City Art Centre
About City Art Centre
| 2 Market Street, Edinburgh Old Town EH1 1DE | |
| 01315293993 | |
| City Art Centre Website | |
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| Facebook information can be found here | |
Enjoy a visit to the City Art Centre, a main Edinburgh art gallery with one of the best collections of Scottish art. We show interesting exhibitions from our own collections and from all over the world. We can also tempt you with an attractive shop located on the ground floor.
The City Art Centre has a busy programme of exhibitions which change regularly to suit the interests of our visitors. People come to see favourites from the City’s nationally Recognised collection of Scottish art; new work from local or international artists or exhibitions from other countries. Exhibitions of historic and modern photography, contemporary art and design, architecture and the built environment are staged in a rolling programme. We have shown Egyptian and Roman objects and even featured artwork and costumes from the Star Wars films.
An escalator and lift help you move around six floors, and you can be refreshed by sampling the menus in the café, or buy art books, cards, handbags and jewellery from our ground floor shop.
The City Art Centre is conveniently placed near to the Waverley rail station in the city centre.
All information (whether in text or photographs) is supplied in good faith but should not be relied upon as being a statement of representation or fact. We take every opportunity to ensure the details for City Art Centre are accurate, please contact us at hello[@]whatsonnetwork.co.uk if any of the above information is incorrect.
Upcoming Events at City Art Centre
Bright Shadows: Scottish Art in the 1920s - SUSPENDED
The 1920s was a period of contrasts and this exhibition explores the styles, ideas and events that shaped Scottish art during this influential decade.
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E. A. Hornel: From Camera to Canvas - SUSPENDED
This Exhibition is a collaboration between the National Trust for Scotland and the City Art Centre and is the first major retrospective of Hornel's art for over 35 years.
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Jock McFadyen Goes to the Pictures - SUSPENDED
Timed to mark his 70th birthday, this major exhibition by contemporary artist Jock McFadyen displays new and existing paintings, alongside works from City Art Centre’s collection of Scottish art.
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Lecture: Beyond Hornel: Scottish Photographers in Meiji Japan
This talk will examine the history of Scottish expatriates in nineteenth-century Japan and their contribution to the photography networks and communities in their adopted country.
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Japanese Cultural Event: Sounds and Movement from Old Japan - POSTPONED
Japanese dancer Miho Sedgwick and Shamisen musician Hiromi Moffat will collaborate in music and dance performances.
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E. A. Hornel: From Camera to Canvas Conservator’s Tour - POSTPONED
Join Gail Egan and Henry Matthews on a special tour of E. A. Hornel: From Camera to Canvas.
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Japanese Cultural Event: Vibration of Northern Japan - POSTPONED
Yoshie Asano Campbell will weave a variety of Umewaka styles from the northern part of Japan in a beautiful and energetic performance.
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Lecture: Artist, Model, Collector: Photography in the Life and Work of Mary Cameron
This lecture offers fresh insights into a fascinating artist. Dr Helen Scott is Curator of Fine Art at the City Art Centre, and author of Mary Cameron: Life in Paint.
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Adult Creative Workshop: Paper Flappers and Jazz Age Fashion
Join artist Tessa Asquith-Lamb to create elegant paper dolls and collaged portrait heads modelling the latest Art Deco styles in this adult creative workshop!
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Documentation and Digitisation of Historic Photographs at the National Trust for Scotland Lecture
In this talk, Lily Barnes will pull back the curtain on the intricacies of working hands-on with historic photographs.
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Lecture: E. A. Hornel: From Camera to Canvas: An Introduction
Join curator Ben Reiss for an introduction to the exhibition E. A. Hornel: From Camera to Canvas.
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Responding to Jock McFadyen Goes to the Pictures - Collage and Printmaking
Combining surprising elements from our fantastic and intriguing exhibition, create a series of works with overlaid and combined elements in collage and simple printmaking.
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Adult Creative Workshop: Introduction to Pinhole photography - POSTPONED
Join us at City Art Centre for a special half day workshop exploring pinhole cameras!
