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20th CENTURY BOYS: A Memorial

Past viewing_room
28 October - 21 November 2021
  • 20th Century Boys

    A Memorial

    28 October - 21 November 2021

  • RSA Lower Galleries

    Free entry, no booking required

     

    This autumn we are celebrating the careers of Royal Scottish Academicians David Evans (1942-2020), Alexander Fraser (1940-2020), Kirkland Main (1942-2020), James Morrison (1932-2020) and Alan Robb (1946-2020).

  • Throughout our long history, the Royal Scottish Academy has honoured its recently deceased Academicians with a memorial selection in the...

    Alexander Fraser RSA, Palette Table (detail), 2004

    Throughout our long history, the Royal Scottish Academy has honoured its recently deceased Academicians with a memorial selection in the Annual Exhibition. In 2020, as the Covid-19 pandemic impacted upon all of our daily lives, our Annual Exhibition – the ‘yearbook’ of the Academy – found itself in a very unusual position. In an unbroken line since 1826, this show has been a mainstay of the exhibition calendar in Scotland. The closure of the Academy didn’t halt us though and the exhibition moved online for both 2020 and 2021. We look forward to it returning to the galleries in 2022 where it will continue to be accompanied by its online version.

     

    The move online brought significant benefits in that it could reach a wider, and international, audience. The artists and their studios could be further explored and there was a greater opportunity for a far-flung audience to take part in events. We found, however, that this was not the platform to best honour our Academicians with memorial presentations.

     

    So, today we celebrate the careers of a selection of five Academicians whom we have lost over the past 20 months. All are men and all are painters who have spent their working lives as artists and as educators.

  • These artists were not linked directly as part of any movement or group. Some worked together and were friends for...

    David Evans RSA, Reception, 1981

    These artists were not linked directly as part of any movement or group. Some worked together and were friends for decades. All have very distinct links to the east of Scotland, but this is by no means the limit of their repertoire. There are subtle similarities linking their work and there are stark differences. Ranging from traditional and abstracted landscapes, Pop Art to portraiture, their paintings encompass a broad view of Scottish painting in the mid to late 20th Century and into the 21st.

     

    The stories of these artists begin in the post-war years and their careers are immersed in the latter half of the 20th Century – the period where their vigour comes to the fore. This timeframe is when they are balancing teaching commitments alongside exhibiting careers and the day-to-day wonder and struggles of family lives. For most, it is during this period that they were elected Associates then full Members of the Academy and the additional requirement of voluntary time and the bonus of camaraderie which this brings.

     

    Their vigour was not lost however. As the 20th Century came to a close and they left their various teaching posts, uninterrupted studio time enabled an increase in their output and some of the most powerful paintings of their careers. This bridge into the 21st Century saw them all exhibiting widely with recent solo exhibitions in the Academy and beyond.

     

     

     

  • This exhibition is but a snapshot of this energy - an opportunity to celebrate their terrific commitment to their art...

    Alan Robb RSA, Wonderlust (detail), 2019

    This exhibition is but a snapshot of this energy - an opportunity to celebrate their terrific commitment to their art and their vision. We see the world through their eyes and these pictures are here for us to enjoy and deliver their story even after the artists are no longer here to tell us in words.

     

    Although we have dipped into the rich resource of our own Collections to begin this grouping, the exhibition would not have been possible without the help and collaboration of the artists’ families. We extend a great thanks to all whom have sourced, researched, loaned and offered these works for the show.

     

    I very much hope that you enjoy this selection of works by these artists. Sourcing the exhibition has been both a poignant and pleasurable experience. Memories of times spent with these artists have invariably given me time to ponder, smile and wonder at the just how fortunate I have been to have known them.

     

    Colin R Greenslade, Director of the Royal Scottish Academy

  • ALEXANDER FRASER RSA (1940-2020)

