This month we will be visiting the Talbot Rice Gallery to discuss the work of Alasdair Gray who describes himself as ‘a self-employed, verbal and pictorial artist.’
Alasdair Gray was born in Glasgow in 1934 and studied Design and Mural Painting at Glasgow School of Art from 1952-57. Since then he has exhibited widely across Scotland, particularly in his home city of Glasgow, where he has also undertaken several mural commissions for many of the city’s churches. He is also a prolific writer, with 18 published books to his name, and a winner of the Whitbread and Guardian book prizes.
Throughout his career, Gray’s work in art and literature has overlapped in form and content. He has worked as a teacher, painter, illustrator, playwright, scene painter, essayist, poet, novelist and muralist among other roles. In his books, word and image are juxtaposed and combined to form epic narratives that have been compared to the work of fellow artist-writers, such as William Blake.
Gray Stuff: Designs for Books and Posters, 1952 – 2010 is an exhibition of original graphic works revealing the development of illustrations used in Gray’s critically acclaimed novels, such as Lanark (1981), Poor Things (1992) and Old Men In Love (2007), and providing a rare opportunity to see the vibrant sketches and motifs which surround and animate the texts.
This is an insightful range of work touching many areas of Gray’s extensive practice, which can be traced back throughout his life. Joining us to explore the relationships between his work as a writer and a visual artist will be Pat Fisher, Director of Talbot Rice Gallery.