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Echo of Japan – Koto performance - POSTPONED
Mio Shudo will perform some of the oldest written music available today for Koto by Yatsuhashi Kengyo (1614-1685) and other Japanese folk songs.
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Gorgeous Kimono on Show
To add a flavour of traditional Japanese aesthetic a number of vibrant, beautiful and elegant kimono garments will be on show.
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Adult Creative Workshop: Cyanotypes (Blueprints)
Join us at City Art Centre for an introduction to the cyanotype process, one of the earliest forms of photography, dating back to 1842.
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Family Craft: Make Your Drawings Move - Animation Sessions - POSTPONED
In this session we will create a 2D hand-drawn whiteboard animation and an ‘old school’ flip-book animated sequence inspired by the Jock McFadyen Goes to the Pictures exhibition.
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Dance of the Flowing Kimono - POSTPONED
Yoshie Asano Campbell is a Japanese folk song singer and dancer. Watch her weave a variety of Umewaka styles from the northern part of Japan in a beautiful and energetic performance.
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Nightingale Choir
Nightingale is a mixed choir of four singing voices consisting of singers in Edinburgh from around the world.
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Lecture: Through the Artist’s Gaze: The Feminine Ideal in E.A. Hornel’s Work
Marianne Fossaluzza, a PhD student in Visual Culture at the University of Aberdeen, gives this lecture on The Feminine Ideal in E.A. Hornel’s Work.
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Lecture: Bright Shadows: Scottish Art in the 1920s
The 1920s was a period of contrasts: This lecture explores the events, ideas and styles that shaped Scottish art during this fascinating decade.
Read more
Fashion Show at the City Art Centre
see a spectacular fashion show by the Fashion and Textile Design students from Edinburgh College in a collaboration with the City Art Centre and the E. A. Hornel exhibition!
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Adult Creative Workshop: Hornel’s Dream
Taking inspiration from E. A. Hornel’s nature-filled paintings, create a hanging paper-work collage with artist Tessa Asquith-Lamb.
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Cup of Peace and Simplicity – Tea Ceremony Demonstration - POSTPONED
Urasenke Tea Master Mio Shudo will perform the Japanese Tea Ceremony demonstrating the art of tea with its minimalist flowing movement, beauty and grace.
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Adjust / Adapt
This exhibition explores how our homes and outdoor spaces are working harder for occupants; as multigenerational sanctuaries, workspaces, classrooms, fitness and entertainment settings.
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Descriptive Tour for visually impaired visitors of Bright Shadows - Scottish Art in the 1920s
Join artist Tessa Asquith-Lamb for a tour specifically designed for visually impaired visitors focussing on our exhibition Bright Shadows - Scottish art in the 1920s.
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Adult Creative Workshop: Vibrant 1920s Still Life Explorations
Taking inspiration from our exhibition Bright Shadows - Scottish Art in the 1920s we will explore how artists in this period of change explored colour and stylised forms.
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Proposed and Seconded: The Royal Scottish Academy Nomination Books of the 1920s
This talk given by Alice Strang will focus on the women artists proposed and seconded for election by male allies, including Dorothy Johnstone, Cecile Walton and John Duncan.
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Charles H. Mackie: Colour and Light
This major retrospective, the most comprehensive display of Charles H. Mackie’s work in over a century, showcases the breadth of his creative vision and talents.
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Lecture: Roaring Sound: The Instruments of the Jazz Era
This talk will give a brief introduction of jazz as a style of music and explore the different instruments played in a typical jazz band of the 1920s.
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Exhibition Tour of ‘Marine: Ian Hamilton Finlay’
Join us for an exhibition tour of 'Marine: Ian Hamilton Finlay' by Stephen Bann CBE, Emeritus Professor of History of Art and Senior Research Fellow at Bristol University.
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Marine: Ian Hamilton Finlay
This major exhibition at City Art Centre focuses on the maritime theme in Ian Hamilton Finlay's work. It was a central element of his art, and one to which he returned throughout his life.
