Turner Prize winners (the so-called ‘Glasgow Miracle’). Simon Starling won in 2005, followed by Richard Wright in 2009, Martin Boyce in 2011, Duncan Campbell in 2014, and Charlotte Prodger in 2018.
Highly-rated internationally, the school was named the 11th best educational establishments for art and design in the world.
Here are 10 famous faces that have studied at the school over the years, though not all graduated.
Since then the school has expanded to a number of other buildings in Glasgow, organised into five distict academic schools covering architecture, design, fine art, simulation and visualisation, and innovation.
5. Charles Rennie Mackintosh
Before designing Glasgow School of Art's famous building, destroyed by fire twice in recent years, Charles Rennie Mackintosh studied there in the 1880s. He attended the school in the evenings while working as an apprentice architect during the day. He went on to become one of the most important figures in British art. Photo: Contributed
6. David Shrigley
David Shrigley may have only graduated with a 2:2 in environmental art in 1991, but he's now a hugely popular artist familiar even to those who have little interest in art. From greetings cards and pop videos, to tshirts and creating Partick Thistle FC mascot Kingsley, he's made a real mark on the world. Photo: Pascal Le Segretain
7. Muriel Gray
First finding fame as an interviewer on Channel 4's underground music show The Tube, Muriel Gray has gone on to enjoy a varied and successful career as a journalist, author and broadcaster. She originally worked as a professional illustrator after graduating from Glasgow School of Art, where she later became the first female chair of the board of governors in 2013. Photo: Martin Fraser
8. Frank Quitely
Better known by his pen name Frank Quitely, Vincent Deighan studied fine art, drawing and painting at Glasgow School of Art, but left before he graduated. It hasn't done his career much harm though. Since then he has become a very successful comic book artist, collaborating with the likes of Grant Morrison and Mark Millar on series such as New X-Men, All-Star Superman, Batman and Robin, and Jupiter's Legacy. Photo: Contributed