    • Alexander Fraser RSA Spotted Leopard, 2009 Oil on canvas 84 x 86 cm
      Alexander Fraser RSA
      Spotted Leopard, 2009
      Oil on canvas
      84 x 86 cm
      £ 4,500.00
    • Alexander Fraser RSA The Painter, his Trousers and Stilts, 2015-19 Oil on canvas 173 x 142 cm
      Alexander Fraser RSA
      The Painter, his Trousers and Stilts, 2015-19
      Oil on canvas
      173 x 142 cm
      £ 8,500.00
    • Alexander Fraser RSA Rough Studies for Valley Ranger, 1985 Acrylic (spectracryl), acrylic medium, paper and canvas on plywood 129.3 x 92.1 cm
      Alexander Fraser RSA
      Rough Studies for Valley Ranger, 1985
      Acrylic (spectracryl), acrylic medium, paper and canvas on plywood
      129.3 x 92.1 cm
    Close
    • Alexander Fraser RSA Gable Ends, 2014 Oil on canvas 35.5 x 46 cm
      Alexander Fraser RSA
      Gable Ends, 2014
      Oil on canvas
      35.5 x 46 cm
      £ 1,750.00
    • Alexander Fraser RSA Souk, 2015 Oil on canvas 36 x 46 cm
      Alexander Fraser RSA
      Souk, 2015
      Oil on canvas
      36 x 46 cm
      £ 1,750.00
    • Alexander Fraser RSA Utah Still Life, 2004 Oil on canvas 112 x 127 cm
      Alexander Fraser RSA
      Utah Still Life, 2004
      Oil on canvas
      112 x 127 cm
      £ 7,000.00
    • Alexander Fraser RSA Ready Made Fragment, 1987 Oil on canvas 114 x 206 cm
      Alexander Fraser RSA
      Ready Made Fragment, 1987
      Oil on canvas
      114 x 206 cm
    • Alexander Fraser RSA Palette Table, 2004 Oil on canvas 152 x 142 cm
      Alexander Fraser RSA
      Palette Table, 2004
      Oil on canvas
      152 x 142 cm
    • Alexander Fraser RSA Knives and a Fork , 1962 Oil on hardboard 84 x 66 cm
      Alexander Fraser RSA
      Knives and a Fork , 1962
      Oil on hardboard
      84 x 66 cm
    • Alexander Fraser RSA Spotted Space, 1973 Oil on canvas 94 x 94 cm
      Alexander Fraser RSA
      Spotted Space, 1973
      Oil on canvas
      94 x 94 cm
    • Alexander Fraser RSA Muchalls Forest, 2006 Oil on canvas 117 x 80 cm
      Alexander Fraser RSA
      Muchalls Forest, 2006
      Oil on canvas
      117 x 80 cm
    Close
  • KIRKLAND MAIN RSA (1942-2020)

    • Kirkland Main RSA Fortrenn, 1988 Oil on canvas 152 x 182 cm
      Kirkland Main RSA
      Fortrenn, 1988
      Oil on canvas
      152 x 182 cm
      £ 17,000.00
    • Kirkland Main RSA Atalaya, 2003 Oil on canvas 155 x 155 cm
      Kirkland Main RSA
      Atalaya, 2003
      Oil on canvas
      155 x 155 cm
      £ 15,000.00
    • Kirkland Main RSA The Scottish Romantic Tradition - Tillietudlem, 1987-88 Oil on canvas 150 x 180 cm
      Kirkland Main RSA
      The Scottish Romantic Tradition - Tillietudlem, 1987-88
      Oil on canvas
      150 x 180 cm
      £ 17,000.00
    • Kirkland Main RSA Romanesque Restenneth, 1992-93 Oil on canvas 100 x 105 cm
      Kirkland Main RSA
      Romanesque Restenneth, 1992-93
      Oil on canvas
      100 x 105 cm
      £ 7,000.00
    Close
    • Kirkland Main RSA Construction , 1978 Egg tempera on gesso laid on hardboard 60 x 42.5 cm
      Kirkland Main RSA
      Construction , 1978
      Egg tempera on gesso laid on hardboard
      60 x 42.5 cm
    • Kirkland Main RSA Z-Rod, c. 1970s Oil on canvas 216 x 178.5 cm
      Kirkland Main RSA
      Z-Rod, c. 1970s
      Oil on canvas
      216 x 178.5 cm
      £ 9,500.00
    • Kirkland Main RSA Shore-line, c. 1976 Oil on canvas 101 x 101 cm
      Kirkland Main RSA
      Shore-line, c. 1976
      Oil on canvas
      101 x 101 cm
      £ 7,000.00
    Close
    • Kirkland Main RSA Temenos, Kellie, c. 1993 Oil on canvas 95 x 60 cm
      Kirkland Main RSA
      Temenos, Kellie, c. 1993
      Oil on canvas
      95 x 60 cm
      £ 5,500.00
    • Kirkland Main RSA The Scottish Romantic Tradition, 2007 Oil on canvas 120.3 x 109.9 cm
      Kirkland Main RSA
      The Scottish Romantic Tradition, 2007
      Oil on canvas
      120.3 x 109.9 cm
    • Kirkland Main RSA Deconstruction, 2017 OIl on canvas 60 x 40 cm
      Kirkland Main RSA
      Deconstruction, 2017
      OIl on canvas
      60 x 40 cm
      £ 2,800.00
    • Kirkland Main RSA Excavation (Rough Castle Under Snow), 1985 Oil on canvas 152 x 182 cm
      Kirkland Main RSA
      Excavation (Rough Castle Under Snow), 1985
      Oil on canvas
      152 x 182 cm
      £ 17,000.00
    Close
  • DAVID EVANS RSA (1942-2020)