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Curator’s Tour - Bright Shadows: Scottish Art in the 1920s
Dr Helen Scott, Curator of Fine Art, provides a tour of the exhibition Bright Shadows: Scottish Art in the 1920s.
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Islander: the Paintings of Donald Smith
This is the first major exhibition Donald Smith's work, in partnership with An Lanntair, Stornoway and is part of Edinburgh Art Festival 2021.
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Lecture: Working with Ian Hamilton Finlay
Robin Gillanders gives this talk on his experience working on collaborative projects with Ian Hamiton Finlay between 1994 until his death in 2006.
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Lecture: The Four Seasons in Full Sail: A Year in the Garden at Little Sparta
The garden at Little Sparta is Ian Hamilton Finlay’s greatest work of art. In this talk George Gilliland, Head Gardener at Little Sparta, gives a brief description of its themes, content & planting.
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Lecture: Patrick Geddes’ Evergreen and Charles Mackie
Murdo Macdonald gives this talk on Patrick Geddes’ Evergreen and Charles Mackie at City Art Centre on Thursday 3rd June.
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Lecture: The Brave New World of Edwardian Book Illustration and Design
Join Jonathan Wild, Senior Lecturer in English Literature at the University of Edinburgh, for this talk on the design and illustration of books during the Edwardian period.
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Lecture: Charles H. Mackie: Colour and Light
This lecture will set Charles H. Mackie’s art in the context of his life. His Scottish artistic roots underpinned his engagement with French art and continental ideas.
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Messages and Ships
In this Adult Creative Workshop at City Art Centre, explore the silhouettes of ships in Ian Hamilton Finlay’s work and create unique collages using layering and simple printmaking.
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Exhibition Tour: Charles H. Mackie: Colour and Light
This tour will focus on key aspects of Charles H. Mackie’s development as an artist, highlighting his range and versatility in oil, watercolour and print.
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Adult Creative Workshop: Poetic Maritime Prints
Explore angular mark-making, experiment using block printing colours, mixing inks and layering to create a lino-print inspired by the maritime theme within Ian Hamitlon Finlay's work!
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Romantic Victorian Florals
Join us to explore the use of rich colour, light and shadow in Charles Hodge Mackie's paintings and incorporate these into a seasonal block printed Victorian-inspired botanical embroidery.
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Painting with Light
Come along to this family drop in session with artist Claudia Miller and create your own faux stained-glass picture to hang in the window at home!
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BSL Interpreted Tour of Charles H. Mackie: Colour and Light
Join us for a tour of our Charles H. Mackie exhibition which will have a BSL interpreter present.
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Lecture: Playing Cricket with the Nabis: Charles H. Mackie’s French Connections
This lecture given by Belinda Thomson, Honorary Professor in art history at the University of Edinburgh, examines the influences of French Art in the work of Charles H. Mackie.
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Descriptive tour for Visually Impaired Visitors of Charles H. Mackie: Colour and Light
Join artist Tessa Asquith-Lamb for a tour specifically designed for visually impaired visitors focusing on the Charles H. Mackie: Colour and Light exhibition!
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Descriptive Tour for Visually Impaired Visitors of ‘Marine: Ian Hamilton Finlay’
Join artist Tessa Asquith-Lamb for a tour specifically designed for visually impaired visitors focusing on the 'Marine: Ian Hamilton Finlay' exhibition.
Read more
Lecture: Charles Hodge Mackie and the Celtic Revival in Scotland and France
This lecture explores the influence of both Scottish and French art on Charles Mackie through a consideration of the work he produced in the 1890s.
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The Light Through the Trees and on the Water
Create paintings expressing light in landscape and explore the addition of figures for symbolism and depth with artist Tessa Asquith-Lamb at this workshop inspired by Charles Hodge Mackie!
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Flags Ahoy
Come along to these structured family drop-in sessions where you will make some little flags inspired by maritime themes in our Ian Hamilton Finlay exhibition!
