Edinburgh’s City Art Centre, home to the City’s collection of historic and contemporary Scottish art, presents a two-floor exhibition of works entitled Jock McFadyen Goes to the Pictures to mark the 70th birthday of contemporary artist Jock McFadyen RA. This major exhibition showcases new and existing paintings by McFadyen, whose career has spanned over four decades, paired alongside artworks specifically selected by the artist from the City Art Centre’s rich and varied collection.
McFadyen was born in Paisley in 1950 and as a teenager went to Saturday morning classes at Glasgow School of Art. Aged 15, he moved to England and attended Chelsea School of Art in London from 1973 to 1977. His work from the 1980s is mostly associated with figurative painting, often featuring marginalised members of society in Chicago, New York, Berlin, Belfast, London and Edinburgh. However, since the 1990s his paintings have largely focused on man-made landscapes such as dilapidated industrial sites, abandoned buildings and deserted streets.
City Art Centre Curator Maeve Toal said, “It has been a real pleasure to collaborate with Jock on the selection of works for the exhibition. It was a difficult task as there were so many great combinations of artworks to choose from. However, by displaying them side-by-side it has provided us with an opportunity to showcase Jock’s paintings and the City Art Centre’s collection in a fresh and exciting context.”
Opening on 14 November, this exhibition by McFadyen will display his urban and rural landscapes, as well as some of his figurative paintings. Over the last year McFadyen has regularly visited the picture stores to select works for the show. His choices range from works renowned Scottish artists such as F. C. B. Cadell and Alan Davie, to ones that have rarely been seen by the public.
Jock McFadyen Goes to the Pictures, that runs from 14 November 2020 to 7 March 2021, is the first in a series of four shows celebrating McFadyen’s work. It will be followed by Jock McFadyen: Tourist without a Guidebookat The Royal Academy of Arts, London that runs from February to 11 April 2021; Jock McFadyen: Lost Boat Party that runs from 11 June to 25 September 2021, a collaboration between Dovecot Studios and the Scottish Gallery at the Dovecot Studios, Edinburgh and ending withJock McFadyen Goes to The Lowry at The Lowry, Salford whose dates are yet to be confirmed.
Jock McFadyen Goes to the Pictures opens on Saturday 14 November 2020, and runs until 7 March 2021. Admission is free, pre-booking online essential via edinburghmuseums.org.uk
The City Art Centre is also running a series of Associated Events whose details can be found on their website. Booking is essential for all events.
Irene Brown
Radio Summerhall Arts 