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View alphabetical lists of all artists who are either Scottish or whose works are associated with Scotland currently featured on the site.
Select the initial of the artist's name that you are looking for. Scroll down the list until you find the name, and select it for more information about the artist and his or her work.
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Artists are organised by their most commonly-used names. This is usually but not always their surname.
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- William Henry Playfair
- Northern Elevation of the Royal Institution, Edinburgh (now the Royal Scottish Academy Building)
- 1832
- D 4250
- On Display
- Scottish Art
- William Henry Playfair
- Eastern Elevation of the Royal Institution, Edinburgh (now the Royal Scottish Academy Building)
- 1832
- D 4251
- Scottish Art
William Henry Playfair (Scottish, 1790 - 1857)
William Henry Playfair was one of the leading architects in nineteenth-century Scotland. His buildings were models of classicism, and the majority were constructed in the Greek Revival style. More than any other architect, he was responsible for Edinburgh earning its reputation as `The Athens of the North?. Playfair?s architecture relied on monumentality and heavy modelling of forms to emphasise light and shade. He produced numerous detailed drawings for each project, and was renowned for scrutinising the work of builders for quality and accuracy. Most of his finest buildings are in or around Edinburgh, including the Royal Institution (1822; now the Royal Scottish Academy), Royal College of Surgeons (1830?32), Donaldson's Hospital (1842), and the National Gallery of Scotland (1850?57).
