Portrait of a Gallery - The Scottish Gallery

gallery artists. Quality in art is not subject to
fashionable shifts beyond the vicissitudes of
the marketplace (which as market insiders
we seek to exploit in any case) and it is to this
we cleave in all our planning. In this we have a
treasure trove for a history and are delighted
to rediscover artists from our past, rekindle
and celebrate many of the trade relationships
we have enjoyed before and highlight some of
the stories which lend colour and humanity to
the process of display and sale which is still
the business of The Scottish Gallery.
It is firm gallery policy to look at any work
presented to us for consideration. If we stop
looking the whole process will grind to a halt.
In any year of our programme there should
be artists new to us. Some will be recent
graduates others might have served a longer
apprenticeship and have lived and worked
further afield. We are not a gallery which has
a narrowly defined exhibition policy preferring
to be the broad church which has been the
character of the many golden eras through our
long history.
In this short publication we are celebrating
a long and diverse history and tell some of
the stories which help illuminate all the art
we have displayed and sold over the decades.
We cannot attempt to include everything and
so must issue a blanket apology for all the
omissions, of which there are far more than
inclusions; after all for us the most important
show is the next one so we have at least
tried to present an element of a preview of
forthcoming shows. Perhaps there will be
an opportunity to publish a comprehensive
history and definitive reference book before
too long. Instead we have sought to include
some surprises and reminders of work not
associated with us today. Our history reflects
the taste of dozens of men and women who
have worked here, some for too long, some
for not long enough! Like our brilliant artists
our dedicated staff has, and will continue to,
guarantee more wonderful art and reasons to
love The Scottish Gallery.
Guy Peploe
Managing Director
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