Hidden Gems opens at Edinburgh’s City Art Centre on Saturday 7 October 2017
Showcasing 50 artworks from the City Art Centre’s collection that have rarely – and in some cases never – been seen before by the public, an exhibition opening at the City Art Centre this weekend will shine a spotlight on Edinburgh’s lesser-known treasures.
Free to visit, Hidden Gems will include artworks by famous names such as Lucien Pissarro, Man Ray, Joshua Reynolds and F.C.B Cadell, as well as lesser-known figures such as Bessie MacNicol, John Sheriff and Cecile Walton.
The display will also bring several new acquisitions to public view for the first time, including significant works by Scottish artists Morris Grassie, Anthony Hatwell and Nicol Laidlaw.
Spanning over 200 years from the 18th century to the present day, this rich and eclectic selection of historic and modern art covers a range of media, from oil paintings and sculptures, to tapestries and artists’ books.
Councillor Donald Wilson, Edinburgh’s Culture and Communities Convener, said: “The City Art Centre’s fine art collection is recognised as being of national importance and features over 4,800 items. While famous old favourites are exhibited often, this exhibition is an opportunity to showcase some of the collection’s hidden gems. It features many beautiful artworks of different eras, genres and styles. We are really looking forward to sharing them for the first time.”
City Art Centre Curator of Fine Art, Dr Helen Scott, added: “Some of these pieces are stand-alone artworks that do not fit easily into thematic or chronological displays. Others represent unfamiliar periods in artists’ careers, or are by artists who were successful in their day but are now virtually forgotten. Celebrating the unsung and the unusual, this exhibition has been a joy to curate. It should be a rich and varied display featuring some artworks which have, simply, never had a chance to shine.”
Hidden Gems
7 October 2017 to 13 May 2018
City Art Centre, Edinburgh
Free Admission
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