The RGI Kelly Gallery will host New Voices, showcasing the work of newly elected members, while RGI – Work on Paper – at Fidra Fine Art will feature 25 RGI members including Will Maclean, Elspeth Lamb and Ade Adesina.
Founded in 1861, the RGI was known for hosting the largest open exhibitions outside London and once had a membership of over 2000.
It was crucial in providing a platform for the work of top Scottish artists such as the Glasgow Boys, the Scottish Colourists, Charles Rennie Mackintosh, the Glasgow Girls and Joan Eardley.
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The RGI also showed work by artists such as Turner, Whistler, Monet and Degas, giving Scottish artists and audiences a chance to see the very latest developments in art across the UK and Europe.
In more recent years, the organisation struggled with declining membership and the closure of its flagship venue, the McLellan Galleries, but now a new generation of artists is determined to bring it back to life.
RGI administrator, artist Michael Durning, said: “The RGI has a great history, and we hope to revive that energy. Having exhibitions on both sides of the country shows that we are committed to working across the whole of Scotland, not only in Glasgow.
“We want to revitalise the RGI and celebrate the great artistic heritage that we have. The RGI has promoted the work for contemporary painters and sculptors for more than 150 years, and it’s as important as ever for artists to have a platform like this to come together and show their work.”
The RGI’s legendary annual exhibitions, which sometimes featured more than 1200 works, attracted submissions and visitors from all over Scotland and beyond.
Alan Rae, owner of Fidra Fine Art, said: “I’m sure I am not alone in missing the annual trip to Glasgow to enjoy the annual exhibition by the RGI — a heady combination of work by the elected members alongside a variety of rigorously selected work by artists the length and breadth of Scotland.
“I am very proud to be working with RGI members to get their work out to other parts of the country. The Work on Paper exhibition features a stellar cast of elected RGI members and represents a great opportunity for art lovers in East Lothian and the surrounding area to see some of the finest work being made in Scotland today.”
Michael Durning hopes that the revival of the RGI Kelly Gallery in Douglas Street, Glasgow, will play a part in the cultural regeneration of the area around Sauchiehall Street, which has suffered in the wake of the pandemic and the Mackintosh building fires.
He said: “This area has been designated a cultural heritage district by Glasgow City Council. Reinvention is almost always led by artists, and we are well placed, with our colleagues at Paisley Art Institute, now based at Glasgow Art Club, and other local galleries to build foundations for new things to happen in this part of the city centre.”
