The Fine Art Society in Scotland is marking its 150th anniversary with a special exhibition that highlights historically overlooked artists, including pioneering Scottish sculptor Phyllis Bone, who created all but one of the animals on the Scottish National War Memorial. The show features works by female artists such as Anne Redpath, Betty Blandino, and Ishbel Myerscough, whose monumental piece *Kitchen Table* serves as a contemporary centerpiece, alongside a striking painting by Clare Atwood exploring queer and theatrical history. The exhibition also includes early 19th-century etchings by James McNeill Whistler, a rare landscape by Pre-Raphaelite painter John Brett, and works by modern British artists Graham Sutherland, Jacob Epstein, and Eduardo Paolozzi, as well as decorative arts by Augustus Pugin and a ceramic vessel by Philip Eglin recently shortlisted for the Loewe Foundation Craft Prize.
This exhibition matters because it deliberately centers artists whose contributions have been historically marginalized, particularly women and queer figures, while also celebrating the breadth of The Fine Art Society's 150-year legacy. By intermingling Victorian, modern, and contemporary works, the show underscores the gallery's ongoing commitment to rediscovery, scholarship, and artistic risk-taking. It provides a timely corrective to traditional art historical narratives and demonstrates how commercial galleries can play a vital role in reshaping cultural memory.