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In
2003 Scotland's rich visual arts scene was represented at
the Venice
Biennale - the most prestigious contemporary art show
in the world - in an exhibition jointly presented by the Scottish
Arts Council and the British
Council. This offered an excellent opportunity to enhance
Scotland's reputation overseas while showcasing the talents
of artists Jim
Lambie, Claire
Barclay and Simon
Starling. |
This is far from being the only symbol of the current robust
health of the visual arts in Scotland. The first phase of
the redevelopment of the National
Galleries in their dramatic location in the heart of Edinburgh
was completed in Summer 2003 with a record-breaking Monet
exhibition.
In 2003, the Scottish
National Gallery of Modern Art staged a stunning show
of the major purchases it had made in the last decade, including
major works by such contrasting Scottish artists as Christine
Borland, Alison
Watt and Douglas
Gordon. A Scot, Toby
Paterson won the Beck's
Futures award in 2002, the second Scot to do so in 3
years; while Martin
Creed and Callum
Innes won the Turner
and Jerwood
painting prizes respectively.
The National Galleries of Scotland are complemented by local
galleries such as the Fergusson
Gallery in Perth; the Burrell
Collection in Glasgow; and remote centres such as An
Tuireann on Skye and An
Lanntair in Stornoway. While art galleries across Scotland
such as Dundee
Contemporary Arts continue to rival much larger European
galleries with carefully chosen exhibitions, Scotland's art
colleges enjoy distinguished international reputations. The
Glasgow
Art Fair is now the largest in the UK outside London;
and the new Scottish
parliament building is expected to include a number of
specially-commissioned works.
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[This guide to culture has been prepared
in collaboration with the Scottish Arts Council and the Scottish
Executive.] |
