As part of the exhibition THE ARTIST & THE THINKER - JOHN DUNCAN & PATRICK GEDDES IN DUNDEE (jointly organised by McManus Galleries and the University Museum Services), we held a one-day conference event on the subject of Art in Dundee at the turn of the last century. The period from around 1880 to 1920 saw an extraordinary flourishing of artistic endeavour in the city, but much of it has never before been studied in detail. The conference was a huge success, attracting a sell-out audience. Some of the papers were subsequently published in the Journal of the Scottish Society for Art History. The full programme for the conference is reproduced below.
Programme for ART IN DUNDEE c 1900 BAXTER CONFERENCE SUITE, 1st FLOOR, TOWER BUILDING UNIVERSITY OF DUNDEE, 22nd JANUARY 2005 9.45am Registration 10.00am Introduction (Matthew Jarron) 10.15am John Duncan: the Early Years (Clara Young) 10.35am Works in Progress: John Duncan and the RSA Albums (Nicola Ireland) 10.55am Duncan's St Bride in context (Murdo Macdonald) Break for refreshments 11.40am Patrick Geddes, John Duncan, Martin White and The Riders of the Sidhe: Dundee Connections in the early 1900s (Megan Ferguson) 12.00pm "A too great perfection": George Dutch Davidson (1879-1901) (William Hardie) 12.20pm James Douglas RSW (1858-1911) (James S W Barnes) Break for Lunch 2.20pm David Foggie: the Dundee Years (Matthew Jarron) 2.40pm Etta Johnstone - "the lady who has done the portraits" (Mary Arnold) 3.00pm South Georgia & Discovery Science as a point of inspiration for Art in Dundee - Geddes, Burn Murdoch and the Dundee Antarctic Expedition (Elaine Shemilt) Break for refreshments 3.50pm The Battle of the Will, or the Birth of Dundee's Art College (Richard Carr) 4.10pm The Dundee Art Lobby and the Victoria Galleries (prepared by Anna Robertson, presented by Clara Young) 4.30pm A special treat to end with - a reading of John Duncan's delightful book The Woodman & the Elves by the University's writer-in-residence Colette Bryce 5.30pm Reception for delegates at McManus Galleries, with a chance to view the exhibition The Artist & the Thinker - John Duncan & Patrick Geddes in Dundee During the breaks there will be a chance to see displays of material by and relating to various Dundee artists including Joseph Lee and Martin "Cynicus" Anderson. There will also be a selection of related books for sale.