EDINBURGH.- This September, the Royal Scottish Academy presents Ceòl na Tìr-dhàimh | The Music of Home in the Academicians’ Gallery, an exhibition of selected works by the renowned Scottish artist George Macpherson RSA (1935–2018).

The exhibition will be the first major posthumous presentation of Macpherson’s work with monumental paintings on view alongside assemblage works, drawings and prints. A series of life studies will offer a fascinating insight into Macpherson’s deft draftsmanship whilst the intricately repeated shapes and marks of his paintings show the pervasive influence of music on his practice.

Born in Invershin and educated at Golspie High School, Macpherson attended Edinburgh College of Art and graduated in 1958, winning the RSA Stuart Prize the same year. He travelled to Spain for the Andrew Grant Travelling Scholarship in 1959 before returning to Edinburgh to take up the position of Lecturer in Drawing and Painting at Edinburgh College of Art, a position he held until his retirement in 1990 when he moved to East Lothian.

Macpherson was elected an Associate of the Royal Scottish Academy in 1987 and became a full Academician in 2005. His work is held in public and private collections across the UK and internationally, including the Scottish Arts Council, Edinburgh City Chambers, the Edinburgh Schools Collection, Argyll and Bute District Council, the Jean Watson Trust and the Wilton Lodge Gallery.

Deeply influenced by the landscape of his childhood, Macpherson’s abstract paintings reflect the textures, rhythms and sounds of the Highlands. His work draws on the warmth of Gaelic song and dance and the landscape around the River Shin where he spent his childhood. A gifted accordionist, Macpherson developed his painting alongside his musical practice, allowing the movement and traditions of both artforms to interplay within his work.

Ceòl na Tìr-dhàimh | The Music of Home will be accompanied by a new publication featuring an introduction by RSA Director Colin Greenslade and reflections by Alfons Bytautas RSA. All works in the exhibition will be available for sale.