Gwen John and Edinburgh Modern Art Galleries

Edinburgh has two modern art galleries, inventively named One and Two, which just happened to be across the road from where I was staying. So obviously I popped across to see them. One basically does exhibitions and the other contains their permanent collection. 

The exhibition was of Gwen John, who only had one exhibition during her lifetime but has since been rediscovered. She was overshadowed by her more illustrious brother Augustus, although now she is probably the better known. I think this exhibition was partly due to the Welsh National Gallery having bought a job lot of her left over works after her death, so it was easy to stock up a large exhibition. 

 

 

I can't say I was overly impressed. I feel her rediscovery was largely due to the paucity of female artists. She seemed to be very repetitious, largely unglamorous doleful female portraits, like nuns. And she wasn't very good at hands.

I do like the permanent collection - rather better in my view than Tate Modern in London, in a nicer setting