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Out of Chaos: Post-War Scottish Art 1945-2000

Out of Chaos: Post-War Scottish Art 1945-2000

About Out of Chaos: Post-War Scottish Art 1945-2000

17th May 2025 to 12th Oct 2025
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City Art Centre
2 Market Street, Edinburgh Old Town EH1 1DE
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The post-war era was a period of seismic shifts – political and social, scientific and cultural. Emerging from the events of the Second World War, communities lived with the legacies of conflict while looking ahead to the future. Contemporary artists responded to these changing times, addressing both traditional and modern themes in their work as they pushed the boundaries of creativity. By the end of the century, the artistic landscape was entirely transformed.

Scheduled to complement John Bellany: A Life in Self-Portraiture, this survey exhibition examines the wider context of post-war Scottish art. Charting the years between the late 1940s and late 1990s, it showcases evolving approaches to figurative and landscape subjects, the growth of abstraction and pop art, and the development of new media. Out of Chaos presents a range of artworks from the City Art Centre’s permanent collection, featuring key pieces by William Johnstone, Joan Eardley, Eduardo Paolozzi, Ian Hamilton Finlay, Elizabeth Blackadder and Maud Sulter.

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John Bellany: A Life in Self-Portraiture

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John Bellany: A Life in Self-Portraiture captures the span of an extraordinary life and career, told through the lens of the artist’s own eyes and the words of the people who knew him best.

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Unmasked: Exploring Scottish Portraiture

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Featuring examples of painting, drawing, sculpture, printmaking and photography, the exhibition at City Art Centre spans almost 400 years of artistic production.

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A major exhibition by Glasgow-born artist Michael Fullerton comes to the City Arts Centre!

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