This autumn the City Art Centre and the National Trust for Scotland present E. A. Hornel: From Camera to Canvas, which is the first major exhibition of the work of Scottish artist Edward Atkinson Hornel(1864–1933) for over 35 years. The exhibition will re-evaluate his paintings in light of his extensive photographic collection.
This extensive collection is usually housed at the National Trust for Scotland property, Broughton House in Kirkcudbright, that was Hornel’s home from 1901–33. It includes 1,700 photographs that were either collected by Hornel from friends and contacts, purchased commercially or taken or posed them himself then used to create his paintings. They were taken in Scotland and while travelling in Japan, Sri Lanka and Myanmar and give an insight to their influence on the development of Hornel’s artistic technique.
The exhibition, E. A. Hornel: From Camera to Canvas, also features paintings from the City Art Centre’s Scottish art collection and is part of the Trust’s Morton Photography Project, supported by the Morton Charitable Trust, as well as being included in the Japan-UK Season of Culture 2019-2020.
Ben Reiss, curator for the National Trust for Scotland’s Morton Photography Project said “We are very lucky, in looking at Hornel’s work, to have such an incredible insight into the pivotal way that he used photography to create his paintings. Our collections at Broughton House are unique and this exhibition gives us an opportunity to share these much more widely. Exhibiting Hornel’s paintings and photographs together will let the public see, perhaps for the first time, Hornel’s artistic process and attitudes, as he worked to create the idealised images which sold so well.”
In keeping with Government advice, the City Art Centre has introduced a range of new safety measures and procedures throughout the venue, including a one way system, installation of screens at reception, hand sanitiser stations, extra barriers and signage and staff will of course be wearing coverings.
E. A. Hornel: From Camera to Canvas opens on Saturday 7 November 2020, and runs until 14 March 2021.
Visitors are asked to wear face coverings and to pre-book free tickets for allocated time slots in advance via the Edinburgh Museums website.
Irene Brown
Radio Summerhall Arts 