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This summer, the Pier Arts Centre will celebrate the life and work of Sir William George Gillies RSA (1898-1973) with an exhibition of paintings, drawings and associated photographs, archives and objects from across his career.

Modernism and Nation: William Gillies and his Contemporaries opens on Saturday 22 June and will run until 17 August 2024. The exhibition in Stromness is part of a National tour, curated by the Royal Scottish Academy (RSA) and funded by Museums Galleries Scotland (MGS).

Marking the 125th anniversary of Gillies' birth and the 50th anniversary of his death, Modernism and Nation will bring together a select group of Gillies’ paintings in still life, portraiture and landscape. The exhibition at the Pier Art Centre also includes key works by some of Gillies’ fellow RSA Academicians including, William Crozier, Anne Redpath, Dr Ian Fleming, Dame Elizabeth Blackadder, Sir William MacTaggart and John Maxwell.

Thanks to the Sir William Gillies Bequest, made in 1973, the RSA holds the world’s most extensive collection of Gillies’ work. The exhibition at the Pier Arts Centre accompanies the main tour with varied works chosen in reference to the Pier’s own collection.

G.1991.586 William G Gillies_Harbour Scene, St Monans (AP)

Throughout his career Gillies explored and developed different approaches to his painting, absorbing European Modernism and redirecting it through an art that was connected to his personal experiences. Experimenting with Cubism after studying in Paris, the revelatory discovery of Edvard Munch opened doors to further Modernist influences. The results emerged over the next 30 years and across the full range of his practice – in portraiture, still life and landscape – as he strived to find a voice through his painting. Gillies is recognised as one of the most influential Scottish artists of the twentieth century. As Principal of Edinburgh College of Art, he inspired generations of painters and shaped modern Scottish painting.

The accompanying publication William Gillies: Modernism and Nation in British Art by Andrew McPherson, is available at the Pier Arts Centre shop, RRP £25.

The tour of Modernism and Nation is also visiting Rozelle House, Hawick Museum, Perth Art Gallery, Taigh Chearsabhagh, Inverness Art Gallery, Gracefield Arts Centre, and Kirkcudbright Galleries.

The Pier Arts Centre summer opening times are Monday to Saturday 10.30am-5pm. Admission is free.

, Visit Orkney, Life in Orkney, Culture & Events, Leisure & Sport, Stromness