William Scott

Berlin Blues series as shown at the Tate retrospective, 1972

It was 50 years ago that the retrospective exhibition William Scott: Paintings Drawings and Gouaches 1938-1971 was held at the Tate Gallery, London 19 April-29 May 1972.

This major exhibition was organised by Sir Alan Bowness in collaboration with the artist.

The Retrospective was designed by the artist’s son Robert Scott who set out the total layout and the wall positioning of every painting and drawing having made a scale model of the total installation.

He also designed the sophisticated overhead lighting grid which was to be used by the Tate in their main exhibition gallery for many years afterwards.

Sir Alan Bowness

Alan Bowness, William Scott: Paintings, Lund Humphries, London, 1964
Alan Bowness, William Scott: Paintings, Lund Humphries, London, 1964

We are sad to hear the news that Sir Alan Bowness has passed away. Sir Alan Bowness gave enormous support to the William Scott Foundation during the preparation of the Catalogue Raisonné, having an in depth knowledge on William Scott.

He had a close relationship with Scott and in 1972, Bowness in collaboration with the artist, organised the major retrospective exhibition at the Tate Gallery, William Scott, Paintings Drawings and Gouaches 1938–1971. The catalogue was written by Bowness and was his second text to appear on the artist. The first, in 1964, a Monograph on William Scott.

Six of the best catalogues raisonnés

William Scott Catalogue Raisonné of Oil Paintings

The William Scott Catalogue Raisonné of Oil Paintings is  one of the essential texts on leading artist selected by Anna Brady.

This hefty four-volume catalogue raisonné was published to mark the centenary of the British artist’s birth. Containing more than 1,000 paintings completed by Scott between 1928 and 1986, the catalogue took six years to compile and draws on material from the Scott family archive, including many previously unpublished letters. Continue reading “Six of the best catalogues raisonnés”

Art Crush

Dark Brown, Orange and White, 1963

The designers behind a new app hope their work will give unique and easy access to some of the country’s greatest art treasures.

The free app, Art Crush, has been developed by Newcastle-based digital design agency Bloom as part of Sunderland Culture’s prestigious partnership with Arts Council Collection (ACC), the National Partners Programme. Sunderland Museum and Winter Gardens is one of only three galleries nationwide chosen to host artwork from the Arts Council Collection, an important national loan collection of modern and contemporary British Art.
The app will showcase works from the ACC, which includes art by William Scott. Continue reading “Art Crush”

Ludovic de Walden

Ludovic de Walden

It is with great sadness that the William Scott Foundation has lost Trustee Ludovic de Walden “Ludo” on 2 November 2020 after a short battle with COVID-19.

Ludo gave us enormous support and resolved numerous intellectual property issues, his knowledge, guidance and gregariousness will be hugely missed.

Julian Bream

Julian Bream at Hallatrow, 1958. Photograph © James Scott

The distinguished classical guitarist Julian Bream died on 14 August. He had a wide range of interests outside music and was renowned for his fine collection of 19th and 20th century British art.  He was a friend of William and Mary Scott and is pictured here having tea with the Scotts at Hallatrow in these photos taken by James Scott in 1958.

Mary Scott, Julian Bream and William Scott with a sculpture by Robert Scott in the foreground. Photograph © James Scott

William Scott: abstracting and appreciating the everyday

To some art critics, the twentieth-century British artist William Scott‘s kitchen-table still lifes are too timid – as Roberta Smith wrote in The New York Times, they can be seen as ‘abstract paintings for people who don’t like abstraction’. Others, myself included, find them enticingly reduced and for the most part easily readable, which is part of their charm.

Read Chloë Ashby’s article by clicking on the link below

https://artuk.org/discover/stories/william-scott-abstracting-and-appreciating-the-everyday

BBC Radio Ulster Radio

To mark William Scott’s birthday, BBC Radio Ulster Radio played an interview from 1979, when Scott was interviewed by Robin Harris.  You can listen to it here:

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/p083g6nz

BBC Radio Ulster Radio also played an interview with Scott’s nephew Cardwell McClure, which can be heard here

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/p083gjg2

A Portadown man’s connection with the artist William Scott can be listened to here:

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/p0836zxt

Photographs on BBC Radio Ulster’s website of Scott can be seen here:

https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p083d0s2/p083d07w

 

Three works by British Modernist Artists Gifted to the Nation

William Scott, Small Cornish Landscape, c.1953
The works, including a William Scott painting, will go on display in February 2020
The donation has been made through the Government’s Cultural Gifts Scheme

A sculpture by Dame Barbara Hepworth (1903-1975), a sculpture by Denis Mitchell (1912-1993) and a painting by William Scott CBE RA (1913-1989) have been acquired for the nation through the Cultural Gifts Scheme, administered by the Arts Council. Continue reading “Three works by British Modernist Artists Gifted to the Nation”