The Press and Journal (Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire)
The big weekend quiz
Aberdeen Art Gallery has a collection spanning more than 700 years and also hosts a range of interactive activities for young ones. But how well do you know its exhibits?
With the half-term holiday upon us, Aberdeen Art Gallery is a great place for a family visit. It’s open every day, with free admission, so why not take a break from screens, spend some quality time together and enjoy fun activities for all ages, from eye spy to creating your very own masterpiece. Complete the quiz for a taster of what you can explore on a visit.
1. How many years has Aberdeen Art Gallery been collecting art for?
A. 90 years
B. 140 years
C. 250 years
2. What is the smallest item on display in the Art Gallery?
A. Strawberry Brooch (Gallery 8)
B. A thimble
C. A miniature painting
3. John Forbes White was one of the Art Gallery’s Victorian founders. What was his job?
A. A blacksmith
B. A flour merchant
C. A doctor
4. There are lots of geese in one of the gallery’s best-known paintings, To Pastures New by Sir James Guthrie (Gallery 1). What is a group of geese called?
A. A gaggle
B. A flight
C. A gang
5. The archive of fashion designer Bill Gibb (1943-1988) is part of the collection. What symbol did Gibb like to use?
A. A thistle
B. A bee
C. A toothbrush
6. Red Form by Merete Rasmussen (Gallery 5) uses a bright red, one of the three primary colours. What are the others?
A. Green and yellow
B. Blue and green
C. Blue and yellow
7. Flood in the Highlands by Edwin Landseer (Gallery 9) shows a storm raging and people and animals trying to keep safe. Where was the painting set?
A. Cairngorms
B. Loch Lomond
C. Isle of Skye
8. Queen Victoria was painted by Herbert Luther
Smith sitting on her throne (Gallery 9). Why was she shown sitting rather than standing?
A. Her legs were tired
B. All royal portraits were done with the subject sitting
C. To hide that she was small
9. Baptism in Scotland by John Phillip contains secret Jacobite messages (Gallery 9). Wearing tartan was banned after the Battle of Culloden in 1746: true or false?
A. True
B. False
10. Gabrielle Reith’s Fit Like badge (Gallery 9) was inspired by Aberdeen and the local Doric dialect. What does “fit like?” mean?
A. Hello, how are you?
B. Do you like that?
C. Where you going?
11. Brother and Sister (Gallery 18) is one of many pictures of children by Joan Eardley. What did these children receive as a thank you?
A. A penny
B. A jam sandwich
C. A copy of the painting
12. Mare Solemnis by Martin
Rayner has lots of brightly-coloured figures (Gallery 16). What does this sculpture represent?
A. Farmland
B. The sea
C. The sky
13. The colourful kitty in the Leaping Cat Brooch by Abbott & Ellwood (Gallery 8) doesn’t move. How high can a cat jump?
A. Six times their own height
B. Three times their own height
C. 10 times their own height
14. Adam Graham designed a pot on display in around 1760, what do you think it was used for?
A. Tea
B. Coffee
C. Hot chocolate
15. James McBey was an artist and adventurer (Gallery 13). He liked to sketch while riding on the back of a moving camel: true or false?
A. True
B. False
16. The Penguin Brooch (Gallery 8) was a wedding present from Frances Farquharson of Invercauld to her daughter. Where do penguins live? A. Arctic
B. Antarctic C. In the zoo
17. How many granite pillars are there in the Art Gallery’s Sculpture Court?
A. 8
B. 18
C. 28
18. Approximately how many complete chequered tiles are there on the ground floor of the Art Gallery? Try counting them!
A. 1,000
B. 1,300
C. 1,600
19. What is the pot by Carol McNicoll (Gallery 4) used to display?
A. Flowers
B. Spoons
C. Pens
20. Joseph Farquharson often painted sheep in the snow near his family home at Finzean. What was his nickname?
A. Frozen Nose Farquharson B. Frozen Fingers Farqharson C. Frozen Mutton Farquharson
21. Next time you visit, look carefully for the lobster in the painting In the Gulf They Dream of Sea and Ice by Joyce Winifred Cairns (Gallery 7). Lobsters
taste their food with their legs: true or false?
A. True
B. False
22. Cigarette Box by Martin Parr (Gallery 18) was created for a fashion photoshoot. The photo was taken in which country in Africa?
A. Mali
B. Senegal
C. Guinea
23. In Gallery 14 you can find out about the suffragettes and the Women’s Social Political Union (WSPU). Their supporters wore three colours: purple, white and what was the third?
A. Red
B. Pink
C. Green
24. The paining by John Lavery (Gallery 14) shows a group of people playing a game on a beautiful day, what are they playing?
A. Tennis
B. Netball
C. Football
25. What time did school start for the little girl in the painting Going to School by Jules Bastien-Lepage (Gallery 10)?
A. 8am
B. 7am
C. 9am
26. The art gallery was built from Kemnay and Corrennie granites. What colour is Corrennie granite?
A. Grey
B. Pink
C. Brown
27. The gallery cafe sells Bon Accord soft drinks. Bon Accord means “Good Agreement” in which language?
A. Latin
B. French
C. Doric
28. Take a look at the Museum From Home pages on its website at aagm.co.uk. What will you not find there?
A. Art for Nintendo Animal Crossing
B. Podcast
C. Opening hours
29. This summer the gallery is celebrating the wonderful work of Quentin Blake with an exhibition of his illustrations. How old is Quentin Blake?
A. 80
B. 90
C. 100
30. On the free digital guide to Aberdeen Art Gallery on the Bloomberg Connects app you can hear a poem about the Art Gallery by Jo Gilbert called Oor bit, oor airt. How many years does she say the collection covers?
A. 500
B. 600
C. 700