One of the great things about my day job is the revolving art works that line many of the corridor walls. From contemporary pieces to finer oil paintings, the RGU Art & Heritage Collection is a bit of a hidden gem with many important art works in its priceless collection. Indeed a walk around the newly re opened Aberdeen Art Gallery with George Cheyne (of APB fame) highlighted many of the connections between works on show and the various paintings and sketchbooks held in the RGU Collection.
As with any collection its well tended and the team look to rotate the works on show with a few special displays set up each year. After an amazing display of the 'Heretical Diagrams' print suite by Ian Howard the walls received an up date with 'Orbit of Neptune' featuring works previously on loan to Neptune Energy. The show features seven prominent paintings which range from the mythical to the architectural in theme and showcase a variety of painting styles. One painting in particular stands out with its stark black and gray cubes forming a 3D effect. This painting by Brian Hutcheon used to sit on a stairwell in the old St Andrew Street building where I worked, its sheer size creating a sense of awe and wonder. I'd often find myself on errands around the building and would always enjoy a moment with this piece and its great to see it everyday.
Older works from Nicola Williams also drew me in having connected with her work this year at her Grays show 'The Wrong Idea Forever'. It's great to be able to trace ideas from an artists time at Grays to their current work and creates a new level of understanding about their ideas and development, another valuable aspect of the collection. But you simply have to walk around any of the RGU sites and you'll find amazing art works that range from this years degree show to works spanning back to the 1950's and along with the Art Gallery and the Grampian Hospital collection, the RGU Collection forms an important piece of the cities cultural history.
As with any collection its well tended and the team look to rotate the works on show with a few special displays set up each year. After an amazing display of the 'Heretical Diagrams' print suite by Ian Howard the walls received an up date with 'Orbit of Neptune' featuring works previously on loan to Neptune Energy. The show features seven prominent paintings which range from the mythical to the architectural in theme and showcase a variety of painting styles. One painting in particular stands out with its stark black and gray cubes forming a 3D effect. This painting by Brian Hutcheon used to sit on a stairwell in the old St Andrew Street building where I worked, its sheer size creating a sense of awe and wonder. I'd often find myself on errands around the building and would always enjoy a moment with this piece and its great to see it everyday.
Older works from Nicola Williams also drew me in having connected with her work this year at her Grays show 'The Wrong Idea Forever'. It's great to be able to trace ideas from an artists time at Grays to their current work and creates a new level of understanding about their ideas and development, another valuable aspect of the collection. But you simply have to walk around any of the RGU sites and you'll find amazing art works that range from this years degree show to works spanning back to the 1950's and along with the Art Gallery and the Grampian Hospital collection, the RGU Collection forms an important piece of the cities cultural history.
Hopefully we'll see a bit more recognition for the collection, especially as we enter the 2020's, the decade where Aberdeen embraces art and culture in a big way from classical masters at AAGM to hidden gems at RGU!
