Lavery on Location has gathered some of the important Irish artist’s most notable paintings in Edinburgh, and the range of work shows the extent of his travels in Europe and America.
Around 20 of the art works have been sourced from private collections and so are not always on public view. The National Galleries of Scotland (NGS) say that these 20 paintings by the Glasgow Boy will be exclusively on display at the Royal Scottish Academy. This is the third leg of a tour which is being arranged in partnership with the National Gallery of Ireland and National Museums NI in Belfast.
Lavery was born in Belfast where his father ran a small wine and spirits shop. But at the age of three Lavery was orphaned and then went to live first with his uncle at Moira before moving at the age of ten to live with a distant relative in Saltcoats where he was educated. And then he ran away to Glasgow at 15 where he hoped to work on the railways but could not compute the timetables. He enrolled at the Haldane Academy and finished his training at the Académie Julian in Paris.
Lavery was born in Belfast where his father ran a small wine and spirits shop. But at the age of three Lavery was orphaned and then went to live first with his uncle at Moira before moving at the age of ten to live with a distant relative in Saltcoats in Ayrshire where he was educated. And then he ran away to Glasgow at age 15 where he hoped to work on the railways – but could not compute the timetables. He enrolled at the Haldane Academy, later the Glasgow School of Art, and finished his training at the Académie Julian in Paris. He particularly enjoyed living in Glasgow which he found to be a vibrant city.
There are paintings in the exhibition of beautiful seascapes from Tangiers (where Lavery lived with his second wife Hazel for 20 years) loaned by the Ulster Museum, and portraits such as Idonia in Morocco from Glasgow Museums and Hazel in Black and Gold from the Laing Art Gallery. Move through the exhibition to experience the glamour of a lost era, with visits to the races, tennis matches and the golf course or simply relaxing on warm days with his family and friends.
Lavery learned his craft along with a number of his fellow Scottish students at the colony of Grez-sur-Loing, near Fontainebleau, which is the focus of the first room, showing how important his stay there was.
The staging of this exhibition is a very peaceful one extending to all the rooms at the RSA and gives every painting room to breathe and be appreciated.
Do take note of the oil sketches for the Glasgow International Exhibition of 1888 – which is when Lavery was asked to paint the State Visit of Queen Victoria. He painted the scenes from photographs and also asked the people in them to come to his studio where he painted individual portraits to ensure they were correctly depicted.
He was the Official War Artist and there are scenes from hospitals, submarine pens and air raids during the First World War. His devotion to recording everyday life takes viewers back to a bygone time.
His wife Hazel Martin, was an important muse featuring in the painting below. She was herself a talented artist and a model. She helped him to integrate into the upper echelons of society – particularly as she was a really good hostess and welcoming of all their guests.
The exhibition runs from 20 July to 27 October 2024 at National Galleries of Scotland’s summer exhibition in the Royal Scottish Academy building.
An Irish Impressionist: Lavery on Location
National Galleries of Scotland exhibition at the Royal Scottish Academy
20 July–27 October 2024
Admission £5 – £19
An Irish Impressionist | Lavery on Location | National Galleries of Scotland
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