PETER HOWSON: NEW SELF-PORTRAIT FOR FIRST MAJOR RETROSPECTIVE

Peter Howson, self-portrait, 2023, oil on canvas. © the artist; photographer Greg Macvean

23.5.23

Howson’s first self-portrait in 15 years to be unveiled at exhibition opening this weekend

Peter Howson’s first major retrospective opens at Edinburgh’s City Art Centre this weekend and will run until Sunday 1 October. Bringing together over 100 works tracing his career from his student days to the present, the exhibition has been assembled from public and private collections spanning the UK and Europe. Many of the works, privately commissioned from the artist, have never been seen in public. Included in the exhibition is Howson’s first self-portrait since 2008, painted at his Glasgow studio earlier this year in honour of the retrospective.

Commenting on the work, Howson said: “This most recent self-portrait was painted quickly. I hope it captures something of the madness and obsession of an artist's life. Going in and out of the underworld does tend to leave scars and burnings. This is my first self-portrait for quite a few years. I think the last time I did one was Christmas day 2008. I was alone that day, and in a black mood. In the 1980s and 1990s I painted myself many times, some in a heroic style and a lot more in a warped, degenerate state. Self-portraiture is a way for the artist to show the march of time from childhood to old age. It’s a journey of self-discovery and a record of joy, love, suffering and hope.”

Spanning four floors, the exhibition includes Howson’s early work, dominated by depictions of working-class Glasgow men – dossers, boxers, bodybuilders. The huge Heroic Dosser from the National Galleries of Scotland is a key painting from this period and hangs alongside images of army life and nightclubs. In 1993 Peter was appointed Official War Artist in Bosnia by the Imperial War Museum, sponsored by The Times, and a section of the exhibition is devoted to this traumatic and harrowing experience.

The upper floors of the exhibition explore Howson’s more recent work. While in the depths of despair and his life at a very low ebb, Peter reached out to God. It was a life-changing moment. Many of the works exhibited on the second-floor gallery are inspired by his ongoing faith journey, including his Stations of the Cross series and numerous paintings never seen in public.

Howson continues to respond to contemporary events in his own unique way. The Covid 19 Pandemic and the ongoing war in Ukraine are themes he explores in his recent paintings and works on paper. The top floor of the exhibition includes seminal major works from the last decade, such as Prophecy and Babylon, as well as a new series of apocalyptic ink paintings, crammed with fearsome beasts and grotesque figures.

Peter Howson signing self-portrait, 2023, oil on canvas. © the artist; photographer Greg Macvean

Reflecting on the purpose of art in today’s society, Howson commented: “Too much of art today is an intellectual game. Art needs to communicate, but it also has to retain a mystery. It cannot be dissected like an object in a science lab. It is a process of inspiration, technique and magic, and comes together and is completed in a way that doesn't need too much explanation. It is an open door into the wonder and mystery of existence.”

The City Art Centre’s Curatorial and Conservation Manager, David Patterson has been planning the exhibition since 2019, working closely with Peter Howson and Flowers Gallery in London.

David commented: “This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to see works assembled from public and private collections. The retrospective illustrates Peter’s consummate skill in a range of media, exploring his religious work as well as his graphic responses to recent global events.”

Howson has previously shown at the City Art Centre, when his critically acclaimed solo exhibition, devoted to Scotland’s patron saint Andrew, was displayed in 2007.

An events programme accompanies the exhibition featuring lectures, gallery tours, talks and creative workshops as well as digital talks and tours. On Friday 26 May at 7pm, City Art Centre will host an online premiere of a film exploring key moments of Howson’s artistic development. Full details here.

The exhibition is a highlight of this year’s Edinburgh Art Festival programme. EAF is the largest annual festival of visual arts in the UK and takes place from 11- 27 August. 

When the Apple Ripens: Peter Howson at 65: A Retrospective opens at the City Art Centre in Edinburgh on Saturday 27 May 2023 and runs until Sunday 1 October 2023. A book Peter Howson: A Retrospective accompanies the exhibition, published by Sansom and Co.

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Tickets

Priced at £8.50 / £6.50 concessions, tickets are available to purchase in advance here

City Art Centre, Edinburgh