Looking For John Graham Gilbert, R.S.A, W.S.A.: in Lachlan Goudie’s “The Story of Scottish Art”, 2020

Like many people, I can become excited whenever I read, or hear, any announcement relating to the publication of a new book about Scottish art. I ask myself, will it be similar to publications by James Caw and Robert Brydall, or more like Duncan Macmillan or someone else who wants to provide important information about a vital and diverse part of Scotland’s cultural history?

 

For more than 40 years, I have had the good fortune to be able to research a wide number of artists, art collectors, art institutions, art education and other manifestations of support for art in Glasgow. Thankfully, I  have been able to overturn some of the myths about the city and had opportunities to initiate and produce numerous displays, online and physical exhibitions, and a wide range of publications, ranging from Glasgow Illustrated, for the city’s Mitchell Library, to The Wealth of a City: A Glance at the Fine Arts in Glasgow.

 

It always has been my aim to champion the individuals who made Glasgow a great centre for cultural activity. It never has been about me, or how I can promote myself.

 

Many people who write about the country’s culture usually rush to look at the bibliography in any new publication, to see if their name is there. I tend to look at the book’s Index, to see what is missing. Before I considered buying Mr Goudie’s publication, I remember walking into the Sauchiehall Street branch of Waterstones to look for the book, solely to look at the Index. Some books, for one reason or another, do not have one.

 

I was very disappointed to see that John Graham Gilbert and Sir Daniel Macnee are absent. I often wonder why a publication which purports to be about Scottish art omits key artists. This is especially frustrating when the author is the son of the portrait painter, Alexander Goudie (1933-2004).

 

 

 

George Fairfull-Smith, September 2026.