Marchlands

William Johnstone

11 January 2012 - 03 March 2012

Download a PDF of the exhibition catalogue

Marchlands re-examines the contribution of William Johnstone to British art of the 20th Century. Unlike many of his contemporaries, it has taken longer for Johnstone's radical thinking and extraordinary creativity to earn the recognition it so richly deserves. The exhibition features the full spectrum of Johnstone's art. From early works examining Celtic traditions afresh to vast abstract landscapes of the Scottish Borders and autonomous ink works, influenced by Japanese Zen drawings.

William Johnstone, was born the son of a farmer in the Scottish Borders. After WWI he disregarded his family's wishes and embarked on an artistic career which was to lead him to forefront of British art. He became one of the first British artists to break with representation and paint purely abstract pictures. After his studies, travels took him around Europe, where he settled in Paris; where he saturated himself with the avant-garde. More travels took him to America but he settled in London in the mid 1930s. He was Principal at Camberwell College of Art from 1938- 1946 and then Principal at Central School of Arts and Crafts from 1947-1960, having an evolutionary impact on art education. After retiring he returned to the Scottish Borders to focus on painting and farming.

We are delighted that two public collections have already purchased from the Exhibition.

Download a PDF of the non-illustrated works.

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