Leisure & Culture Dundee Taking Part in RSA 200 Year Anniversary Celebrations
In 2026, the Royal Scottish Academy, one of the oldest and most prestigious cultural institutions in Scotland, is 200 years old. Celebrations are taking place across the UK and involve hundreds of artists, partners, galleries and institutions. It is the widest reaching project ever of its type in the UK with over 100 museums, galleries, and other cultural partners coming together to celebrate with their own events, major exhibitions, performances, talks and collection rehangs. Leisure & Culture Dundee is delighted to be participating with works on display at The McManus: Dundee’s Art Gallery & Museum and Caird Hall.
The Royal Scottish Academy was founded in 1826 to support artists and architects and promote art and architecture in Scotland. They are an independent, non-governmental charitable institution led by Academicians. Royal Scottish Academicians are prominent artists and architects elected by their peers who govern the RSA on a democratic basis. The RSA run a year-round programme of exhibitions, artist opportunities and events from their base at The Mound in Edinburgh.
At The McManus: Dundee’s Art Gallery & Museum and Caird Hall, visitors can follow the RSA 200 logo across the galleries to discover works by Academicians within Dundee’s civic fine art collection, which is recognised as a collection of national significance to Scotland.
Five highlights to discover:
1. The Victoria Gallery at The McManus
A long‑time visitor favourite, the richly coloured Victoria Gallery showcases Academicians from the RSA’s first century. The densely hung gold‑framed paintings echo the displays early Academicians would have known. Highlights include:
- D.O. Hill’s early topographical study Coadster Discharging in Perth harbour' c1830
- Sir Edwin Landseer’s Retrievers
- Sir Joseph Noel Paton’s breathtaking Beati Mundo Corde
- Horatio McCulloch’s romantic Border Keep
- John Blake MacDonald’s evocative Lochaber No More
From society portraits by Millais and Sargent to the bold innovations of the early twentieth century, the gallery brings together influential Academicians, Past Presidents and Honorary Academicians.
Image credit: Horatio McCulloch, A Border Keep, 1838, oil on canvas
2. David Mach: The King is Dead
Sitting on the highest hammerbeam of the Here and Now Gallery’s impressive queen’s post ceiling, is David Mach’s grinning gargoyle commissioned in 1992. The gargoyle carries a crown chimney on its back – the crown signifying the king in a game of chess. Appearing to have flown in from the roof of The McManus, clutching its ‘King’ in triumph, it is a powerful and witty addition to the building’s Gothic architecture.
3. Calum Colvin: Portrait of Michael Marra
With artists increasingly working in a variety of media, since 2005, the Academy has taken a broader approach and now makes awards only in the disciplines of art and architecture. Calum Colvin’s multimedia practice is grounded in photography. His 2017 portrait of musician Michael Marra can be seen in the Making of Modern Dundee gallery. An alternative full length portrait of Michael Marra by Colvin is also on display at the Caird Hall.
Image credit: Calum Colvin, Portrait of Michael Marra, 2017, photographic print on canvas © Calum Colvin
4. Delia Baillie: Wall painting - Untitled 2002 within the Caird Hall
Within Dundee’s Caird Hall is an Untitled wall painting commissioned in 2002 from Delia Baillie (1977-2023). It juxtaposes linear patterns that accentuate the architecture of the impressive staircase with screen printed images of dance shoes, referencing the Caird Hall’s rich musical heritage. Baillie was elected as an Academician, served as a committee member, exhibition convener and made history in 2022, when she became the first woman to hold the post of Treasurer of the RSA. The works at the Caird Hall can be viewed when the building is open for events.
5. Honorary Academicians
For much of the RSA’s history, if you lived outside of Scotland, you could be nominated to a position as an Honorary Academician - HRSA. Many of Scotland’s most significant artists, including Wilhelmina Barns-Graham, Alan Davie and Sir Eduardo Paolozzi hold this distinction. All three have important artworks on display within Border Crossings: Ten Scottish Modern Masters within The McManus’s Twentieth Century Gallery.
The ambitious anniversary project is designed to bring partners and communities together to celebrate the cultural history, presence and influence of the RSA and its Academicians across Scotland. The year-long celebration will help connect and celebrate RSA artists, architects and established and emerging artists who have been part of the RSA family both historically and now. The celebration will stretch across the whole of 2026 and reach all regions of Scotland and beyond.