    • David Evans RSA 3pm at Newhaven, c. 2019 Acrylic 84 x 106 cm
      David Evans RSA
      3pm at Newhaven, c. 2019
      Acrylic
      84 x 106 cm
    • David Evans RSA Pictures for Sale Acrylic 56 x 67 cm
      David Evans RSA
      Pictures for Sale
      Acrylic
      56 x 67 cm
    • David Evans RSA Blue Sheds in Leith Acrylic 50 x 74 cm
      David Evans RSA
      Blue Sheds in Leith
      Acrylic
      50 x 74 cm
    Close
    • David Evans RSA Casino Acrylic 74 x 82 cm
      David Evans RSA
      Casino
      Acrylic
      74 x 82 cm
    • David Evans RSA Reception, 1981 Oil on canvas 107 x 135 cm
      David Evans RSA
      Reception, 1981
      Oil on canvas
      107 x 135 cm
    Close
    • David Evans RSA Happy Birthday Mr President Oil on canvas 81 x 66 cm
      David Evans RSA
      Happy Birthday Mr President
      Oil on canvas
      81 x 66 cm
    • David Evans RSA Summer Mirage, c. 1984 Oil on canvas 107 x 126.5 cm
      David Evans RSA
      Summer Mirage, c. 1984
      Oil on canvas
      107 x 126.5 cm
    • David Evans RSA Fight Night, 1989 Oil on canvas 74 x 82 cm
      David Evans RSA
      Fight Night, 1989
      Oil on canvas
      74 x 82 cm
    Close
    • David Evans RSA The Valley from Pant-yr-Eske, 1960 Gouache 69.5 x 92.5 cm
      David Evans RSA
      The Valley from Pant-yr-Eske, 1960
      Gouache
      69.5 x 92.5 cm
    • David Evans RSA Beadnell, Northumberland 30th/31st August, 1998 Pencil on paper 60 x 67 cm
      David Evans RSA
      Beadnell, Northumberland 30th/31st August, 1998
      Pencil on paper
      60 x 67 cm
    • David Evans RSA Untitled 4, c. 1960s Gouache 52.5 x 62.5 cm
      David Evans RSA
      Untitled 4, c. 1960s
      Gouache
      52.5 x 62.5 cm
    Close
  • JAMES MORRISON RSA (1932-2020)

    • James Morrison RSA Rossie Braes, 1987 Oil on gesso board 81 x 150 cm
      James Morrison RSA
      Rossie Braes, 1987
      Oil on gesso board
      81 x 150 cm
    • James Morrison RSA Clear and Cold, Otto Fiord II, 1992 Oil on board 86.5 x 147.5 cm
      James Morrison RSA
      Clear and Cold, Otto Fiord II, 1992
      Oil on board
      86.5 x 147.5 cm
      £ 15,000.00
    • James Morrison RSA From the Col de L'Iserans, 1991 Oil on board 92 x 152 cm
      James Morrison RSA
      From the Col de L'Iserans, 1991
      Oil on board
      92 x 152 cm
    Close
    • James Morrison RSA For John, 1959 Oil on board 29 x 143.5 cm
      James Morrison RSA
      For John, 1959
      Oil on board
      29 x 143.5 cm
    • James Morrison RSA Landscape, 1979 Oil on board 89.5 x 151 cm
      James Morrison RSA
      Landscape, 1979
      Oil on board
      89.5 x 151 cm
    • James Morrison RSA Dunes, c. 1969 Ink and casein on board 61 x 195 cm
      James Morrison RSA
      Dunes, c. 1969
      Ink and casein on board
      61 x 195 cm
    • James Morrison RSA Boat, 1958 Ink and wash on paper 38.5 x 42 cm
      James Morrison RSA
      Boat, 1958
      Ink and wash on paper
      38.5 x 42 cm
    • James Morrison RSA Crown Terrace, 1959 Oil on canvas 109 x 1127 cm
      James Morrison RSA
      Crown Terrace, 1959
      Oil on canvas
      109 x 1127 cm
    • James Morrison RSA Montreathmont Forest, 1990 Oil on board 58 x 149.5 cm
      James Morrison RSA
      Montreathmont Forest, 1990
      Oil on board
      58 x 149.5 cm
    Close
  • ALAN ROBB (1946-2020)

