Exhibitions
Events/Talks/Lectures
Special Events
Granton Centre for Art - Guided Tours
The tour offers an opportunity to discover how a state-of-the-art picture and sculpture store actually works, and what really goes on at the National Galleries of Scotland. Duration 30 minutes. Transport - Lothian buses 8 or 16.
more- 1st January 2006 to 31st December 2008
- 12 noon & 3.30pm every Tuesday (advance booking essential)
Communities
Tours of Gerhard Richter
Free introductory tours of Gerhard Richter for community groups. Please book at least two weeks in advance.
more- 8th November to 30th December 2008
- By arrangement
Courses
Art for Not Quite Beginners - 21 November 2008
Following in the same format as the extremely popular course for Absolute Beginners but looking a little more in depth at artworks from the collection in the morning session and experimenting with different media and techniques in the afternoon. Maximum 12 places per session.
more- Friday, 21st November 2008
- 10.30am-12.30pm (morning session); 1.30-3.30pm (afternoon session)
Special Events
Gerhard Richter: New Approaches
Organised by the University of Glasgow and the National Galleries of Scotland, in collaboration with the Goethe Institut, Glasgow and the Universities of Edinburgh and St Andrews, this symposium brings together a range of international scholars to open up new perspectives on the painting practice of Gerhard Richter, one of the world’s most important contemporary artists. Papers will address the full diversity of Richter’s practice, including his use of drawing, his early work in East Germany and his relationship to Pop Art and his continuing relevance to contemporary art. Speakers include: Dietmar Elger (Head of the Gerhard Richter Archive, Dresden) Jeanne Nugent (Assistant Professor/Faculty Fellow in Art History, New York University) Christine Mehring (Professor in Art History, University of Chicago - paper to be delivered by proxy) Achim Borchardt-Hume (Curator, Modern & Contemporary Art, Tate Modern) John J Curley (Assistant Professor of Art History, Wake Forest University, Washington) Tamara Trodd (Lecturer in Art History, University of Glasgow) The conference will be chaired by Martin Hammer (Reader in the History of Art, University of Edinburgh) and the roundtable discussion will be chaired by Debbie Lewer (Lecturer in the History of Art at the University of Glasgow)
more- Friday, 21st November 2008
- 10am-7.30pm (Registration 9.30-10am & Wine Reception 5.30-7.30pm
Children & Families
Saturday Art Club - Intimate Portrait Week 4
Ages 5-11 years. Intimate Portrait led by Jennie Temple.
more- Saturday, 22nd November 2008
- 10am–12noon (ages 5–7); 1.30–3.30pm (ages 8–11)
Talks & Lectures
Four Scottish Painters
Philip Long, Senior Curator at the Gallery of Modern Art, gives an introduction to the work and lives of the four Scottish artists featuring in the Dean's new display of work by Redpath, Davie, Barns-Graham and Bellany.
more- Monday, 24th November 2008
- 12.45-1.15pm
Courses
Gerhard Richter in Context - Week 3
This short course will provide an opportunity to explore some key aspects of Gerhard Richter's immensely varied work. Two lectures will focus on his practice in the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s, examining in particular the ways in which Richter's work can be read in the context of post-war Germany. A final session will then take place within the Gerhard Richter exhibition, allowing for a closer look at some of his most important, intriguing and challenging work. The course will be run by Dr. Debbie Lewer, Lecturer in History of Art at the University of Glasgow.
more- Tuesday, 25th November 2008
- 6-7.30pm
Talks & Lectures
Pop, Politics and Play: Richter and Polke in the Sixties
Dr Debbie Lewer, Lecturer in the History of Art at the University of Glasgow, examines the early work of Gerhard Richter in connection with that of his contemporary Sigmar Polke. For a time in the 1960s, the two artists were close friends and occasionally worked and exhibited together under the guise of 'Capitalist Realism'. Looking at some well-known and less famliar works and exploring, in particular, their covert humour, this talk compares their practice in the 1960s and suggests ways of reading it in both international and German, artistic and political contexts.
more- Tuesday, 25th November 2008
- 12.45-1.30pm
Courses
Creative Writing Course - Week 2
A four-week course led by artist Andrew Mackenzie and expert creative writing tutor, Helen Boden. Each session will begin with an informal discussion-led tour of part of the collection. This will provide the inspiration for the writing session afterwards.
