Wilhelmina Barns-Graham enjoyed a particularly long career as an artist, stretching from the 1930s up until her death in January 2004, aged 91. The last 10 years of her life were particularly vital, during which she produced a group of dynamic, vibrant works epitomised by the boldly abstract Scorpio Series of acrylic works on paper, that she began in the mid-1990s. Although she gained almost immediate critical and commercial success with these works, she continued to experiment and develop right up to the end of her life. Preoccupied by the very act of painting and the joy she felt in it, this small exhibition highlights some aspects of the work she made in these final few years.
Wilhelmina Barns-Graham
Wilhelmina Barns-Graham, c.2001
Scorpio Series No. 3
Just In Time 1999
Wilhelmina Barns-Graham (1912–2004)
Screenprint on paper
H 56 x W 76 cm
NHS Lothian Charity – Tonic Collection
Five Blues 2000
Wilhelmina Barns-Graham (1912–2004)
Acrylic on canvas
H 91.3 x W 121.8 cm
Wilhelmina Barns-Graham Trust
Ultramarine II 2000
Wilhelmina Barns-Graham (1912–2004)
Acrylic on canvas
H 91.4 x W 121.7 cm
Wilhelmina Barns-Graham Trust
Gaia Series (Mars) I 2000
Wilhelmina Barns-Graham (1912–2004)
Acrylic on canvas
H 122 x W 168 cm
Wilhelmina Barns-Graham Trust
Afghanistan 2000
Wilhelmina Barns-Graham (1912–2004)
Acrylic on canvas
H 121.6 x W 91.4 cm
Wilhelmina Barns-Graham Trust
Easter 2000
Wilhelmina Barns-Graham (1912–2004)
Acrylic on paper
H 58 x W 76.5 cm
Wilhelmina Barns-Graham Trust
Untitled (April) 2001
Wilhelmina Barns-Graham (1912–2004)
Acrylic on paper
H 46 x W 76 cm
Wilhelmina Barns-Graham Trust
Untitled (Grey) 2001
Wilhelmina Barns-Graham (1912–2004)
Acrylic on paper
H 56.7 x W 76.2 cm
Wilhelmina Barns-Graham Trust
Two Reds on Purple 2003
Wilhelmina Barns-Graham (1912–2004)
Acrylic on canvas
H 20.5 x W 25.2 cm
Wilhelmina Barns-Graham Trust
Wait 2003
Wilhelmina Barns-Graham (1912–2004)
Acrylic on canvas
H 76 x W 101 cm
Wilhelmina Barns-Graham Trust
