AUTHOR TALK – William Gillies: Modernism and Nation in British Art

Join renowned author Andrew McPherson in situ at the William Gillies –
Modernism and Nation RSA Touring Exhibition at Hawick Museum for this
informative talk on his recent publication which informs the exhibition
itself.
Andrew McPherson has been researching the life, times and works of
William Gillies for over twenty years, finding both an explanation and a
corrective for the recognition Gillies lacks.
Gillies is rightly known for his drawings and watercolours of the Borders
landscape which he did not start to produce in quantity until the late
1940s when he was turning fifty. Gillies himself said that watercolour was
not his first priority. So, what was? Indeed, how and why did he become
an artist in the first place?
The untold story of his life rewrites the romanticised fiction we have for so
long taken as read and opens our eyes to the full range of his work. It
emerged as much from suffering as from joy as he tried to come to terms
with the traumas of his family and the aftermath of two World Wars.
This discussion will look at the author’s remarkable account which
uncovers paintings not seen before and reveals new meanings among
Gillies’ work whilst also exploring issues of cultural politics, sex, gender,
religion and mental health which place Gillies firmly within the modernist
canon and the broader Scottish, British and European contexts.
museums@liveborders1.org.uk
FREE – donations welcome. Numbers limited, booking advised.
www.liveborders.org.uk to book