The Scottish Colourists Revealed

The exhibition explores the work of The Scottish Colourists, Samuel John Peploe, F.C.B. Cadell, George Leslie Hunter and J.D. Fergusson and their shared approach to colour, clarity and modern life.

Drawing on loans from across Scotland, the exhibition offers a rare opportunity to see important works usually kept out of public view, shown together in one place.

Although they never worked as a formal group, Peploe, Cadell, Hunter and Fergusson were shown together on a small number of occasions during their lifetimes and were later linked under the collective label “the Scottish Colourists”.

Time spent in Paris proved pivotal, exposing them to Post-Impressionism and Fauvism and a more liberated approach to colour. Returning to Scotland, they brought those ideas to still life, landscape and interior scenes, producing paintings with a modern, international outlook.

Their work remains central to how early 20th-century Scottish painting is understood today.

Rather than focusing on one collection, The Scottish Colourists Revealed brings together works from a wide range of lenders, creating a rich and varied picture of each artist’s practice.

Visitors can expect to see:

• Bold still lifes and interiors, where colour and composition take centre stage.
• Expressive landscapes, from Scotland to the Mediterranean, capturing light and atmosphere.
• Unseen paintings, including works never publicly displayed in over 40 years, on loan from the Aviva Art Collection.
• Key examples of Fergusson’s work, shown in a gallery already home to his nationally significant collection

Seen side by side, the exhibition reveals both shared ideas and individual approaches. Cadell’s elegant interiors and Hunter’s more expressive handling of paint sit comfortably alongside Peploe’s structured still lifes and Fergusson’s energetic compositions, allowing visitors to move naturally between different styles.

Perth Art Gallery has long been associated with J.D. Fergusson through its permanent collection, making the city a natural setting for an exhibition of this scope.

The arrival of additional works from national and private collections allows visitors to place Fergusson’s work in a wider context, alongside his contemporaries.

The exhibition also reflects Perth’s wider cultural story, with several works on loan from Aviva’s collection, originally assembled by General Accident, founded in Perth in the 19th century, returning to the city where that connection began.