ART LISTINGS
l Allan Ramsay Until 23 Jun. One ofthe " famous ‘Monro dynasty" ofphysicians.
Alexander Monro was instrumental in
5 setting up the Royal Infirmary and thanks i to his work. Edinburgh took over from
Leyden as the worldlzentre ofntedical teaching. Lunchtime talk: Wed 10Apr. 12.45pm.
Scottish Photographers Ahmad Until 23 June.
I OUEEH'S HALL Clerk Street. Box Office
668 2019. Mon-Sat 10am—5pm. Cafe. Flags forthe Land of the Prisoner of Conscience Until 5 May. A collection of bold and colourful banners featuring the faces of prisoners ofconscience as well as some paperworks on the theme of flags— all the creation of tapestry-maker. Joanne Soroka.
I RICHARD DEMARCO GALLERY Blackfriars Church. Blackfriars Street (off High Street). 5570707. Mon—Sat 10am—6pm.
Margaret Gardiner— Thomas Merton: A
3 Correspondence Until 3 May. An
American Cistercian monk and acclaimed writer. Merton struck up a correspondence with Gardiner after
3 signing a full-page condemnation ofthe Vietnam war placed by her in The Times.
This exhibition takes their correspondence as a starting-point fora celebration of anti-war protest and includes a collection of posters by the photomontagist. Peter Kennard.
Man inthe Universe Until 31 Apr. Entries from the Science Festival competition. in which artists were asked to consider the theme of ‘The Human Body‘ in the lightof Leonardo da Vinci‘s thoughts on the subject.
Tomasz Paclewski 21 Apr—3 May. A Polish printmaker in the European Humanist tradition. Paclewski weds technical style to a deep sense of compassion — all with a specifically Polish dimension.
I ROYAL BOTAHIC GARDENS Inverleith Row. 552 7171. Mon—Sat 9am—sunset; Sun Ham—sunset. Cafe. [D].
Living in a Rainforest Until 13 Dec. A Borneo-style forest house. containing many south-east Asian artefacts. reconstructed in the Botanics’ Exhibition Hall.
Vanishing Paradise Until 13 Dec. Stunning photographs taken in the Venezuelan rainforest by George Bernard and Stephen Dalton.
Poisoned Arrows Until Sun 28 Apr. Photographs which illustrate the plight of inhabitants ofthe rainforests of Irian Jaya (Indonesian New Guinea).
A History oi Garden Tools Sat 20 Apr— 16 Jun. ‘An excursion into horticultural history‘ — exhibits include a 17th century watering pot and a 19th century glass
; cucumber straightener. Promises to
enthrall.
I ROYAL MUSEUM OF SCOTLAND
Chambers Street. 225 7534. Mon—Sat 10am—5pm; Sun 2—5pm. Instruments of Science Some of the most
58 The List 19 April — 2 May 1991
beautiful and ingenious instruments ever
BROWN COWGATE
. "77 .- , .-
Edinburgh's 369 Gallery: underthreat
John Maxwell champions the cause of ‘The Cowgate Oscar Wilde’.
As we go to press, the funding for contemporary painting in Scotland is in chaos with a slump in market values,
1 the drying up of commercial sponsorship and the Scottish Arts ' Council’s policy being widely
criticised.
In the last three months both the Fruitmarket Gallery and the 369 Gallery have closed and now even the seemingly indestructable figure of Richard Demarco has announced that, unless he can find new funding, he too will be throwing in the artistic towel. And this time he might not be kidding.
At 369, the gallery’s founder and former Art Director, Andrew Brown, is ‘occupying' the building with his two protégées Fiona Carlisle and Caroline McNairn, artists who can now command figures in excess of £3000
for individual works. Brown is hoping to keep the doors of the debt-ridden gallery open and to find the £170,000 which its owners are asking for the building and all liabilities. With several deadlines already passed, his chances seem slim and, while it is still
_ too early for obituary-writing, this is a
pertinent time to dwell on the man’s
many talents ratherthan his faults.
As a child, Brown once said that his
. ambition was to become a missionary . in Africa and to paint the interiors of
mud churches with wild frescos. Instead he chose a hardertask, seeking to convert Edinburgh’s citizens to a
style of painting which some would
liken to an accident in a paint shop.
He found his mud church in a filthy, bricked-up Cowgate basement and was instrumental in converting the space into a vibrant clutch of restaurants, pubs and theatres with his own exciting gallery complex at the centre.
The walls were covered with the wild, colourful frescos of his own, loyal school of artists, many of whom adopted a style which echoed the Scottish Colourists . Maybe he did not convert all the parishioners, but at least he tried, and picked up international prestige for Edinburgh along the way.
Let those who wish to criticise him - and he makes an easy target-say first what they have achieved for Edinburgh in comparison. (John Maxwell)
made. including an astrolabe made in 1026 -
by an Islamic craftsman. in Spain. as well as medical and navigational equipment. House Proud: 60 Years of Conservation Until 18 May. Models. prints and plans which feature the work of the many notable architects employed by the National Trust for Scotland over the years. including detailed descriptions of four major conservation projects. ()ne of a series of events marking the NTS Diamond Jubflee.
