An exhibition of Man Ray portraits, an Annie Lennox retrospective, and an exhibition of new works by Ken Currie are among the highlights of the Scottish National Portrait Gallery’s 2013 programme.
The Gallery is delighted to announce that Annie Lennox, one of the nation’s most internationally acclaimed singer-songwriters, will present her exhibition, The House of Annie Lennox early next year. Curated in partnership with the V&A and the artist herself, it will be given pride of place on the ground floor from the 23rd of March 2013. The exhibition focuses on the artist’s work over three decades, as an iconic performer, singer-songwriter, recording artist and political activist. Tracing her unique career from its early beginnings, the exhibition includes The Tourists, Eurythmics, and her solo work through to the present day, with an array of stunning photographs, iconic videos, and a dazzling selection of costumes taken from her personal archive.
The Robert Mapplethorpe Photography Gallery on the Portrait Gallery’s first floor showcases the Gallery’s outstanding holdings of Scottish and international photography, newly commissioned work and innovative displays and exhibitions. In 2013 the space will be the venue for two major exhibitions of mid-twentieth century photography. Man Ray Portraits, presented in collaboration with the National Portrait Gallery in London and supported by Baillie Gifford Investment Managers, is the first major museum retrospective of the highly influential artist’s photographic portraits and features over 100 works from his career in America and Paris, dating from 1916 to 1968. Drawn from collections, such as those of the Pompidou Centre, the J. Paul Getty Museum and New York’s The Museum of Modern Art and Metropolitan Museum of Art, the exhibition will demonstrate Man Ray’s central position among the leading artists of the Dada and Surrealist movements. It will feature portraits of lovers, friends and contemporaries, ranging from two of his most significant muses, Lee Miller and Kiki de Montparnasse, to fellow artists, Pablo Picasso and Salvador Dali, and American author, Ernest Hemingway. Running from 22 June 2013 to 8 September 2013, the exhibition will be a key highlight of the Gallery’s summer season. The show then travels to The Pushkin Museum of Fine Arts, Moscow.
Impressive photography of a different nature will be explored in Edith Tudor-Hart: In the Shadow of Tyranny. The Viennese-born photographer left Austria for Britain after being arrested for her political activities in 1933. Notoriously, she worked as an agent for the Soviets in both Austria and Britain (where she was involved in the recruitment of Anthony Blunt) and was pursued by the security services until her death in 1973. This exhibition, which runs from 2 March to 26 May 2013, will include remarkable black and white photographs that reflect the politically-charged atmosphere of interwar Vienna and Britain, along with Tudor-Hart’s later psychologically penetrating imagery of children, some of which were created in Scotland. The exhibition will transfer to Vienna.
Another highlight of the Gallery’s summer season will be an exhibition dedicated to the work of distinguished Glasgow-based contemporary artist, Ken Currie. One of the outstanding figurative painters of his generation, Currie is widely admired for his intensely powerful and provocative work, which includes his haunting, luminous painting Three Oncologists (2002) and the searing self-portrait Unfamiliar Reflection (2006) in the Gallery’s collection. Currie has always been fascinated by the work of artists such as Velázquez, Goya and David, and his own painting has often obliquely engaged with the traditions and concerns of old master portraiture.
On a lighter note, from February 2013 to May 2014 modern Scotland’s special contribution to the world of comedy will be celebrated in Tickling Jock: Comedy Greats from Sir Harry Lauder to Billy Connolly, supported by players of People’s Postcode Lottery. The exhibition will bring together images of 50 stars including Lex McLean, John Laurie, Molly Weir, Rikki Fulton, Jack Milroy, Stanley Baxter, Johnny Beattie, Una Maclean and Ronnie Corbett. Works from the Galleries’ twentieth-century collection will be supported by loans from the Scottish Theatre Archive (University of Glasgow), the Citizens Theatre and the King’s Theatre, Glasgow.
Dress and fashion will be at the heart of the Gallery’s events programme in 2013, though the fun starts early in December 2012 with Dressed to Thrill, a dynamic Friday night event in celebration of Scotland’s sartorial past. The splendour of the Gallery’s interior will provide a portal to the 16th and 17th centuries as the building is filled with live period music for a historical catwalk show with commentary from one of Britain’s greatest costume designers, Jenny Tiramani. Also on the bill is a talk on the clothes Mary Queen of Scots chose to wear on the day of her execution, by historical dress expert Professor Maria Hayward. Tickets for the 7th December event are on sale now.
The Director of the Scottish National Portrait Gallery, Christopher Baker, said: “Building on the great success of the re-developed Portrait Gallery we have created a rich programme of exhibitions and events which will draw many visitors to explore the Gallery’s incredible collection and the wonderful building which houses it. The exhibitions offer a wide range of inspiration – from the finest photography from around the world to the most brilliant contemporary Scottish painting and performance. ”
Scottish National Portrait Gallery
1 Queen Street, Edinburgh EH2 1JD
Telephone: 0131 624 6200
nationalgalleries.org
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