‘Willie has come alive again, a vibrant, 21st Century artist’
Wilhelmina Barnsgraham, who was born in St Andrews in 1912, would become one of the foremost painters working in St Ives – a hub of artistic inspiration – after moving there in 1940.
Her paintings, alongside those of her contemporaries that comprise the St Ives School, are viewed as central to British Modernism.
Film-maker Mark Cousins believes Barns-graham, who died in 2004, was under-recognised her whole life, but is more relevant now than she’s ever been.
“These pictures of glaciers are extra resonant,” he said. “They are great works in themselves. David Bowie had one, for example.
“But they speak more loudly and more beautifully now. They’re more poignant than ever because the thing that inspired her is almost gone.”
He added: “The installation will appeal to many audiences. The audiences who go to see art, people who are interested in feminism, or ageing, and people who are interested in climate change.
“Also, Willie had synaesthesia, a condition that means when you hear a letter, you see a number. She was neurodiverse and we’re talking more about neurodiversity these days.
“These unusual sensory connections explain why she was so prolific and why her use of colour is particularly brilliant.
“The fact that she brings together all these themes means that the 21st Century version of Willie is very vibrant, very current.
“She has come alive again as a result of her representing so many themes that we are interested in today.
“She was one of the great Scottish colourists of all time, challenging a lot of stereotypes about artists, and women artists in particular.
“There was a particular awful cliche that women artists paint landscapes or families or domestic scenes, meanwhile here’s Willie painting these incredibly precise, mathematical grid-like pictures.
“Bravo to her for doing something so distinctive.”