Paintings by John Bellany, Alison Watt, Callum Innes and Ken Currie on show in Kirkcaldy
Striking work by four acclaimed modern and contemporary Scottish artists is on show at Kirkcaldy Galleries.
The exhibition called ‘Collecting the Contemporary’ features paintings by John Bellany, Alison Watt, Callum Innes and Ken Currie. Three of the works – a figurative painting by Watt, an abstract by Innes and an abstract piece by Ken Currie – are being shown at the venue for the first time.
A fourth painting, an oil by John Bellany, appears in Kirkcaldy for the second time, having previously proven popular when exhibited on loan.
Watt’s Figures in a Classroom (1984), Currie’s National Stadium (2000), Innes’s Intense White (2002) and Bellany’s The Family (1970) became part of the Fife collection two years ago under the UK Government’s Cultural Gifts Scheme.
Kirkcaldy Galleries’ wealth of paintings is partly thanks to the superb collection of Kirkcaldy linen manufacturer J W Blyth, the maternal grandfather of broadcaster Michael Portillo. Kirkcaldy Town Council bought 116 works in 1964, placing it in public hands. The art collection has since expanded and now includes around 2000 oils, watercolours, prints and drawings.
Lily Barnes, display curator, said: “We’re fortunate to have such a fantastic collection in Kirkcaldy – indeed, John Blyth often referred to it as ‘The Tate of the North’ in lectures.
“The collection has evolved over the past 100 years, building on its strengths but also branching into new directions. It’s great to mark the centenary with more modern works and, in some ways, that seems appropriate. Many of the paintings in the collection that we now think of as traditional would have been considered contemporary and eyebrow-raising when the gallery opened.”
Kirkcaldy Museum and Art Gallery opened on June 27, 1925 as part of the town's War Memorial, with a library extension being added in 1928. Construction was funded by the chairman of the town’s largest linoleum company, John Nairn.
The building underwent major refurbishments in 1996 and 2013. Its collection, now managed by cultural charity OnFife on behalf of Fife Council, continues to develop, building on foundations laid a century ago. Plans are under way to mark the centenary next year with a series of events.