2025 Scotland: Edinburgh Museums

Edinburgh is home to several large and comprehensive National museums and art galleries which are sponsored by the Scottish government, making access free to the public (other than for entry to special exhibits).  While we watched Fringe shows in the late afternoon and evening, during the mornings we visited museums.  Our first visit was to the Scottish National Gallery, which is Edinburgh’s major art gallery, known for its world-class collection of European masterpieces and Scottish works from the late 14th century through to 1945.

To prepare for this visit, we watched videos on the museum’s website about some of their most iconic works. It was therefore quite thrilling to finally see them in person. Robert Burn’s stunning oil on canvas painting titled “The Hunt” (1926) depicts three female figures running through an exotic jungle with gold and black jaguars at their sides while birds and even a monkey peek out from the foliage. The Art Nouveau-styled panel was used as decoration for Crawford’s Tea Rooms on Princes St.  "The Vision of the Sermon" (1888) is probably Paul Gauguin’s most famous painting that is not based on life in the South Pacific. It depicts Breton women, dressed in regional garb, listening to a sermon by a priest who has Gauguin’s features. In the top left corner is the vision of Jacob wrestling with an angel, a biblical story reflecting the struggle between the flesh and the spirit. Most interesting is the perspective as the women are mostly shown from the back and sides. Henry Raeburn’s “The Skating Minister” (circa 1795) is considered a highlight of the collection. It was used on the gallery’s promotional materials when they acquired it in 1949. The painting depicts the esteemed Reverend Robert Walker, a senior minister of Canongate Kirk, unexpectedly captured in a carefree, whimsical moment in mid stride while he skates on a pond with faint mountains in greys and pinks in the background. The painting has become an emblem of Scottish art and culture, is found on a variety of trinkets and is often spoofed. 

One of the most impressive works on display is Phoebe Anna Traquair’s set of four life-sized panels of embroidered silk and gold on linen, titled "Progress of a Soul" (1895-1902). The four panels allegorically illustrate the spiritual journey of a human soul, represented by the depiction of a young man dressed in animal skin. The man starts full of hope and enthusiasm but then struggles with strife and temptation until he is overcome with despair. But the final panel shows his triumphant rebirth and salvation, embraced by an angel leading him to eternal life.

As much as I enjoyed the highlights, my two favourite pieces were part of an exhibition titled “A Point in Time – the 1920s” which reflected Scottish art’s take on the European avant-garde movement of the period, with stylized depictions that were seen as both innovative and brazen. I loved the vibrant colours of William McCance’s “Portrait of Joseph Brewer” (1925) where an employee at the Spectator magazine is depicted in a robotic fashion with metallic-like skin tones while his act of reading a book humanizes him.  The background consists of sharp lines and geographic shapes and I found the whole effect so striking. I was also taken by Eric Robertson’s Cartwheels (1920) depicting a woman performing cartwheels on a Scottish mountain above a loch.  The portrayal of motion and kinetic energy seems very Art Deco and reminds me of Giacomo Balla’s famous painting of a dog wagging its tail.  Antonio Canova’s beautiful Neoclassical marble sculpture of the Three Graces (Zeus’ daughters representing mirth, elegance and beauty, 1815) is perfectly framed by round archways and highlighted by the red walls in the gallery where it resides.  I also liked El Greco’s “An Allegory” where a boy kindling a flame might represent sexual arousal, the monkey on his shoulder symbolizing vice, and grinning man next to him representing folly. I was first drawn to the contrast of light and dark and the eerie feeling of this painting.

In general, I like artworks that tell a story, so I was delighted to come across an entire section dedicated to this.  There was a smaller subsection section showcasing depictions of scenes from works of William Shakespeare including Sir Joseph Noel Paton’s painting of the “Quarrel of Oberon and Titania” (1849) from Midsummer’s Night Dream.  Near by, William Dyce’s “Francesca da Rimini” (1837) reflects a scene from Dante’s Inferno, depicting the doomed love affair between Francesca and her brother-in-law while her jealous husband creeps near ready to murder the couple.  Unfortunately, part of painting was cut away in 1882 due to deterioration so only a disembodied hand remains at the left, although this actually makes the resulting work quite unique.  A folding screen (1867) painted by William Bell Scott depicts scenes from the King’s Quair, a 15th century poem said to be written by King James I of Scotland.  Each panel illustrates occurrences from the poem including King James writing his poem while imprisoned in England, spotting his future queen Lady Jane, asking the goddess Venus for advice, and receiving a carnation from Jane as a token of her love. Finally, the painting of a Scottish terrier named Callum has a humorous backstory.  Dog owner James Cown Smith commissioned John Emms to create the painting.  Upon Smith’s death, he bequeathed £52,257 pounds (over £2 million today) to the National Gallery, but only if the condition that the painting of his beloved pet be permanently displayed.  It is so much more fun and interesting to admire a painting that has a story attached to it.

I usually prefer art museums more than museums showing historic artifacts, which I envision to be cases full of broken pottery shards.  But the National Museum of Scotland was the exception and ended up being my favourite because of its vast, eclectic and fascinating collection. Even the building is unique as it is comprised of two parts.  The original Venetian Renaissance style Victorian Royal Museum was open in 1866 and offers 3 levels of exhibition space including a cast-iron Grand Gallery with an arched glass roof that can be viewed from balconies on each of the floors.  In 1998, a modern edition was added with a cylindrical tower for an entranceway, five stories of new exhibition space and a rooftop terrace designed by sculptor Andy Goldsworthy from which you can see stunning views of the city including Edinburgh Castle and the Scott Monument.

