Duncan Shanks can be accepted as one of Scotland’s greatest living painters and The Scottish Gallery is delighted to present an exhibition of new work to coincide with the Edinburgh Festival this August. Working from his home in the Clyde Valley, Duncan Shanks finds his subject in his wild riverside garden, painting the changing seasons with an emotional engagement that chronicles the constant cycle of loss and renewal. The artist writes: My subject is nature and the Transience of Nature. To find that which endures in that which fades. To paint not just the objects, not just the tree, the flower, the cloud and the bird, but how they move and change in time.
Duncan Shanks was born in Airdrie in 1937 and trained and taught at Glasgow School of Art. His works are held in numerous public and private collections, including The University of St Andrews, Arts Council Collection, The Hunterian, Southbank Centre and the Fleming Collection.
To accompany the exhibition The Gallery will be publishing a fully illustrated exhibition catalogue and releasing two new films offering further insight into the studio practice of this important working artist. The exhibition will also be supported by a series of events running throughout the month. The Scottish Gallery celebrates its 180th Anniversary in 2022 and we are thrilled to present the work of Duncan Shanks for our main Festival exhibition this year.
2022 marks The Scottish Gallery’s 180th Anniversary, and Shanks’ solo exhibition is presented alongside new work from Kirsten Coelho.
