The National Galleries of Scotland has announced that it will hold a “thought-provoking and poignant” exhibition to mark the Centenary of the First World War.
The free exhibition will be held at the Scottish National Portrait Gallery from the 4th August 2014 – 5th July 2015.
The exhibition will explore the lives of famous Scots during the conflict, as well as “less well-known figures”, including Dr Elsie Inglis, who took a team of Scottish nurses to Serbia and Harry Lauder, who entertained troops at the Front.
The works on display will be largely drawn from the National Galleries of Scotland collections, and will include a variety of portraits and related works in various media.
It will feature depictions of senior statesmen, military figures, writers, poets, painters and musicians, and photographs of servicemen and women, as well as preparatory drawings for the Scottish National War Memorial at Edinburgh Castle.
The National Galleries of Scotland said it expects the exhibtion to make “a major contribution to next year’s global commemorations”.
Personal stories
The exhibtion will focus on the stories of individuals, as well as engaging with wider themes about the impact of the conflict on Scotland.
The exhibition will begin by exploring “significant individuals”, who played a part, as both proponents and opponents, in the run up to the outbreak of war.
The role of women will also be considered, both in terms of social change and the opportunities war brought women at home, particularly through the Suffrage Movement.
The exhibition will continue by telling the personal stories of significant and recognisable figures in the Scottish artistic landscape at the start of the 20th century, and explore how the conflict impacted them.
The contribution of Scottish people to the medical response to the war will be a significant focus and the exhibition will also include a display of works by contemporary photographer Peter Cattrell, showing recent images of the Somme battlefield in France.
There will also be images of unidentified servicemen and women at the exhibition.
Source: National Galleries of Scotland press release
Date of press release publication: 12/12/2013
Images courtesy of the National Galleries of Scotland
Posted by: Daniel Barry, Centenary News