    • Alan Robb RSA Ze Palladio, 2010 Acrylic on linen 56 x 56 cm
      Alan Robb RSA
      Ze Palladio, 2010
      Acrylic on linen
      56 x 56 cm
      £ 3,500.00
    • Alan Robb RSA I Live Now, 1999-2000 Oil on linen 168 x 184 cm
      Alan Robb RSA
      I Live Now, 1999-2000
      Oil on linen
      168 x 184 cm
    • Alan Robb RSA Empty Beach with Tanker, 1995 Oil on linen 156 x 140 cm
      Alan Robb RSA
      Empty Beach with Tanker, 1995
      Oil on linen
      156 x 140 cm
      £ 9,000.00
    • Alan Robb RSA Wanderlust, 2019 Acrylic on linen 152 x 122 cm
      Alan Robb RSA
      Wanderlust, 2019
      Acrylic on linen
      152 x 122 cm
    • Alan Robb RSA Clip Strip, 1978-2011 Acrylic on canvas 182.5 x 162.2 cm
      Alan Robb RSA
      Clip Strip, 1978-2011
      Acrylic on canvas
      182.5 x 162.2 cm
    • Alan Robb RSA OM Elephant Temple, 2018 Acrylic on linen 145 x 180 cm
      Alan Robb RSA
      OM Elephant Temple, 2018
      Acrylic on linen
      145 x 180 cm
      £ 12,000.00
    • Alan Robb RSA Hoppy Dolls – Mexico/Brasil - Votos Drawing on Arches paper 75 x 62 cm
      Alan Robb RSA
      Hoppy Dolls – Mexico/Brasil - Votos
      Drawing on Arches paper
      75 x 62 cm
      £ 1,250.00
    • Alan Robb RSA Oxala, 2008 Acrylic on board 50 x 65 cm
      Alan Robb RSA
      Oxala, 2008
      Acrylic on board
      50 x 65 cm
      £ 3,500.00
    • Alan Robb RSA Ex Votos - Brasil Drawing on Arches paper 76 x 62 cm
      Alan Robb RSA
      Ex Votos - Brasil
      Drawing on Arches paper
      76 x 62 cm
      £ 1,250.00
    • Alan Robb RSA Ebu Babba/Soul in Purgatory, 2005 Water-based media on paper 26 x 20 cm
      Alan Robb RSA
      Ebu Babba/Soul in Purgatory, 2005
      Water-based media on paper
      26 x 20 cm
      £ 1,950.00
    • Alan Robb RSA Crucifix of Artesans , 2004 Water-based media on paper 26 x 20 cm
      Alan Robb RSA
      Crucifix of Artesans , 2004
      Water-based media on paper
      26 x 20 cm
      £ 1,950.00
    • Alan Robb RSA Loganede / Transgender, 2006 Water-based media on paper 26 x 20 cm
      Alan Robb RSA
      Loganede / Transgender, 2006
      Water-based media on paper
      26 x 20 cm
      £ 1,950.00
    Close
  • Free Online Event

    20th Century Boys – an online discussion

    Thursday 4 November at 7pm on Zoom

     

    Join RSA Director, Colin Greenslade, as he examines the work of painters David Evans RSA, Alexander Fraser RSA, Kirkland Main RSA, James Morrison RSA and Alan Robb RSA. He will discuss how they collectively gives a snapshot of mid-late 20th-century painting and how as tutors they have influenced generations of new talent.

    Book here.

Royal Scottish Academy of Art & Architecture  The Mound  Edinburgh  EH2 2EL

exhibitions@royalscottishacademy.org     royalscottishacademy.org

Scottish Charity No. SC004198

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