The Scottish Colourists: Art and Life, a talk by Alice Strang (1992)

Alice Strang (1992) read History and History of Art at Emmanuel. Upon graduating she joined Christie's where she worked as a Specialist across Impressionist, Modern, 20th century and Contemporary art. She then spent 22 years at the National Galleries of Scotland, becoming a Senior Specialist in Modern & Contemporary Art. Since 2021 she has been an Associate Director of Lyon & Turnbull auctioneers. Alice has been described as 'one of the most cultured minds on Scotland's art scene.' (Scottish Field, 2026).

Alice will talk about her new book for the National Galleries of Scotland, The Scottish Colourists: Art and Life. This is the story of the interwoven lives of Samuel John Peploe, John Duncan Fergusson, George Leslie Hunter and Francis Campbell Boileau Cadell who are Scotland's most celebrated artists of the twentieth-century. They were bound together by friendship and an immersion in progressive French art, which resulted in their use of bold design, beautiful brushwork and, above all, brilliant colour. Individually and collectively the four artists were the torch bearers of modern art in Scotland. In 1937 the artist David Foggie described Peploe as ʻthe creator of a new beauty, entirely of this century and uniqueʼ. This description can be applied to all the members of the quartet now celebrated as the ʻScottish Colouristsʼ. Alice Strang re-examines the Colouristsʼ lives, work and international legacy, revealing why their art continues to captivate audiences worldwide.

This talk will be hosted by Rosanna Moseley Gore (1979). There will be time for questions and discussion after Alice's talk. 

Copies of the book can be ordered here.