In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, Dundee was renowned as one of the major art centres of Britain. The massive growth of the jute industry turned factory owners into millionaires and collecting art became one of their favourite hobbies. As the painter John Duncan recalled: “The best artists of the country were coming and going amongst us, the guests of our merchant princes; and the fame of Dundee as an art centre was spread far and wide”. The first generation of collectors concentrated on Scottish art, commissioning work directly from leading painters of the day. In the early 20th century, a new generation appeared with even more ambitious tastes. This online exhibition looks at some of the city’s leading art patrons.
Cromwell's Saints 1862
John Pettie (1839–1893)
Oil on canvas
H 42.5 x W 52 cm
National Galleries of Scotland
The Spell 1864
William Fettes Douglas (1822–1891)
Oil on canvas
H 77.5 x W 157 cm
National Galleries of Scotland
William McTaggart (1835–1910)
Oil on canvas
H 45.2 x W 61 cm
The Fleming Collection
Asleep c.1871
George Paul Chalmers (1833–1878)
Oil on canvas
H 36.8 x W 24 cm
The Orchar Collection: Dundee Art Galleries and Museums (Dundee City Council)
Puss in Boots 1877
John Everett Millais (1829–1896)
Oil on canvas
H 106.7 x W 79.3 cm
Dundee Art Galleries and Museums Collection (Dundee City Council)
Eduardo Léon Garrido (1856–1949)
Oil on canvas
H 115.6 x W 150.8 cm
Dundee Art Galleries and Museums Collection (Dundee City Council)
William Quiller Orchardson (1832–1910)
Oil on canvas
H 113 x W 169.4 cm
Aberdeen Art Gallery & Museums
David Farquharson (1839–1907)
Oil on canvas
H 50.8 x W 101.6 cm
Dundee Art Galleries and Museums Collection (Dundee City Council)
Lobster Fishers, Machrihanish Bay c.1901
William McTaggart (1835–1910)
Oil on canvas
H 100 x W 154 cm
University of Dundee Fine Art Collections
John Robertson (1862–1943), Fine Art Dealer 1928
Philip Alexius de László (1869–1937)
Oil on board
H 77.5 x W 51.5 cm
Dundee Art Galleries and Museums Collection (Dundee City Council)
Peek-a-Bo c.1900
Bernardus Johannes Blommers (1845–1914)
Oil on canvas
H 102.9 x W 77.5 cm
Dundee Art Galleries and Museums Collection (Dundee City Council)
Eugène Louis Boudin (1824–1898)
Oil on canvas
H 64.8 x W 92.8 cm
Glasgow Life Museums
Woman in Blue with a Child c.1899
Édouard Vuillard (1868–1940)
Oil on compressed card
H 48.6 x W 56.5 cm
Glasgow Life Museums
Orchard in Blossom (Apricot Trees) 1888
Vincent van Gogh (1853–1890)
Oil on canvas
H 54 x W 65.2 cm
National Galleries of Scotland
Kincardine Castle, Perthshire 1845
Charlotte Nasmyth (1804–1884)
Oil on canvas
H 46 x W 58 cm
University of Dundee Fine Art Collections
Star 1996
Jim Pattison (b.1955)
Acrylic on paper, laid on wood
H 74 x W 69 cm
University of Dundee Fine Art Collections
Explore artists in this Curation
View all 15-
Bernardus Johannes Blommers (1845–1914) -
William McTaggart (1835–1910) -
Charlotte Nasmyth (1804–1884) -
Jim Pattison (b.1955) -
Philip Alexius de László (1869–1937) -
Eduardo Léon Garrido (1856–1949) -
George Paul Chalmers (1833–1878) -
John Pettie (1839–1893) -
Vincent van Gogh (1853–1890) -
David Farquharson (1839–1907) - View all 15