S J Peploe drawing is secured for nation

An EARLY abstract artwork by one of the Scottish Colourists has been secured for the nation.

The untitled drawing by S J Peploe is a stylised image of an interior, which closely resembles a still life the artist painted in about 1912.

The drawing was acquired by the Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art, which spent £2,880 to secure it, and has been welcomed as part of its extensive Scottish collection.

The Edinburgh gallery’s senior curator, Alice Strang, said: “We are delighted to have acquired this very early example of Scottish abstraction.

“Not only is this work rare and important for Peploe, it is significant within modern Scottish art overall.

“As such, we are doubly thrilled that it has entered the national collection.”

Peploe is widely regarded as one of the most successful artists to come out of Scotland, and he is best known for his lovingly painted still lifes.

Peploe’s work is the subject of a major exhibition at the gallery, running until June and bringing together more than 100 paintings from public and private collections throughout the UK.