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Push the Boat Out
Join writer Katy Hastie at a family friendly drop-in poetry session to make nautical collage poems that fold into origami boats to sail the seven seas - just bring your imagination!
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Curator’s Tour of Charles H. Mackie: Colour and Light
Join Dr Helen Scott, Curator of Fine Art, for a tour of the exhibition Charles H. Mackie: Colour and Light!
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More Art Galleries in Edinburgh
Royal Scottish Academy
Royal Scottish Academy The Mound,
Edinburgh Old Town EH2 2EL
The RSA runs a year-round programme of exhibitions, artist opportunities and related educational talks and events which support artists at all stages...
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Coburg House Art Studios
15 Coburg St,
Leith EH6 6ET
Coburg House Art Studios is a gallery, shop and artist studio space, home to a thriving hub of artists, designers and makers in the heart of Edinburgh's Leith.
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Edinburgh Sculpture Workshop
21 Hawthornvale,
Leith EH6 4JT
Edinburgh Sculpture Workshop is a centre for production, research and learning. We support artists in their careers and practice through the provision of space, funding and professional opportunities.
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Riddles Court
322 Lawnmarket,
Edinburgh Old Town EH1 2PG
Riddle's Court is the historic jewel in Edinburgh's Old Town. Hidden away until recently, it is a beautiful and atmospheric building making it a unique...
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Jupiter Artland
Jupiter Artland Bonnington House Steadings,
Wilkieston EH27 8BB
Set within the picturesque 80 acre estate of Bonnington House, arts organisation Jupiter Artland is the brainchild of Nicky and Robert Wilson!
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Summerhall
1 Summerhall ,
Edinburgh South EH9 1PL
Summerhall is open to the public all year round and hosts events in all the City’s major festivals. But it’s far more than Edinburgh’s newest and...
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McNaughtans Bookshop and Gallery
3a & 4a Haddington Place,
Edinburgh New Town EH7 4AE
McNaughtan's Bookshop, established in 1957, is a second-hand and antiquarian bookshop in central Edinburgh, probably the longest established business...
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Gallery 23
23 Atholl Cresent,
Edinburgh West EH3 8HQ
We aim to foster new connections by bringing together the artist and the viewer in a diverse new environment.Our mission is to develop an understanding...
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Hill Street Design House
3 Hill Street,
Edinburgh New Town EH2 3JP
A much needed creative addition to Edinburgh's historic New Town, Hill Street Design House provides eight grand studios, over four floors, resided by...
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All Art Galleries listings in Edinburgh
Royal Scottish Academy
The RSA runs a year-round programme of exhibitions, artist opportunities and related educational talks and events which support artists at all stages...
Read more
Coburg House Art Studios
Coburg House Art Studios is a gallery, shop and artist studio space, home to a thriving hub of artists, designers and makers in the heart of Edinburgh's Leith.
Read more
Edinburgh Sculpture Workshop
Edinburgh Sculpture Workshop is a centre for production, research and learning. We support artists in their careers and practice through the provision of space, funding and professional opportunities.
Read more
Riddles Court
Riddle's Court is the historic jewel in Edinburgh's Old Town. Hidden away until recently, it is a beautiful and atmospheric building making it a unique...
Read more
Jupiter Artland
Set within the picturesque 80 acre estate of Bonnington House, arts organisation Jupiter Artland is the brainchild of Nicky and Robert Wilson!
Read more
Summerhall
Summerhall is open to the public all year round and hosts events in all the City’s major festivals. But it’s far more than Edinburgh’s newest and...
Read more
McNaughtans Bookshop and Gallery
McNaughtan's Bookshop, established in 1957, is a second-hand and antiquarian bookshop in central Edinburgh, probably the longest established business...
Read more
Gallery 23
We aim to foster new connections by bringing together the artist and the viewer in a diverse new environment.Our mission is to develop an understanding...
Read more
Hill Street Design House
A much needed creative addition to Edinburgh's historic New Town, Hill Street Design House provides eight grand studios, over four floors, resided by...
Read more
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