RARELY seen works of an “unheralded” Scottish artist are to be showcased in a new exhibition.
City Art Centre in Edinburgh, in partnership with An Lanntair in Stornoway, will present Islander: The Paintings of Donald Smith.
The landmark display is the first major retrospective of the work of Scottish artist Donald Smith.
Born in rural Lewis in 1926, Smith was described by Gray’s School of Art Principal Ian Fleming in 1958 as “unquestionably a man of great ability as an artist”.
His paintings acknowledged movements in Europe and America but remained local in their subject matter. From his studio on the west side of Lewis where he worked from 1974 to his death in 2014, his intense, lyrical images of island fishermen and women celebrate the human spirit.
In 2011, five of Smith’s paintings of Stornoway Harbour were exhibited at the City Art Centre in Window to the West, a look into the relationship between the visual arts and Gaelic language and culture. Murdo Macdonald at the time suggested a full evaluation of Smith’s prolific and focused work was overdue.
Councillor Donald Wilson, Edinburgh’s convener of culture and communities, said: “I’m delighted that the City Art Centre is able to showcase this fantastic exhibition of the rarely seen works of Donald Smith. Islander will allow visitors to discover the man behind the works celebrating the power of the human spirit.”
Councillor Amy McNeese-Mechan added: “This is a really exciting opportunity to showcase a Scottish artist whose work will be new to many people. It’s been fantastic to welcome our visitors back to the centre and this is another great exhibition for them to explore.”
Curator David Patterson said: “The City Art Centre has made a deliberate attempt in recent years to showcase Scottish artists who have largely been overlooked in the story of Scottish art. We are therefore delighted to be partnering with An Lanntair in Stornoway to shine the spotlight on another unheralded painter.”
The exhibition will run from May 29 to September 26 and visitors are asked to pre-book free tickets in advance via edinburghmuseums.org.uk
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