National Treasure: The Scottish Modern Arts Association
21 May – 16 October 2022
Free Admission
This weekend, Edinburgh’s City Art Centre opens a major new exhibition showcasing the collection of the Scottish Modern Arts Association – the most comprehensive display of this unique group of artworks in a generation.
National Treasure: The Scottish Modern Arts Association tells the story of this pioneering 20th century organisation and the collection it created.
Featuring over 100 artworks, it includes famous and lesser-known pieces by the Scottish Colourists and the Glasgow Boys, as well as key works by individuals such as William McTaggart, James Cadenhead, John Duncan, Bessie MacNicol, DY Cameron, David Muirhead Bone, Josephine Haswell Miller, Anne Redpath, William Gillies, John Maxwell and Joan Eardley.
The Scottish Modern Arts Association was founded in Edinburgh in 1907. Established by artists and their supporters, the organisation aimed to secure for the nation a representative collection of modern Scottish art. For more than fifty years, it actively acquired work by leading artists of the day, building an outstanding collection of more than 300 paintings, drawings, prints and sculptures.
The Association displayed its artworks at venues around the UK and abroad, lending pieces to museums and galleries, as well as mounting touring exhibitions. It organised events to promote contemporary Scottish art, and campaigned tirelessly for a dedicated gallery. Members aspired to pave the way towards a national collection of modern art, at a time when the National Galleries of Scotland was reluctant to collect or exhibit the work of living artists.
When the Association finally disbanded in the early 1960s, the majority of the collection was transferred into the care of the City of Edinburgh. The artworks are now maintained by the City Art Centre, forming the heart of the City’s municipal fine art collection.
National Treasure is a major two-floor exhibition presenting the highlights of the Scottish Modern Arts Association’s collection. Revealing some of the finest examples of Scottish art from the late 19th and early 20th centuries, it celebrates the remarkable creativity of the era.
Curator Dr Helen Scott said:
The exhibition National Treasure is opening on 21 May – exactly 116 years to the day since the initial meeting took place at the home of the artist James Cadenhead which led to the establishment of the Scottish Modern Arts Association.
The Association isn’t much remembered today, but during its 57-year existence it did some fantastic work. It supported the careers of many contemporary artists, it laid the groundwork for the creation of the Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art, and it developed an amazing art collection – preserving hundreds of paintings, drawings, prints and sculptures for future generations. Many of these artworks are individually famous, but this is the first time since the 1960s that such a large number of them have been brought together for a single exhibition. And very few people know how they came to be acquired in the first place. I’m really looking forward to sharing the fascinating story of the Scottish Modern Arts Association with visitors.
Joan Parr, Service Director Culture and Wellbeing for the City of Edinburgh Council, said:
We are delighted to present National Treasure at the City Art Centre as part of Edinburgh Art Festival 2022. Over two floors, this major exhibition celebrates Scottish art at the dawn of modernism.
For over 50 years, the Scottish Modern Arts Association collected works by leading artists of the day and created a creative and varied collection of prints, drawings and paintings. It has been in our care since the 1960s and visitors will be able to discover these works once more this summer.
I’d like to reassure people that we will continue to take measures to ensure the safety of visitors and our staff, and we will adhere to the latest public guidance.
National Treasure: The Scottish Modern Arts Association is being presented as part of Edinburgh Art Festival 2022.
The exhibition is accompanied by a varied programme of public events and activities, both in-person and digital. For up-to-date information about events, and details of how to book, please visit our Museums & Galleries Edinburgh website.
National Treasure: The Scottish Modern Arts Association opens on Saturday 21 May 2022, and runs until 16 October 2022. Admission is free.