Meet the Curator

Who is Alasdair Gray?

Alasdair Gray was a prolific poet, playwright, novelist, painter and printmaker. He gained a national and international reputation, and his writing was translated into many languages such as Chinese, French, German, Italian and Japanese. He was born in Riddrie in the east of Glasgow in 1934 and attended The Glasgow School of Art in the mid-1950s. He died in 2019 and his work continues to be celebrated in books, exhibitions, events and film – most recently the adaptation of ‘Poor Things’ by Yorgos Lanthimos.

Why is it so significant that we have these items on display at Kelvingrove?

Alasdair Gray credited his fledging love of painting to a weekend art class at Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum which was run by Jean Irwin. In his visual and literary biography – A Life in Pictures –you can see one of his drawings that was entered into the Glasgow Life Museums annual schools’ art competition. 

Why should people come to see this exhibition?

Alasdair Gray generously gifted The Morag McAlpine Bequest to Glasgow Life Museums following the death of his second wife Morag McAlpine in 2014. The works were originally displayed in the flat he shared with Morag and there are a couple of portraits of her that he used in two book covers. These details make this intimate, small display a fitting way to see these works and acknowledge their relationship.

Why is this important for Glasgow?

Alasdair Gray’s connection to Glasgow and his use of the city for inspiration, both for writing and artwork, is well documented. Alasdair studied in the Mural Department at The Glasgow School of Art and while some of his early murals are lost or in private homes, others do exist, for example Arcadia and Florid Jungle (1976 - 2006) at the Ubiquitous Chip restaurant in Glasgow’s West End, near where he and Morag lived. Outside of Glasgow you can visit the Palacerigg Visitor Centre in Palacerigg Country Park, Cumbernauld where there is The Scottish Wildlife Mural  that Gray painted in 1974 or head to Abbot House in Dunfermline where The Tree of Dunfermline's History was painted in Long Gallery in 1994. 

His time in this department at GSA and his lifelong socialist principles were important to his thinking about free access to culture through libraries and museums, but also how art is embedded in the landscape. He was also committed to Independence in Scotland and that it would be nuclear free, which influenced his writing and friendship circles socially and politically. Later in his life he made significant murals for Òran Mór arts venue and SPT Hillhead Station. His connection to and the understanding of his work in Glasgow make Glasgow Life Museums the obvious choice for this gift. Kelvingrove is also next to the University of Glasgow where Morag and Alasdair both worked at one stage in their lives and is not far from the Ubiquitous Chip restaurant which they both enjoyed and frequented.

What’s unique about this display?

This selection from the gift offers insights into key aspects of Alasdair’s artistic practice, tracing the creation of artwork for publications from inception to print and explores how he reused imagery, and reimagined the influence of historical artworks in his own distinctive style. It includes artwork for some of his own publications including Poor Things – which won the Whitbread Award and the Guardian Fiction Prize and in 2023 was adapted for film by Yorgos Lanthimos. The film won 3 Oscars and starred Emma Stone, Willem Dafoe and Mark Ruffalo. The exhibition is also notable for the artwork for two publications by Agnes Owens, a writer he much admired. 

What’s the most interesting piece, in your opinion?

I do love Old Negatives – a wrap-round jacket design for the hardback edition of his poetry collection. It a beautiful work that echoes the line of Aubrey Beardsley, whose work influenced Alasdair, but also flows across the paper to create an interesting work in black and white. On first glance you see the nude figures looking constrained and sad, small cities with yes and no flags flying high. Then you begin to realise that the blocks of black design take the form of winged nudes – both male and female looking intently at each other. Then you realise how Alasdair has sought to create the dustjacket, leaving the blank spaces for the typesetting. It also highlights Alasdair's innovative and resourceful approach when he was working towards deadlines, including his willingness to use whatever was close at hand, such as Tippex® and sticky labels, to make instant changes to his work. Often these were undertaken knowing the final publications would not show the materials, but in this display the effect of age and exposure to light has made them more apparent.

What style is Alasdair’s art?

Alasdair Gray has a distinctive line and painting style in his work.  His observation of those around him, drawing them as characters in his work, then collaging, reworking those portraits into designs that work for the physical shape of books, is wonderful. He references and reworks historical paintings which give his works a depth of storytelling beyond a portrait or illustration. These works in our display sit within a broad body of work that Alasdair made in his lifetime, often returning to works to change or complete them many years after he began them.

Where else can you see Alasdair’s Gray’s work at Kelvingrove / in Glasgow?

Glasgow Life Museums is fortunate to have a number of wonderful works by Alasdair including Cowcaddens Streetscape in the Fifties which you can see in the Looking at Art Gallery in Kelvingrove. There are also some works from the City Recorder series, which Alasdair did in the 1970s for the People’s Palace, currently on display at GoMA. Other works are stored out at Glasgow Museums Resource Centre and you can make an appointment to see those. Finally, you can always visit The Alasdair Gray Archive where many of Alasdair’s working drawings, prints and artworks are held.