Spheres of Influence I
22 November 2014 – 25 May 2015

Aubrey Beardsley                    William Blake
Rob Churm                              Albrecht Dürer
Paul Gauguin                          Alasdair Gray
Alan Fletcher                           Mark Gertler
Carole Gibbons                      David Hockney
Kunisada (Toyokuni III)         Chad McCail
Gilbert Spencer                       Stanley Spencer
Adrian Wiszniewski

We are looking forward to the opening of this exhibition on Friday 21 November celebrating the artist and writer Alasdair Gray who lives and works in Glasgow, part of the Alasdair Gray Season . Born in Riddrie in the east of Glasgow in 1934, he attended the Glasgow School of Art in the mid 1950s. Gray is a prolific poet, playwright, novelist, painter and printmaker, and is often described as a creative polymath – an expert in many art forms.

Spheres of Influence I looks at Gray’s practice, influences and work to re-present works from Glasgow Museums’ collection and explore the connections between them. Gray has talked extensively about influences on his work, such as William Blake, Aubrey Beardsley, Albrecht Dürer and Paul Gauguin. In exploring Glasgow’s collection we are able to bring some of these artists’ works together, along with more recent works by Gray’s peers and by younger artists who have in turn been influenced by his visual and writing practice.

Spanning over 500 years, the works in this exhibition provide an opportunity to explore new connections with Gray’s works, as well as influences of style, technique or subject matter.

Spheres of Influence I is part of the Alasdair Gray Season, devised by Sorcha Dallas, which celebrates Alasdair Gray at 80 years old. It focuses on his visual art work with exhibitions and events in venues including Kelvingrove Museum and Art Gallery, Glasgow Film Theatre, Glasgow Print Studio and the Glasgow School of Art. Spheres of Influence II is at the Glasgow School of Art until 25 January 2015.

Glasgow Museums would like to thank Sorcha Dallas, Ben Harman and Jenny Brownrigg for their support in the development of Spheres of Influence I, and Alasdair Gray for his generosity in talking about his work and influences for the short films which support the programme.

There is a programme including the events below:

Tuesday 3 February 2015, 7pm
The Killing Joke and Other Diagrams
Rob Churm in conversation with Gregor Wright
The Old Hairdressers, Renfield Lane, Glasgow, G2 6PH

Thursday 12 March 2015, 2pm Dr Michael Phillips, internationally acknowledged Blake scholar and curator of William Blake: Apprentice & Master (The Ashmolean, University of Oxford, 4 December 2014 – 1 March 2015) will offer a virtual tour of the exhibition, reflect upon it, and then welcome questions on any aspect of Blake, at the Lecture Theatre, The Burrell Collection, Pollok Park.

There will also be some workshops as part of the Saturday Art Club and Adult Art programme in the New Year. More details to follow.