An exhibition celebrating the artists of the past from the east Perthshire town of Blairgowrie will open at Perth Museum & Art Gallery on 16 December 2006 until 5 May 2007.

In the middle of the 19th century, Blairgowrie became known among artists’ circles as the home of William Geddes (1840-1884), a self taught genre & fish painter. His son Ewan Geddes RSW (1866-1936), also became a talented painter, excelling at watercolour. He captured the picturesque landscape around Blairgowrie in all the seasons and introduced some of his artist friends to the area. Soon other artists settled in the town including Jane Elizabeth Spindler (c1856 -1939), who was originally from Dundee.

Around sixty works will be on show in the exhibition, gathered in from private collections as well as the museum’s own collection. It will include several by William Geddes, such as The Village Auction and Thomas Lamb and His Family, both acquired with financial assistance from the National Fund for Acquisitions administered by the National Museums of Scotland. Works by his son Ewan include landscapes of The Muirton of Ardblair, a small weaving village south of Blairgowrie. His other son Robert Smith Geddes, is represented by portrait studies of his mother and brother, to be loaned from a private collection.

As well as landscapes of Blairgowrie and elsewhere, there will be portraits of family & friends together with a selection of ephemera giving an insight into this fascinating small artistic “community”.

The exhibition will be on show at Perth Museum & Art Gallery from 16 December 2006 until 5 May 2007. Opening hours 10am to 5pm. Admission free. Please note that the museum will be closed from 24 December to 2 January inclusive over the festive season.

For further information, contact Maria Devaney, Principal Officer of Art on 01738 632488.


Perth Museum and Art Gallery
78 George Street
Perth PH1 5LB
01738 632488
www.perthshire.co.uk