National Treasure: The Scottish Modern Arts Association is a temporary exhibition at the City Art Centre in Edinburgh.


It tells the story of the Scottish Modern Arts Association, a pioneering organisation that set out to establish Scotland’s first national collection of modern art.


The exhibition features over 100 paintings, drawings, prints and sculptures, showcasing some of the finest examples of Scottish art from the late 19th and early 20th centuries. This online curation presents a selection of highlights from the exhibition.

Artists featured in this Curation: James Cadenhead (1858–1927), Samuel John Peploe (1871–1935), James Guthrie (1859–1930), Bessie MacNicol (1869–1904), Lucien Pissarro (1863–1944), William Page Atkinson Wells (1872–1923), Herbert James Gunn (1893–1964), William McTaggart (1835–1910), Josephine Haswell Miller (1890–1975), James Pittendrigh MacGillivray (1856–1938), and 5 more
15 artworks
Storyline Album Showcase
Moorland
Image credit: Antonia Reeve / City of Edinburgh Council

Moorland c.1895

James Cadenhead (1858–1927)

Watercolour on parchment

H 113.1 x W 137.2 cm

Museums & Galleries Edinburgh – City of Edinburgh Council

Still Life
Image credit: Museums & Galleries Edinburgh – City of Edinburgh Council

Still Life c.1905–1906

Samuel John Peploe (1871–1935)

Oil on panel

H 26.7 x W 34.8 cm

Museums & Galleries Edinburgh – City of Edinburgh Council

Archibald Stodart Walker (1870–1934), MA, MB, MBE
Image credit: Museums & Galleries Edinburgh – City of Edinburgh Council

Archibald Stodart Walker (1870–1934), MA, MB, MBE c.1912

James Guthrie (1859–1930)

Oil on canvas

H 111.1 x W 77.5 cm

Museums & Galleries Edinburgh – City of Edinburgh Council

Portrait of a Lady (The Green Hat)
Image credit: Museums & Galleries Edinburgh – City of Edinburgh Council

Portrait of a Lady (The Green Hat) c.1896

Bessie MacNicol (1869–1904)

Oil on canvas

H 51.4 x W 36.6 cm

Museums & Galleries Edinburgh – City of Edinburgh Council

Blackpool Valley, 1913
Image credit: Museums & Galleries Edinburgh – City of Edinburgh Council

Blackpool Valley, 1913 1913

Lucien Pissarro (1863–1944)

Oil on canvas

H 54.6 x W 65.4 cm

Museums & Galleries Edinburgh – City of Edinburgh Council

A Lancashire Village, 1908
Image credit: Museums & Galleries Edinburgh – City of Edinburgh Council

A Lancashire Village, 1908 1908

William Page Atkinson Wells (1872–1923)

Oil on canvas

H 102.2 x W 127 cm

Museums & Galleries Edinburgh – City of Edinburgh Council

James Pryde (1866–1941)
© estate of the artist. Image credit: Museums & Galleries Edinburgh – City of Edinburgh Council

James Pryde (1866–1941) 1924

Herbert James Gunn (1893–1964)

Oil on canvas

H 127.7 x W 102 cm

Museums & Galleries Edinburgh – City of Edinburgh Council

Noontide, Jovie's Neuk
Image credit: Museums & Galleries Edinburgh – City of Edinburgh Council

Noontide, Jovie's Neuk 1894

William McTaggart (1835–1910)

Oil on canvas

H 88.9 x W 97.8 cm

Museums & Galleries Edinburgh – City of Edinburgh Council

The House on the Canal
© the copyright holder. Image credit: Museums & Galleries Edinburgh – City of Edinburgh Council

The House on the Canal c.1935

Josephine Haswell Miller (1890–1975)

Oil on canvas

H 63.6 x W 76.3 cm

Museums & Galleries Edinburgh – City of Edinburgh Council

Fiona
Image credit: Museums & Galleries Edinburgh – City of Edinburgh Council

Fiona 1916

James Pittendrigh MacGillivray (1856–1938)

Marble

H 75.5 x W 47.6 x D 32.4 cm

Museums & Galleries Edinburgh – City of Edinburgh Council

A Glass of Milk
© estate of Stanley Cursiter. All rights reserved, DACS 2024. Image credit: Museums & Galleries Edinburgh – City of Edinburgh Council

A Glass of Milk 1923

Stanley Cursiter (1887–1976)

Oil on canvas

H 40.6 x W 45.7 cm

Museums & Galleries Edinburgh – City of Edinburgh Council

Black and White Checks
© the artist's estate / Bridgeman Images. Image credit: Museums & Galleries Edinburgh – City of Edinburgh Council

Black and White Checks 1952

Anne Redpath (1895–1965)

Oil on canvas

H 77.5 x W 83.8 cm

Museums & Galleries Edinburgh – City of Edinburgh Council

July Fields
© the Eardley estate. All rights reserved, DACS 2024. Image credit: Museums & Galleries Edinburgh – City of Edinburgh Council

July Fields c.1959

Joan Kathleen Harding Eardley (1921–1963)

Oil on canvas

H 52.7 x W 61 cm

Museums & Galleries Edinburgh – City of Edinburgh Council

Kirn Pier, Winter
© the artist's estate. Image credit: Museums & Galleries Edinburgh – City of Edinburgh Council

Kirn Pier, Winter 1960

Ian Fleming (1906–1994)

Oil on canvas

H 71.1 x W 91.9 cm

Museums & Galleries Edinburgh – City of Edinburgh Council

Tristan and Isolde
Image credit: Museums & Galleries Edinburgh – City of Edinburgh Council

Tristan and Isolde 1912

John Duncan (1866–1945)

Tempera on canvas

H 76.6 x W 76.6 cm

Museums & Galleries Edinburgh – City of Edinburgh Council

Explore artists in this Curation

View all 15
  • Ivy Cottage, Coldharbour: Sun and Snow
    Lucien Pissarro (1863–1944)
  • Autumnal Picture
    James Cadenhead (1858–1927)
  • Under the Apple Tree
    Bessie MacNicol (1869–1904)
  • Tristan and Isolde
    John Duncan (1866–1945)
  • Tulips – The Blue Jug
    Samuel John Peploe (1871–1935)
  • A Study of Oak Leaves in Autumn: Self Portrait
    William McTaggart (1835–1910)
  • Self Portrait
    Anne Redpath (1895–1965)
  • The Wife of Flanders
    James Pittendrigh MacGillivray (1856–1938)
  • Harbour Pattern: The Rainbow
    Ian Fleming (1906–1994)
  • The House on the Canal
    Josephine Haswell Miller (1890–1975)
  • View all 15
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