A new exhibition at the Dean Gallery this winter will give visitors a rare opportunity to view works of art normally only seen by visitors to one of the UK’s most northerly islands.  Comprising some thirty masterpieces of twentieth-century British art from the Pier Arts Centre in Stromness, in Orkney, Out of Place is touring the UK during 2003 and 2004 while the island gallery undergoes a major refurbishment. 

The works form the core of the Pier Arts Centre’s permanent collection, and were gifted to the people of Orkney in 1979 by Margaret Gardiner – a regular visitor to the islands and a close friend and supporter of many of the artists represented.  The exhibition features particularly fine examples of work by artists who made St Ives a major centre for the abstract avant-garde from the late 1930s onwards.  Paintings and sculpture by, amongst others, Ben Nicholson, Barbara Hepworth, Naum Gabo, Alfred Wallis, Peter Lanyon, Alan Davie and Patrick Heron are included.

Margaret Gardiner, who celebrated her 100th birthday earlier this year, played a pivotal role in the establishment of the much-loved island gallery: from gifting works she had amassed over the years to campaigning for funds to prepare a suitable home for what had grown into an important collection of British Modernist work.  Gardiner has always seen many similarities between Stromness and St Ives, not least in the active and creative communities that thrive there, where daily life is inextricably linked to the sea.

The Pier Arts Centre’s permanent collection is one of the most significant collections of twentieth century art in the UK.  Ambitious plans to extend and restore the Gallery were recently published, providing increased display space with modern environmental controls, education facilities and improved access for disabled visitors.  Work is expected to be completed in Summer 2006.

Out of Place has recently toured to Tate St Ives and Kettles Yard, Cambridge.  
4 December 2004 – 26 June 2005 - DEAN GALLERY, Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art, 73 Belford Road, Edinburgh. Admission free. Sponsored by AXA Art, specialist art and antiques insurer.