Women lead the way in the National Galleries of Scotland 2026 programme

National Galleries of Scotland announces an unmissable programme of free and ticketed exhibitions set to take over the National, Portrait and Modern galleries in Edinburgh throughout 2026.

Article Source: National Galleries of Scotland
Last Updated: 16 September 2025 11:40

With three women artists headlining the 2026 programme, join us at the National Galleries of Scotland to celebrate their fascinating careers, artistic vision and determination.

Be moved by Catherine Opie’s captivating photographic portraits, embrace the intriguing digital world of photographer Wendy McMurdo in her biggest ever exhibition, marvel at the fascinating life of Welsh painter Gwen John in the first major retrospective in over forty years, and step inside the mind and brush strokes of Scottish artist Joan Eardley with a fresh new insight into her powerful and expressive paintings. Also, for the first time ever the National Galleries of Scotland will host the Scottish Portrait Awards exhibition, championing Scottish talent and creativity. These sensational new exhibitions for 2026 sit alongside visitor favourite Turner in January, returning triumphantly from last year’s blockbuster exchange with the National Gallery of Ireland in Dublin. Find all this and more across all three National Galleries of Scotland sites in 2026.

Next Summer discover the powerful photographic portraits by American artist Catherine Opie in the National Galleries of Scotland's exhibition at the Royal Scottish Academy building, from 8 August. Curated in collaboration with the artist and touring to Edinburgh from the National Portrait Gallery in London, Catherine Opie: To Be Seen is the first major museum exhibition of her work to be shown in the UK and first ever solo exhibition in Scotland. Discover nearly 80 portraits by Opie alongside a selection of portraits from Scotland’s national collection, prompting questions around the who, why and how of portraits. Come face to face with Opie's mentors and collaborators, queer communities, children, surfers, high school footballers and political crowds that she makes visible through her work, as well as self-portraits of Opie herself. Journey through 30 years of the artist’s work as she questions representations of home, intimacy and family, and explores politics, identity and power structures. Catherine Opie: To Be Seen will span the artist’s first major work, Being and Having (1991), and her ennobling portraits of LGBTQ+ friends inspired by court painter Hans Holbein, through to her Baroque-like portraits of artists. Opie's portraits work together to create new narratives, challenging viewers to think about the figures most commonly portrayed in art and those who go unseen.

From 30 May at the Portrait gallery, experience Wendy McMurdo’s photographic reflections on childhood, the digital world, learning and make-believe for free in her largest exhibition to date. Working at the forefront of developments in digital photography, Wendy McMurdo: The Digital Mirror, charts 20-years of ground-breaking work by this pioneering photographer. McMurdo has blazed a trail in the experimental use of computers and digital tools in photography from the early days of computer-based learning in schools to the growth of the internet and networked gaming. Wendy McMurdo: The Digital Mirror comes at a time when the digital landscape is changing faster than ever before, with technology offering limitless possibilities and scope for imaginative learning. With children spending more and more time online, the exhibition offers a fascinating insight into the impact of technology on learning and play in childhood. Alongside McMurdo’s work, including a newly configured moving image projection, visitors will discover a range of objects that may be familiar. Find items selected from museums including early 20th century children’s toys, an Eduardo Paolozzi sculpture and the painting Reverend Robert Walker Skating on Duddingston Loch (The Skating Minister) by Henry Raeburn. Explore why these artworks have influenced McMurdo's work and what this has to do with how we learn and access culture. Over the last 30 years, Wendy McMurdo has made a key contribution to Scotland’s international reputation as a centre for contemporary art. This exhibition coincides with the bicentenary year of the Royal Scottish Academy to which McMurdo was the first woman photographer to be elected.

Discover Gwen John: Strange Beauties taking over the whole of Modern Two from 1 August 2026. This is the first major retrospective in over forty years dedicated to one of Wales’ most accomplished artists, Gwen John, and the first stop on its tour following the opening at National Museum Cardiff in February 2026. Rarely seen drawings and watercolours will be on display, many for the first time, giving an insight into her quiet yet determined artistic vision. Gwen John: Strange Beauties will offer a fresh new perspective on Gwen John’s work and artistic legacy. Discover her intimate and meditative portraits and her unique creative vision. Born in Haverfordwest, Pembrokeshire in 1876, Gwen John studied at the Slade School of Art in London, becoming one of the first generation of women to receive a formal art education, before moving to Paris where she settled. Marking 150 years since her birth, the exhibition will showcase work from her early years in Wales through to her late works inspired by her religious beliefs, French modernism, and her surroundings in the Parisian suburb of Meudon.

