.jpeg?width=1200&auto=webp&quality=75&trim=1416,0,1416,0&crop= "University art collection featuring work by Scottish Colourist formally recognised by nation")
The collection is one of around 55 across the country which have been formally recognised
A university art collection which includes 14 works by Scottish Colourist John Duncan Fergusson, which were gifted by the artist’s partner after his death, has been named as one of the country’s finest collections.
The collection, at the University of Stirling, is made up of more than 800 paintings, prints and sculptures and other artworks, has been granted National Significance Status. It also includes art by David Shrigley, Ken Currie, Christine Borland and Alison Watt.
The works by Fergusson, who lived from 1874 to 1961 and was a principal artist in the Scottish Colourists – who became known for combining French impressionist techniques with Scottish themes – were gifted to the university by the artist’s lifelong partner Margaret Morris seven years after his death. National Significance Status is granted by Museums Galleries Scotland on behalf of the Scottish Government.
Sarah Bromage, head of collections at the University of Stirling, said: “We are thrilled to be recognised in this way by Museums Galleries Scotland. We believe the University of Stirling is a unique place to study, work and visit. It is an honour to be able to make art and culture a part of everyday life here, enabling exchanges between art, research and teaching through an active programme of exhibitions and events.”
The collection of fourteen of Fergusson’s paintings gifted to the university was chosen to represent all periods of his life from his very early Bazaar in Tangiers, painted in 1897, to A Bridge on the Kelvin, from 1942.
Keith Brown, MSP for Clackmannanshire and Dunblane, said: “I was delighted to join the university in celebrating this well-deserved recognition. As both the local MSP and a member of the Scottish Parliament’s Culture Committee, I know the enormous contribution that culture makes to education, wellbeing, and community life.
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“What makes the University of Stirling’s Art Collection so special is that it has never been simply about acquiring great works of art. Since the University’s foundation, there has been a clear commitment to making culture part of everyday life – enriching learning, inspiring curiosity and welcoming the wider community onto the campus.”
He added: “This Collection of National Significance award recognises not only the outstanding quality of the collection itself, but the University’s long-standing vision that art should be accessible to everyone. It is a tremendous achievement for the university, for the dedicated Collections team, and for the wider Stirling and Clackmannanshire community, who can rightly take pride in having one of Scotland’s nationally significant collections on their doorstep.”
The majority of works are in the university’s Pathfoot Building with sculpture on display all around the campus.
The team behind the art collection holds regular exhibitions, workshops and tours, works with students on art-related projects, and runs an artist in residence programme, all of which are designed to incorporate and reflect the University of Stirling’s pioneering research.
Nationally Significant Collections are named once every three years by Museums Galleries Scotland on behalf of the Scottish government. Scotland has around 55 collections of national significance located across the country. Recognised collections include the chair in which Robert Burns wrote his last poems and the world’s oldest national football trophy.
