The Royal Scottish Academy are pleased to present A Journey Shared, a major exhibition exploring the lives and work of Dame Elizabeth Blackadder RSA and John Houston RSA.
RSA Lower Galleries
Free entry
Mon to Sat 10am-5pm, Sun 12-5pm
This summer, we’re celebrating the lives and work of Elizabeth Blackadder and John Houston in a major exhibition focusing on their travels, research and studio practices. The exhibition accompanies the recent RSA Blackadder Houston Bequest, an important, generous gift from the artists to the Academy.
A Journey Shared gives an unparalleled insight into the work and lives of these two hugely influential Scottish artists. Avid travellers, the show traces the shared research, interests and symbiotic practices of Blackadder and Houston. It includes works from across the breadth of both artists’ careers, with early drawings and paintings on view alongside masterworks from their mature periods.
The exhibition begins with Blackadder’s earliest known self-portrait from 1951 alongside her early portrait of Houston. Other rarely seen works include Houston’s studies of fishermen and miners, as well as panoramic views of the Italian countryside from the artists’ first shared travels in Europe. Houston’s fascination with the Bass Rock and the coastline is explored, and significant examples of Blackadder’s enduringly popular botanical and cat studies will be on display.
The exhibition is be accompanied by a new publication featuring writings by Alexander Moffat RSA, Stuart Duffin RSA and other Academicians who worked alongside Blackadder and Houston. Artworks will be available for sale.
We are grateful for the support of the Blackadder Houston Charitable Trust (SC048904) in the mounting of this exhibition.
View The Study Collection exhibition online