more- Wednesday, 26th November 2008
- 1.30-4.30pm
Special Events
Artist's Talk: David Schutter, Artist-in-Residence at Randolph Cliff, Edinburgh
Artist David Schutter's works are derived from close studies of Old Master paintings. He makes numerous preparatory and observational studies of the works and uses these sketches as a visual aid to reproduce his own version of the paintings from memory. Each painting is on a 1:1 scale of the original and is intended as a conversation piece across time that evokes the ways we see and retain images.Schutter's talk will focus on his residency in Edinburgh, when he will study Simeon Chardin's only surviving flower piece, A Vase of Flowers, from the National Gallery of Scotland's collection. During his two-week residency Schutter hopes to produce a painting from memory.
more- Wednesday, 26th November 2008
- 6-7pm
Special Events
Live Music Now: Angus Lyon and Ruaridh Campbell
Music for St Andrew's Day from leading Scottish duo, Angus Lyon on accordion and Ruaridh Campbell on Scots fiddle.
more- Thursday, 27th November 2008
- 6-6.30pm
Courses
Printmaking with Artist Denise Walker - Week 3
A four-week course in colour reduction woodcutting, led by artist Denise Walker, using early European paintings as a starting point. Suitable for both beginner and the more experienced. Please bring photographs of a significant event in your life to the first session.
more- Thursday, 27th November 2008
- 5-7.30pm
Courses
Art for Not Quite Beginners - 28 November 2008
Following in the same format as the extremely popular course for Absolute Beginners but looking a little more in depth at artworks from the collection in the morning session and experimenting with different media and techniques in the afternoon. Maximum 12 places per session.
more- Friday, 28th November 2008
- 10.30am-12.30pm (morning session); 1.30-3.30pm (afternoon session)
Talks & Lectures
Dutch Mannerism: Goltzius and His Contemporaries
Tico Seifert, Senior Curator at the National Gallery, gives a talk on major drawings by Hendrick Goltzius and a recently acquired painting by Abraham Bloemaert featured in the current display Dutch Mannerism at the National Gallery.
more- Friday, 28th November 2008
- 12.45-1.30pm
Special Events
National Gallery Highlights November Tour
National Gallery Highlights tour including the Titian paintings Diana and Actaeon and Diana and Callisto and other parts of The Bridgewater Collection.
more- Saturday, 29th November 2008
- 2-2.45pm & 3-3.45pm
Children & Families
- Saturday, 29th November 2008
- 10am–12noon (ages 5–7); 1.30–3.30pm (ages 8–11)
Children & Families
Saturday Studio - Gerhard Richter - Week 1
Ages 11-15 years. Inspired by the range of Richter's work, this course will explore the use of photography, mark-making and abstraction.
more- Saturday, 29th November 2008
- 1.30-4.30pm
Talks & Lectures
Charles Avery in Conversation
Artist Charles Avery will be in conversation with Tom Morton, Curator at the Hayward Gallery and contributing editor at Frieze, to discuss his exhibition at the Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art.
more- Saturday, 29th November 2008
- 2-3pm
Communities
Signed tour of Gerhard Richter for people who are Deaf
Free tour given by Mary Kilpatrick and interpreted into British Sign Language by Mary Dunlop. Please book by Friday 28 November.
more- Sunday, 30th November 2008
- 11am-12noon
Talks & Lectures
Michelangelo and Italian Sources of Dutch Mannerism
Michael Bury, art historian, examines certain works by Michelangelo and also some by Raphael and Titian, in order to understand what they offered the Dutch Mannerists. In particular, he will show how these Italian artists, searching for new means to express powerful emotions, developed exciting new ways of representing the human body.
more- Tuesday, 2nd December 2008
- 12.45-1.30pm
Courses
Creative Writing Course - Week 3
A four-week course led by artist Andrew Mackenzie and expert creative writing tutor, Helen Boden. Each session will begin with an informal discussion-led tour of part of the collection. This will provide the inspiration for the writing session afterwards.
more- Wednesday, 3rd December 2008
- 1.30-4.30pm
Talks & Lectures
Portraying the Ideal, the Precious and the Imaginary: Drawing as the Site of Homage
Deanna Petherbridge, Research Professor of Drawing, University of Lincoln, examines the way in which portrait drawings record and enhance likeness, establishing a complicated formal dance in eighteenth-century portraiture between conveying individual likeness and conforming to conventional ideals. The drawings of fictional beasts and objects of an imagined island by artist Charles Avery, make an interesting contemporary commentary on this traditional dialogue between observational closeness and distanced homage.
