Over the past year a series of exhibitions and events have been taking place to mark the centenary of Eardley’s birth, including some held by the Arran Arts Heritage Trail . Eardley spent many summers on Arran drawing and painting, staying in a little bothy in Corrie called the Tabernacle. Here are details of the last of the exhibitions to be held around Scotland in celebration of her work and life.
Joan Eardley: A Centenary of Lives and Landscapes, at Glasgow Women’s Library
28th October, 2021 – 12th February, 2022
The five pieces vividly capture Joan’s attraction to the raw power and realism of people and place. Woman in St Marks (1949) was inspired by her time in Italy, while Girl and Baby and Back Street Bookie (1952) paint a picture of the people of Glasgow’s east end, where Joan became a familiar face, finding community and renting a studio. In contrast, January Flow Tide (1961) and Cornfield (1963) evoke the ever-changing land and seascapes of Catterline on the north-east coast, where Joan painted until her untimely death.
Look out for our Joan Eardley Creative Writing Workshops as well as our Story Café Special
Joan Eardley: A Painter’s Life, with Photographs by Audrey Walker at Rozelle House Museum and Galleries in Ayr.
2nd October 2021 – 16th February 2022
Rozelle House Museum and Galleries, Ayr, are delighted to join in the celebrations of Eardly’s life and work by bringing Dumfries and Galloway Council’s collection to South Ayrshire, including paintings, pastels and sketches alongside photographs taken by her friend Audrey Walker. The exhibition includes two short films featuring Joan at work in her Glasgow studio and interviews with her biographer and Catterline neighbours.
Joan Eardley at Perth Museum and Art Gallery
27th November 2021 – 28th February 2022
To celebrate the centenary year of Joan Eardley’s birth, we are delighted to present a new exhibition of her work. The exhibition is one of many happening across the country celebrating the work of Joan Eardley in what would have been her centenary year. The centenary offers visitors to Perth Museum and Art Gallery a fantastic opportunity to link with the Eardley 100 wider celebrations of her work that are happening across Scotland from Aberdeen to Dumfries, providing local audiences with a rare chance to view her stunning work here in Perth.
To complement Eardley’s paintings from the permanent collection held in Perth, the exhibition will bring together some of her most iconic works from the National Galleries of Scotland, the Royal Scottish Academy, City Art Centre, Edinburgh, the Fleming Collection and the University of Dundee. The exhibition will offer visitors the opportunity to see some of Eardley’s most significant works, including her bold atmospheric paintings of the sea and her iconic paintings and sketches of children in the Townhead area of Glasgow.
Featured image shows Joan Eardley, Corrie Arran, RSA collection. Copyright Joan Eardley Estate