Explore the textured and vibrant paintings of Scottish artist Joan Eardley for free on the ground floor of Modern Two in April 2026. Often thought of as an isolated figure, Joan Eardley: The Nature of Painting offers a unique opportunity to look at how the much-loved artist engaged with the world and artists around her. Immerse yourself in Eardley’s oil paintings alongside a selection of works from Scotland’s world class national collection. Joan Eardley: The Nature of Painting offers a rare chance to see how Eardley viewed artists both of and before her time, exploring the artistic synergies between their work. Archival material from the national collection including interviews and some of the contents of her studio provide us with a glimpse of what she admired most in the art of others. While her studios and workspaces were always strewn with her own work, there were also postcards and clippings of the work of other artists. Eardley’s powerful and expressive paintings transformed her everyday surroundings, including the rugged Scottish coastline and Glasgow's street children. Joan Eardley: The Nature of Painting invites visitors to look at these works in a new light and explore the artist’s work in a wider context. Step inside the world and mind of the artist and how her works linked to artists such as John Constable, Claude Monet, contemporaries such as Jean Dubuffet and Antoni Tapies, and closer to home Scottish artists from William McTaggart to Bet Low.

Following the incredible success of last year’s blockbuster exchange with Dublin for Turner’s 250th birthday, Scotland’s own much-loved Turners are back! The free annual display, Turner in January, is an eagerly awaited tradition for many people across Scotland. Last year saw thousands of visitor's flocking to the National Galleries of Scotland exhibition at the Royal Scottish Academy to get a peek of the magnificent watercolours. At the dawning of the New Year, as we leave behind the darkest days of winter, the bright vitality of Turner’s watercolours is just what we need. Left to the nation by the great art collector Henry Vaughan in 1900 the watercolours have been displayed annually, following Vaughan’s strict guidelines, they have only ever been displayed during the month of January, when natural light levels are at their lowest. Because of this, these precious watercolours still possess a freshness and an intensity of colour, almost 200 years since they were originally created. Summer 2026 will also offer the unique opportunity to see Turner’s iconic painting Norham Castle, Sunrise, on display in the National in Edinburgh as a special loan from Tate.

The Scottish Portrait Awards are back and bigger than ever, as the Scottish Arts Trust and National Galleries of Scotland announce a landmark move that will see the 2026 awards hosted at the Portrait gallery in Edinburgh for the first time. This exciting new home for the 2026 exhibition will bring deserved attention to the many talented contemporary portrait artists in Scotland today. Organised by the Scottish Arts Trust, the Scottish Portrait Awards exhibition at the Portrait gallery from Autumn 2026 – Spring 2027, will be a celebration of Scottish talent and creativity. There are three Awards for artists to enter: Scottish Portrait Award in Fine Art; MPB Scottish Portrait Award in Photography and Scotland Now! Phone Portrait Awards. Artists over 16 years that were born or are living or studying in Scotland have the opportunity to participate in this exciting exhibition. Applications to participate in the 2026 Scottish Portrait Awards are open now and close 15 January 2026. Entries can be made at Scottish Portrait Awards - Scottish Arts Trust. Around 120 works will be selected by the Scottish Portrait Awards judges from the Fine Art and Photography entries; a further 60 works will be chosen for the exhibition from the Scotland Now! Phone Portrait Awards entries. Judges of the awards will include BBC Radio 4's Kirsty Wark, iconic fashion photographer Albert Watson OBE and Sky Arts Portrait Artist of the Year 2021, Calum Stevenson. The prizes, presented by the Scottish Arts Trust will total £17,500. In addition, the winner of the Scottish Portrait Award in Fine Art and the winner of the MPB Scottish Portrait Award in Photography will each receive a portrait commission which will join Scotland’s national collection.

Launched in 2009 in partnership with Tate, the successful ARTIST ROOMS programme continues to collaborate with partners across Scotland and the rest of the UK to share the superb collection of modern and contemporary art. In October 2026 audiences in Perth and Kinross can experience the pioneering work of Isaac Julien through an exciting collaboration with Perth Museum. This will be the inaugural venue to present Julien's Lessons of the Hour 2019, a recent acquisition to the ARTIST ROOMS collection that will tour around the UK. Audiences will also be able to explore the work of American artist Jenny Holzer at 20-21 Visual Arts in Scunthorpe (31 January - 13 June 2026), Pop icon Andy Warhol at the University of Nottingham's Lakeside Arts (24 January - 19 April 2026) and Wolverhampton Art Gallery (23 May - 4 October 2026), and British duo Gilbert & George at The Atkinson in Southport (7 November 2026 - 20 February 2027).

Anne Lyden, Director-General at the National Galleries of Scotland said: “There is so much for visitors to look forward to next year at the National Galleries of Scotland, with our tantalising 2026 exhibition programme. We are thrilled to be spotlighting some truly sensational women artists in this year’s programme and celebrate their fascinating careers. Whether being moved by one of Catherine Opie’s portraits, swept away in the crashing waves of Joan Eardley’s powerful paintings, stepping into the curious world of Wendy McMurdo or coming face to face with Gwen John’s intriguing paintings, there is something for everyone to enjoy. Plus, we are so excited to host the Scottish Portrait Awards for the first time ever and can’t wait see what incredible, talented Scottish artists will apply. 2026 is going to be a truly amazing year!”

Image: Avatar (i), 2008, Wendy McMurdo
Image Credit: 2025 Wendy McMurdo. All Rights Reserved, DACS Images.

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Women lead the way in the National Galleries of Scotland 2026 programme

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