more- Wednesday, 3rd December 2008
- 12.45-1.30pm
Courses
Printmaking with Artist Denise Walker - Week 4
A four-week course in colour reduction woodcutting, led by artist Denise Walker, using early European paintings as a starting point. Suitable for both beginner and the more experienced. Please bring photographs of a significant event in your life to the first session.
more- Thursday, 4th December 2008
- 5-7.30pm
Special Events
Film Screening: The South Bank Show - Gerhard Richter (2003)
A profile of the artist Gerhard Richter, in which he talks about his life growing up in East Germany, attending the Dresden Art Academy and his escape to the west just before the Berlin Wall was built. The documentary also considers his work and success.
more- Thursday, 4th December 2008
- 12.45-1.45pm
Talks & Lectures
Arts of Resistance: Poets, Portraits and Landscapes of Modern Scotland
Three conversations between two artists. One a poet and the other a painter. What is the value of art in today's society? What role do artists play in reflecting the world back upon itself? How do they work as active intervention? In this 'contemporary age of distraction' how can poems, paintings and all the arts from the past, present and future be celebrated as an affirming, crucial element in how we live our lives? Published by Luath Press in October this year, Arts of Resistance is a unique exploration of the importance of art and poetry in modern Scotland. Come and hear the authors, Alexander Moffat and Alan Riach engage directly with the contemporary cultural and political scene in Scotland by critically reviewing the last 120 years. A book signing will follow the event.
more- Thursday, 4th December 2008
- 6-7.30pm
Courses
Art for Not Quite Beginners - 5 December 2008
Following in the same format as the extremely popular course for Absolute Beginners but looking a little more in depth at artworks from the collection in the morning session and experimenting with different media and techniques in the afternoon. Maximum 12 places per session.
more- Friday, 5th December 2008
- 10.30am-12.30pm (morning session); 1.30-3.30pm (afternoon session)
Special Events
From Advent to Christmas
The Edinburgh University Singers, directed by John Kitchen, perform a seasonal selection of music in the Main Hall.
more- Friday, 5th December 2008
- 1.15-1.45pm
Children & Families
- Saturday, 6th December 2008
- 10am–12noon (ages 5–7); 1.30–3.30pm (ages 8–11)
Children & Families
Saturday Studio - Gerhard Richter - Week 2
Ages 11-15 years. Inspired by the range of Richter's work, this course will explore the use of photography, mark-making and abstraction.
more- Saturday, 6th December 2008
- 1.30-4.30pm
Special Events
Portrait of the Month for December
Meet one of the many faces in the Portrait Gallery's collection in these monthly talks focusing on a different portrait each month.
more- Saturday, 6th December 2008
- 2-2.45pm & 3-3.45pm
Children & Families
Art Cart in December
Art activities for all the family inspired each month by different works from the collection. Supported by Friends of the National Galleries of Scotland.
more- Sunday, 7th December 2008
- 2-4pm
Talks & Lectures
Painting Photographs
Dr Dietmar Elger from the Gerhard Richter Archive, gives a concise overview of the work by Gerhard Richter from his early photo paintings to the recent window for the Cologne cathedral. During the 1960s Gerhard Richter found himself confronted with a world of mass media images and the omnipresence of photographic images. Richter responded to this challenge by adopting the typical stylistic elements from photography for his paintings. He will also explain how Richter later transferred this artistic concept to his Abstract Paintings.
more- Monday, 8th December 2008
- 12.45-1.30pm
Talks & Lectures
The Fleming Collection
The Fleming Collection is one of the finest collections of Scottish art in private hands. As it celebrates its 40th anniversary, Selina Skipwith, Keeper of Art at Flemings, discusses the history and future of the Collection.
more- Tuesday, 9th December 2008
- 12.45-1.30pm
Communities
Gerhard Richter for the Visually Impaired
Descriptive tour and practical workshop led by Juliana Capes and Jennie Temple.
more- Wednesday, 10th December 2008
- 10am-3.30pm
Courses
Creative Writing Course - Week 4
A four-week course led by artist Andrew Mackenzie and expert creative writing tutor, Helen Boden. Each session will begin with an informal discussion-led tour of part of the collection. This will provide the inspiration for the writing session afterwards.
more- Wednesday, 10th December 2008
- 1.30-4.30pm
Special Events
The Drawing Room in December
Explore different 'mark-making' processes in these monthly, experimental drawing sessions inspired by the modern collection, led by a contemporary artist.
more- Thursday, 11th December 2008
- 5.30-6.45pm
Special Events
Live Music Now: Jennifer Port
Jennifer Port (clarsach and voice) performs a seasonal selection of Scottish songs. In association with Live Music Now Scotland.
