Alison Watt (Scottish painter) facts for kids
Alison Watt (born in 1965) is a famous Scottish painter. She became well-known while she was still studying art. In 1987, she won a big art competition called the Portrait Award at the National Portrait Gallery in London.
About Alison Watt
Alison Watt was born in Greenock, Scotland. She studied art at the Glasgow School of Art and finished in 1988. While she was a student, she won the John Player Portrait Award. Because she won, she was asked to paint a portrait of The Queen Mother.
In 1997, Alison Watt had an exhibition called Fold at the Fruitmarket Gallery in Edinburgh. This show was special because it was the first time she showed paintings of fabric alongside figures. This style was inspired by an old French painter named Jean Auguste Dominique Ingres. It also showed how her art was moving towards more abstract ideas.
In 2000, Alison Watt became the youngest artist to have her own exhibition at the Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art. Her show, called Shift, had 12 very large paintings that only showed fabric. In 2003, she was chosen as a finalist for The Jerwood Painting Prize.
Watt showed her art during the 2004 Edinburgh Festival. She put a huge 12-foot painting called Still in the memorial chapel of Old St Paul's Church. Special books were made for each exhibition. For Still, she won an award in 2005 called the ACE award. This award is for art made for churches or religious places.
Her next big project was called 'Dark Light'. She received a special award from the Scottish Arts Council in 2004 to help her create this work. In the summer of 2005, she took part in a special art program called the Glenfiddich residency.
From 2006 to 2008, Alison Watt was the youngest Associate Artist at the National Gallery, London. She worked inside the gallery. She was very interested in one painting there, Zurbaran's St. Francis in Meditation. The art she made during this time was shown in her solo exhibition called 'Phantom'. This show ran from March to June 2008. In the same year, she was given a special honour called the OBE.
Alison Watt's art has been shown in many places. Her paintings are kept in many public art collections. These include the National Portrait Gallery in London and the Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art. Her work is also in the Uffizi Gallery in Florence, Italy. In 2012, the Scottish National Portrait Gallery bought her Self-portrait painting. They bought it to celebrate the gallery reopening after being updated.
In 2017, Alison Watt became a Fellow of The Royal Society of Edinburgh. This is a special group that celebrates smart and talented people.
Between July 2021 and January 2022, Watt had an exhibition at the Scottish National Portrait Gallery. Another show, 'A Portrait without Likeness', was at the Inverness Museum and Art Gallery in early 2022.
Today, Alison Watt is represented by an art gallery called Parafin in London.
Her Amazing Artworks
Alison Watt's Self-portrait from 1986–87 was painted when she was still a student. She was not feeling well at the time. In the painting, she has her hand on her forehead. It looks like she is checking her temperature or feeling a bit dizzy. Alison Watt has not painted many portraits since her early days. This painting was given to the Scottish National Portrait Gallery when it reopened in 2011.
Where Has Her Art Been Shown?
- 12 March – 22 June 2008 'Phantom', National Gallery, London, UK
- 17 March – 7 May 2016 'Alison Watt: The Sun Never Knew How Wonderful It Was' – Parafin Gallery, London, UK
- late 2018 'Alison Watt: A Shadow on the Blind' – Abbot Hall Art Gallery, Kendal, UK
- 24 May – 13 July 2019 'A Shadow on the Blind' – Parafin Gallery, London, UK
- 17 July – 9 January 2022 'A Portrait Without Likeness' – Scottish National Portrait Gallery, Edinburgh, UK.
