The Vigorous Imagination

then & now

Roger Billcliffe Gallery, Glasgow & The Fine Art Society, Edinburgh

Opening October 27th, 2017

Close November 18th, 2017

This year marks the 30th anniversary of the ground-breaking exhibition ‘The Vigorous

Imagination: New Scottish Art’ presented at the Scottish National Gallery of Modern

Art in 1987 as the lead Edinburgh International Festival art exhibition.

Two shows will celebrate this event this coming autumn: The Fine Art Society in

Edinburgh (opening on October 26) and Roger Billcliffe Gallery, Glasgow (opening on

October 27) will run concurrent exhibitions, which grew out of discussions between

Roger Billcliffe and Clare Henry, one of the original team of selectors.

In 1987, The Vigorous Imagination showcased the works of 17 young artists who

were making waves on the international art scene, featuring the powerful new wave

of figurative art then prevalent. These included the ‘New Glasgow Boys’: Steven

Campbell, Peter Howson, Ken Currie, Adrian Wiszniewski; renowned sculptor David

Mach; photographer-installations artists Calum Colvin and Ron O'Donnell, and painters

Sam Ainsley, Philip Braham, Gwen Hardie, Ian Hughes, Keith McIntyre, June Redfern,

Mario Rossi, Joseph Urie & Kate Whiteford. It was a proud pronouncement that visual

art in Scotland was vibrant, intelligent and in touch with the zeitgeist which swept

across Europe during the 1980’s. Since then, many of the artists have become

household names.

This group came to influence the wider artistic landscape in Scotland and beyond and

The Vigorous Imagination paved the way for the current crop of international artists

whose fame attests to the vibrancy of Glasgow as a pivotal centre for contemporary

art.

The exhibition at the Roger Billcliffe Gallery will concentrate on recent and current

work by all of the artists, except for the recently deceased Steven Campbell and Ian

Hughes who will be represented by historical pieces.

Contact

Roger Billcliffe roger@billcliffegallery.com

Michael Corsar michael@billcliffegallery.com

Emily Walsh Emily@fasedinburgh.com

Camilla Riva Camilla@fasedinburgh.com