The Fleming-Wyfold Foundation, an ambassador for Scottish art outside of Scotland and custodian of the established Fleming Collection, one of the finest collections of Scottish art in private hands, are delighted to announce a new partnership with the Royal Scottish Academy in Edinburgh to support the next generation of emerging Scottish artists.
The new Fleming-Wyfold Bursary, which will be launched in Spring 2014, will form part of the RSA’s annual New Contemporaries graduate exhibition in Edinburgh, the cornerstone exhibition for new and upcoming Scottish artists and architects. Together with a correlating mentoring and networking programme, this new initiative will provide an emerging artist with an invaluable platform from which to launch his or her professional career.
As part of this new partnership, the Fleming-Wyfold Foundation will stage, Young Scottish Artists: a Royal Scottish Academy exhibition supported by the Fleming-Wyfold Foundation, an exhibition of works from RSA New Contemporaries in the Foundation’s gallery in Mayfair, London, offering students a unique opportunity to exhibit their work outside of Scotland in one of the great art capitals of the world.
James Holloway, Trustee of the Fleming-Wyfold Foundation said: “We see this exciting development with the RSA as an effective and unique way to help promote both the RSA’s work and that of the contemporary Scottish art scene and its artists in a very tangible and positive way; and to a much wider audience. This is our first real foray into this arena but there are many other areas where the Fleming-Wyfold Foundation intends to use the Fleming Collection to strengthen its involvement and reinforce its commitment to promoting Scottish art and artists in all its forms.”
Colin Greenslade, director at the Royal Scottish Academy said: “The RSA is thrilled and delighted to have forged this new relationship with the Fleming-Wyfold Foundation. We believe that the tie-in will bring a new vitality and presence to the promotion of contemporary Scottish arts and artists; most particularly beyond the borders of Scotland. This initiative has the potential to be expanded across a wide range of opportunities and we greatly look forward to working with the Fleming’s team.”
The collaboration with the RSA is the first in a series of new partnerships and initiatives due to be launched by the Fleming-Wyfold Foundation to underpin its on-going promotion of Scottish visual arts. As a precursor to the RSA event, it will be holding a series of collaborative contemporary exhibitions in conjunction with the Edinburgh and Glasgow art colleges at its Mayfair-based gallery from September to November 2013. It will also be inviting “ambassadors” with a keen interest in Scottish art who will be able to engage with the Collection and Foundation more directly and help to promote Scottish art around the world.
Rory Fleming, Trustee and Chairman of the Management Committee for the Fleming-Wyfold Foundation said: “We see the RSA initiative as being evidential of our continued commitment to Scottish art and artists. This critical support of young artists is a core objective and value of the Foundation. Building on the strength and enduring legacy of the Fleming Collection, we hope to develop new and existing relationships, from education to exhibitions that will underpin our role as a key promoter and supporter of Scottish art and culture, and fulfil our ambition to be seen as a hallmark of excellence in Scottish visual arts.”
Forthcoming Fleming Collection exhibitions at 13 Berkeley Street, London W1J 8DU Learning to Draw/Drawing to Learn: Glasgow School of Art
3 September – 9 October 2013 A reassessment of the practice of drawing by students and staff, past and present, selected by Head of the School of Fine Art, Professor Roger Wilson and Stuart Mackenzie, Senior Lecturer in Painting and Printmaking.
Leave the Capitol: An Exploration of Contemporary Identity from the Masters Programme, Edinburgh College of Art
15 October – 16 November 2013
Works by staff and students selected by Stuart Bennett, Head of the School of Art, and Kenny Hunter, Artist and Lecturer for Postgraduate Taught Programmes alongside Director of The Fleming Collection, Selina Skipwith.
The Fleming Collection, which is widely regarded as one of the finest collections of Scottish Art in private hands, began in 1968 when Flemings, the former merchant bank, moved into new offices in London. As a commemoration of the Scottish origins of Flemings, founded by Robert Fleming in Dundee, the Board began to acquire works by Scottish artists or of Scottish scenes depicted by any artist. Today the collection comprises of works dating from 1770 to the present day, including the two iconic images of The Highland Clearances, Thomas Faed’s ‘The Last of The Clan’ and John Watson Nicol’s ‘Lochaber No More.’ A group of paintings by the Glasgow Boys include work by Lavery, Guthrie, Walton, Nairn and Kennedy. Additionally, the collection holds major paintings by all four Scottish Colourists, a large number of works by Anne Redpath alongside her contemporaries John Maxwell and William Gillies, and many other gems. The Collection plays a pivotal ambassadorial role in promoting Scottish Art to London and beyond.
In conjunction with the sale of the bank in 2000, the Collection was sold to the Fleming-Wyfold Art Foundation, who currently manage the gallery space on Berkeley Street that houses the Collection. The Wyfold name was adjoined to commemorate the life of the last Lord Wyfold, a grandson of Robert Fleming. In addition to an active loaning programme, the gallery has brought the work of Scottish artists and several Scottish public collections to a London audience, with exhibitions taking place in Fergusson Gallery, Perth and Kinross Council; City Art Centre, Edinburgh; McManus Galleries and Museum, Dundee; The National Galleries of Scotland; Hunterian Museum and Art Gallery, University of Glasgow among others. Exhibitions surveying the work of artists such as DY Cameron, William McTaggart, Edward Baird and James Pryde have taken place and new research on these artists has been published by the Foundation. The Foundation also publishes The Scottish Art News biannually, a highly-regarded publication with exhibition reviews and previews, book reviews, art market round up and listings and new developments within the visual arts.
RSA New Contemporaries is a curated annual exhibition which focuses on the finest emerging artists & architects in Scotland. Now in its sixth year, this exciting show has evolved out of the long standing and much anticipated RSA Annual Student Exhibition which was first held at the RSA in 1976 and marks our commitment to presenting and supporting the best contemporary art in Scotland.
The 2014 exhibition features 60 graduates selected from the 2013 degree shows by a team of RSA Members, led by Alan Robb RSA (Elect) and Charlie Sutherland RSA (Elect) with representatives of the six schools of Architecture and five main colleges of art in Scotland.
The exhibition is held in all 13 of the magnificent RSA galleries and gives each artist the opportunity to showcase a selection of new work, providing a more comprehensive representation of their practise. Works will include painting, sculpture, film making, photography, printmaking, architecture and installation.