The life and work of one of Scotland’s most-loved artists James Morrison is being celebrated at The Scottish Gallery in Edinburgh.
The retrospective show James Morrison A Celebration 1932 – 2020 is being held two years after his death.
Running until June 25, the exhibition focuses on his iconic landscapes of Angus and the West Coast, alongside rare early Glasgow scenes and views of France, the Arctic and Canada.
Over an eminent career, James Morrison enjoyed a remarkable and lengthy association with The Scottish Gallery from 1959 to 2020, holding 25 solo exhibitions.
The successful relationship between artist and gallery allowed Morrison to retire from teaching at Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art, Dundee, in 1987, and concentrate on painting full-time.
This exhibition coincides with the release of two new publications.
Land and Landscape is a revised and updated monograph written by the artist’s son professor John Morrison and published by Sansom & Co.
The second is a fully illustrated exhibition catalogue, featuring over 100 works, celebrating the artist’s long and influential exhibiting career.
‘Great painter’
Gallery Director Guy Peploe said: “Jim was a great painter, and a huge part of The Scottish Gallery for more than 60 years, with 25 solo exhibitions.
“Jim was never content to rest on current success…it was always the next picture which mattered.
“He worked tirelessly, travelling to Paris, Greece, Canada, Greenland, Botswana, The Alps, and many locations in the UK from Ely to Traquair.
“This curiosity to see another landscape fed into how he saw his own, familiar, country, from Angus to Argyll and Assynt.
“He had been a much-loved tutor in Dundee, keeping painting at the centre of his teaching.”
Finding a new audience
In 2021, the film Eye of the Storm by the award-winning director Anthony Baxter, generated an outpouring of love and interest in Morrison and introduced him to a new audience.
The film followed Morrison as he struggled with the loss of his sight.
It was a poignant account of a creative mind dealing with the physical frailties that await us all.
After its initial release on Easter Sunday 2021, The Scottish Gallery website crashed as thousands of individuals visited to discover more about the artist.
Morrison’s distinctive technique and vision made him one of the most recognisable Scottish artists of the last 50 years, credited with helping to reinvigorate landscape painting in Scotland.
His works are included in many important public collections including National Galleries of Scotland and the Government Art Collection.
Morrison’s interpretations of the landscape and skies, at home in Angus, on the West Coast, and on his travels have inspired collectors and artists worldwide.
James Morrison A Celebration 1932 – 2020, The Scottish Gallery, 16 Dundas Street, Edinburgh, EH3 6HZ. Until June 25.
Film about Montrose painter James Morrison losing his sight to be screened in his hometown