more- Thursday, 11th December 2008
- 6-6.30pm
Talks & Lectures
Visible Energies: Wilhelmina Barns-Graham
Mel Gooding, writer, critic and Research Professor at the University of the Arts London, inaugurates the Annual Lecture series named after Wilhelmina Barns-Graham, with a study of the Scottish artist’s work as a dynamic interaction with the natural world. Sponsored by The Barns-Graham Charitable Trust.
more- Thursday, 11th December 2008
- 6-7.15pm
Talks & Lectures
Reconstructing Veronese's Petrobelli Altarpiece
The Petrobelli Altarpiece - one of the largest ever produced in Italy in the sixteenth century - was painted by Paolo Veronese around 1563 for the cousins Antonio and Girolamo Petrobelli, for their family chapel in Lendinara. When the church was closed down and destroyed in 1788, the painting was cut up and sold in pieces (a contemporary source commented 'it was sold in quarters, as one does with butcher's meat'). Since the 1930s, attempts were made at reconstructing the altarpiece, and only recently, the full history of the painting has been established. Dr Xavier Saloman, Curator at Dulwich Picture Gallery, will look at the different reconstructions of the altarpiece and will present the latest one with a newly discovered fragment of the painting.
more- Friday, 12th December 2008
- 12.45-1.30pm
Children & Families
- Saturday, 13th December 2008
- 10am–12noon (ages 5–7); 1.30–3.30pm (ages 8–11)
Children & Families
Saturday Studio - Gerhard Richter - Week 3
Ages 11-15 years. Inspired by the range of Richter's work, this course will explore the use of photography, mark-making and abstraction.
more- Saturday, 13th December 2008
- 1.30-4.30pm
Special Events
Gallery of Modern Art December Highlights Tour
A tour of the Gallery of Modern Art's permanent collection which spans the period from the 1890s to the present day.
more- Saturday, 13th December 2008
- 2-2.45pm & 3-3.45pm
Talks & Lectures
War Cut: An Abstract Painting as Book
Dr Dieter Schwarz, Director of the Kunstmuseum Winterthur, Switzerland, discusses Richter's artist book, War Cut whereby Richter uses painting to create a book which in turn refers to the Iraq war.
more- Tuesday, 16th December 2008
- 12.45-1.30pm
Talks & Lectures
Sir David Wilkie: Where to Draw the Line?
Dr Patricia Campbell, Honorary Fellow at the University of Edinburgh, explores Wilkie's developing draughtsmanship and his skill in perceiving and defining character from the descriptive and intimate studies for The Cut Finger to perceptive and accomplished studies of Scottish Enlightenment figures like Professor Dugald Stewart.
more- Wednesday, 17th December 2008
- 12.45-1.15pm
Special Events
Two Masterpieces, Once Chance: An Evening of Music and Poetry
An evening of music and song to celebrate the Titian paintings whose future at the National Galleries remains uncertain. John Duncan, Director of the English Speaking Union, will give live poetry performances of the stories of Actaeon and Callisto from Ovid's Metamorphoses in front of the Titian paintings, Diana and Actaeon and Diana and Callisto between 5.30-6pm and 6.30-7pm. From 6-6.30pm, the Edinburgh University Renaissance Singers will perform a programme of Italian madrigals and sacred music from the age of Titian, including works by Venetian composers, Adriano Willaert and Claudio Monteverdi.
more- Thursday, 18th December 2008
- 5.30-7pm
Children & Families
It's All in the Packaging
Come and make a beautiful decorative box for that special gift, inspired by art works in the National Gallery.
more- 19th to 20th December 2008
- 2-4.30pm
Children & Families
- Saturday, 20th December 2008
- 10am–12noon (ages 5–7); 1.30–3.30pm (ages 8–11)
Children & Families
Saturday Studio - Gerhard Richter - Week 4
Ages 11-15 years. Inspired by the range of Richter's work, this course will explore the use of photography, mark-making and abstraction.
more- Saturday, 20th December 2008
- 1.30-4.30pm
Special Events
National Gallery Highlights December Tour
National Gallery Highlights tour including the Titian paintings Diana and Actaeon and Diana and Callisto and other parts of The Bridgewater Collection.
more- Saturday, 20th December 2008
- 2-2.45pm & 3-3.45pm
Children & Families
Bags of Art in December
Collect a bag of new activities from the Art Station at the top of the stairs to help your family explore the collection and create your own artwork. Supported by Friends of the National Galleries of Scotland.
more- Sunday, 21st December 2008
- 2-4pm