; Taking Shape: The Structure of Clothes A j new permanent exhibition tracingthe ; development of Western clothes from
‘ shapeless shifts to tailored suits.
I THE SCOTTISH GALLERY 94 George
Street. 225 5955. Mon—Iiri 10am—6pm: Sat '
10am—1pm.
Allexhibitions until Wed 1 May.
Leszek Muszynski: Images from Travels
I Iow‘s this for an incredible past — Muszynski fled Poland after the German
', invasion. was interned in France. escaped to Africa. joined the Foreign Legion and
studied Art in Iidinburgh under Gillies. Maxwell and MacTaggart. His new works
present images collected from his recent and less hazardous journeys — to Spain . Mexico. France. England and Australia. though not necessarily in that order. Nicola Henley: Textiles Embroidered. collaged and painted calico hangings inspired by the study of birds and their flight patterns.
Suzanne Bergne: Light, Colour, Form Simple porcelain vessels which act as ‘a 3D canvas for an extraordinary and vigorous range of decoration. . .light and landscape being two acknowledged interests.‘
I SHORE GALLERY 59 Bernard Street. Leith. Mon—Thurs 10am—4pm; Sat 10am—5pm.
Persona: The Human Body in Art Until Sat 20 Apr. A Science Festival exhibition in which various artists use various media to express various psychological and physical aspects of the human form.
I SOLSTICE GALLERY 18A Dundas Street. 557 5227. Mon—Fri 1 lam—5pm. Sat 10am—1pm.
Mixed Exhibition Fri 12 Apr—4 May. Paintings by Judith Da Fano and John E. Kingsley. Sculpture by Vincent Butler and
woodcuts by Heather Wilson. T I STEP GALLERY 39 Howe Street. 556 1613. Mon—Fri 11am—5.30pm: Sat 11am—3pm. Tim Cockbum Until 14 May. Monotypes. silkscreen prints and etchings. I STILLS GALLERY 105 High Street. 557 1140. Tue-Sat Ham—5.30pm. , Silent Health: Women, Health and Representation Until 18 May. Fourfemale photographers examine women‘s complex attitudes towards their bodies and their health and‘Suggest. through various ! photographic means. that for many women. health and ill-health are not biological givens. ; I TALBOT RICE GALLERY Old College. University of Edinburgh. South Bridge. 667 1011.Tue—Sat 10am—5pm. The Hope Scott Collection Until Sat 20 Apr. I 369 GALLERY 233 (‘owgate. 225 3013. Mon—Sat 10.30am—5.30pm. Sylvia: Sculpture by Matthew Inglis Sat 27 Apr-25 May. Inglis takes everyday objects and materials. altering and juxtaposing them with each other to shift their meaning. The work deals with personal. intellectual. emotive. political and ritual observations and concerns.‘ No stone unturned. I TRAVERSE THEATRE 112 Grassmarket. 226 2633. Tue—Sat 11am—10pm; Sun 6—10pm. The Female Image Until Sun 28 Apr. From medieval lady to earth mother — and via countless nudes — the depiction ofwomen in art has always been influenced by their image in society. Olive Dean explores woman‘s various artistic manifestations with humour and some irony. The stereotyped blonde bimbo. for example. becomes a latter-day Aphrodite. Robert Euman: Peopled Patterns Tue 30 Apr—9 Jun. A Borders artist who draws on local myths and legends for his paintings. Euman‘s highly coloured paintings are worked in egg tempera — the paint ofthe Italian Renaissance masters. I WRAP 17 Stafford Street. 2202328. Mon—Sat. Treasures from New Mexico Until Tue 30 April. Jewellery designed by Zuni and Navajo Indians and work by sculptor Mike Gowen who designs wall plaquesof feathers. Indian wedding vasesand fetishes.
OUTSIDE THE CITIES
l l a common ARTS CENTRE 93 North i
Street. 0334 74610. Mon—Sat 10am—5pm; Sun 2—5pm. All exhibitions until 5 May. Furnished by the Imagination Contemporary Scottish furniture. Helen Flockhart: Recent Paintings Iconography and a critical interest in traditional approaches to the feminine inform works which combine strength and delicacy and are ‘suffused by a disquieting sense ofthe uncanny.‘ Douglas Davies: Ceramics Functional and not-so-functional pieces from the Douglas Davies Pottery in [.anarkshire.
L
i
'I'III'I SCtH‘TISII GALLERY
l
94 George Street. Edinburgh [£112 301“. 'I‘e103l 225 5955
"IMAGES FROM TRAVELS" PAINTINGS by LESKEZK MUSZYNSKI
" LIGHT, COLOUR, FORM" - PORCELAIN by SUZANNE BERGNE NICOLA HENLEY - TEXTILES
8 APRIL - 1 MAY Gallery closed Monday 15 April Mon-Fri 10 - 6; Sat 10 -1
azteea
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furniture, we have recently opened extensive showrooms at 5 the Grassmarket tel. 229 9368.
At 16 Victoria Street tel. 031 226 6695 you will find an even wider range of jewellery, clothes and small items from Latin America.
Aztecs - 15 years direct trade with dozens of family workshops in Latin America.