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The McManus, Dundee’s art gallery and museum, has acquired two photographs by Ron O’Donnell (b.1952): No Articles Beyond This Point (2000) from the ‘Day of the Dead’ series and Referendum (2014). The former shows the moments before the subject (a papier-mâché skeleton) returns underground, taking one last look at his treasured photographs, memorials to his time on earth. In contrast, Referendum is a digitally constructed work that takes as its source the iconic image of French nationhood Liberty Leading the People (1830) by Eugène Delacroix (1798–1863). The painting was considered an incendiary work when first exhibited in 1831, and O’Donnell’s adoption and reworking of the image is done in full knowledge of its power as a statement of nationalism. O’Donnell’s subversive humour is evident – he poses as every figure, brandishing a series of ineffectual plastic weapons and even crossing the barricade as Liberty herself. A significant new addition to the contemporary art collection held at Kirkcaldy Galleries, Fife, is Salt Corrosion (2014) by Toby Paterson (b.1974). The work is a relief created in acrylic on aluminium, set against a vivid blue panel. It was first shown at the galleries in 2014 in a touring exhibition of Paterson’s work, curated by Fife Contemporary Art & Craft, as part of the GENERATION project. The piece draws its
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inspiration from the forms, textures and surfaces of the precast concrete construction of the large car park on Kirkcaldy’s esplanade. The strong local resonance of the work helped attract funds from the Friends of Kirkcaldy Galleries to assist Fife Cultural Trust with the purchase. The trust also received a grant from the National Fund for Acquisitions. 12
The Scottish Maritime Museum in Irvine, Ayrshire, has unveiled three new artworks: Figure of a Shipbuilder (c.1949), a sculpture in ciment fondu by Benno Schotz (1891–1984), The Clyde Coast (c.1956), an historic travel poster printed by British Railways to promote the Clyde Coast railway and steamer connection services, and Propping Through Riverside (2011) created by architect Ann Nisbet and artist Patricia Cain for the ‘Drawing (on) Riverside’ exhibition held at Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum, Glasgow, in 2011. The works are the first to be purchased in a new strategic, three-year acquisitions’ programme, SMMart: Enriching the Imagery of Scotland’s Maritime Heritage, which has been made possible by a grant from the Heritage Lottery Fund’s Collecting Cultures programme.
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The Pier Arts Centre in Stromness, Orkney, has acquired a highly significant piece by Barbara Hepworth (1903–75): Two Forms (Orkney) (1967). Hepworth and Margaret Gardiner (1904–2005), the founder of the Pier Arts Centre, met in London in the 1930s and became close friends and confidantes. Gardiner became one of Hepworth’s key early patrons, supporting the artist in times of need through friendship and the purchase of work in the 1930s and 1940s. Two Forms (Orkney) is now on permanent display alongside other important works by Hepworth and pieces by pioneering Russian artist Naum Gabo (1890–1977) and British Modernist Ben Nicholson (1894–1982).
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1 David Le Marchand, medallion depicting John Mackenzie, 2nd Earl of Cromartie (1656-1731) © National Museums Scotland 2a Paul Strand , Mrs. Archie MacDonald, South Uist, Hebrides, 1954. Scottish National Portrait Gallery © Aperture Foundation Inc., Paul Strand Archive. Purchased with support from the Art Fund 2b FCB Cadell, Self-portrait, c.1914. Scottish National Portrait Gallery. Purchased in 2015 with the assistance of the Art Fund and the Patrons of the National Galleries of Scotland 3 Pierre Patel, A Classical Landscape with Judah and Tamar 4 Norah Neilson Gray, Mother and Child, 1920s. Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art, Edinburgh. Purchased with funds from the Cecil and Mary Gibson Bequest 2015 5 Lorenzo Bartolini, The Campbell Sisters Dancing a Waltz, c.1821. Image courtesy of Sotheby’s. Purchased jointly by the National Galleries of Scotland and the Victoria and Albert Museum, with the aid of the National Heritage Memorial Fund, the Art Fund, and a donation in memory of A. V. B. Norman, 2015 6 Katie Paterson, Timepieces (Solar System), 2014. Edinburgh, The University of Edinburgh Library and University Collections. Image courtesy of the artist and Ingleby Gallery. Purchased with support from the National Fund for Acquisitions
7 Douglas Gordon, Pretty much every film and video work from about 1992 until now. Courtesy of Culture and Sport Glasgow (Museums) and Studio lost but found, Berlin. Installation view Gallery of Modern Art, Glasgow, 2014. Photography by Aland McAteer. Purchased with support from the Art Fund 8a, 8b Alison McKenzie, Buy a Fine Singing Bird and White Onyons. Two gouache panels from the ‘Cries of London’ series. St Andrews Preservation Trust Museum. Purchased with support from the National Fund for Acquisitions 9 Steven Campbell, Fake Ophelia, 1991. Image courtesy of Glasgow School of Art. Donation by Bill Forsyth and Moira Wylie 10a, 10b Ron O’Donnell, No Articles Beyond This Point, 2000, from the ‘Day of the Dead’ series and Referendum, 2014. Image courtesy of Leisure and Culture Dundee. Purchased with support from the National Fund for Acquisitions 11 Toby Paterson, Salt Corrosion, 2014. Image courtesy of the artist and The Modern Institute/Toby Webster Ltd, Glasgow. Photographer: Chris Park. Purchased with support from the National Fund for Acquisitions 12 Benno Schotz, Figure of a Shipbuilder (c.1949). Courtesy of the Scottish Maritime Museum. 13 Barbara Hepworth (1903-1975), Carved slate sculpture, Two Forms (Orkney), 1967, © Pier Arts Centre, Stromness
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