In 2016, renowned Lego artist Warren Elsmere created a model of the old and new sections of the National Museum, made out of 90,000 pieces of lego bricks.  It is viewable both from the outer facades and from the inside with some of the more iconic exhibits on display including a cast iron drinking fountain, the Fresnel lens from the InchKeith lighthouse, a T.Rex dinosaur and a Formula One race car.  Inside the actual new building addition, interesting architectural features include small chairs attached to the side of a staircase that allows people to rest on the large steps while small children (or me!) to sit on the side chairs beside them.

The Grand Gallery is a bright, naturally lit atrium which spans just about the entire length of the Victorian Royal Museum and has a glass dome ceiling topping all three levels of the exhibition space below.  The glass ceiling was inspired by London’s Crystal Palace and is supported by cast iron pillars.  Highlights of the museum displayed in the Grand Gallery include the actual Fresnel lens and drinking fountain that we saw in the Lego model.  The ornate, cast-iron drinking fountain, with a crane at the centre of its basin, is surrounded by an octagonal pagoda decorated with griffins.  It was made in the 1880s and was displayed at the 1888 International Exhibition.  A science and technology section found at one end of the Grand Gallery features several airplanes including a Piper Tomahawk and de Havilland Tiger Moth hanging from its ceiling, as well as the race car belonging to racer Jackie Stewart that we saw represented in the lego model.  At the other end of the Grand Gallery is a Wildlife and Nature section with taxidermy representations of aquatic and land animals hanging from the ceiling and in dioramas on the floor.  A highlight of this section is the preserved body of Dolly the Sheep, the first successfully cloned mammal who died in 2003.

The Millenium Clock is a 10-meter-tall kinetic clock created in 1999 that performs a choreographed sequence of light, sound and motion to the music of Bach’s Concerto in A Minor on the hour from 11am-4pm.  The clock is an intricate sculpture made of wood, metal and glass that is shaped as a cathedral spire with 4 sections—the Crypt, the Nave, the Belfry and the Spire.  At the base, the Crypt evokes a scene from Hell with an “Egyptian” monkey turning a wheel symbolizing the cycle of birth, death and rebirth while an imprisoned ancient spirit in chains represents suffering at the base level of society.  Moving upwards, the Nave contains kinetic sculptures depicting historic dictators such as Hitler and Stalin, highlighting the cruelty and atrocities committed by man.  In this section, a reflective pendulum swings while ridden by a skeleton, bells ring and lights flash and the figures tug on levers and pulleys.  The Belfry features twelve rotating carved figures known as “The Requiem” representing the twelve calendar months as well as hardships and tragedies suffered in the 20th century.  The figures include Hunger, Madness, Grief, the Holocaust, War camps and more.  Some of the figures are bound with chains or what looks like barbed wire.  At the top of the Spire is a Pietà representing hope for redemption while donkey heads ring bells at the base of the spire.  The clock both reflects sins and tragedy of the past while providing hope for future redemption.  Lasting several minutes per hour, the clock display is a highlight of the museum.

There are some fascinating historic artifacts in the collection that are considered highlights.  The Lewis Chessmen are Medieval chess pieces believed to have been made in Norway in the late 12th to early 13th centuries.  Carved from walrus ivory or sperm whale bone with a variety of emotive facial expressions, they were discovered on the Isle of Lewis (former Norwegian colony off the west coast of Scotland) in 1831.  From a total of 93 pieces, 82 are displayed at London’s British Museum while Scotland has 11 pieces.  Introduced in 1564 and dubbed “The Maiden”, Scotland’s first beheading machine was used for executions for over 150 years, replacing the previously used execution sword.  It was made of oak with a lead weight attached to allow the iron blade to fall quickly.  In 1836, a group of boys exploring a hidden cave in the north-eastern slopes of Arthur’s Seat (an inactive volcano in Holyrood Park, Edinburgh) came across 17 miniature pine coffins each containing a wooden doll dressed in detailed clothing.  The reason for these figures remains a mystery despite multiple unconfirmed theories.  Eight have survived and are on display in the museum.  Also on display is a copy of Scottish mystery writer Ian Rankin’s novel “The Fall” which includes a plot point about the figures, along with replica coffins created for a TV series based on the book.   We were impressed by the intricate detail found in the 1928 plaster cast replica of Mary Queen of Scots’ tomb including the ruffles and details in her gown.  It is life-size and to scale relative to the actual marble tomb which is in Westminster Abbey.

Another section of the museum was dedicated to fashion and design. I admired the frilly, flowery and elaborate hats on display even though I would never have the occasion to wear anything like them.  I wanted nothing to do with some of the shoes on display, which looked like the most uncomfortable footwear ever!  I had to look closely to see what was unique about a white silk dress with what seemed like writing on it.  Up close I could see that the dress designed by Phoebe English in 2020 was adorned with “care label” tags that are attached to clothing with washing/dry cleaning instructions.  Moving on the Jewelry section, even more unique was the beaded necklace made from puncturing holes into a vintage 19th century blue and white Delftware plate (2009).  I also admired the “Queen of the Night” tiara or neckpiece made from gold, moonstone and mother of pearl (1996).

In terms of decorative arts and design, there was a small exhibit dedicated to pottery created by Pablo Picasso and Jean Cocteau including a clay plate depicting one of Picasso’s favourite topics, bullfighting.  Other objects include “Book of the Sea”, Anne Petters’ beautiful work made from kiln-formed glass on a wooden stand that looks like delicate pages of an open book, but also like the foam from crashing waves of the sea (2019).  During COVID lockdowns, Veronika Fabian created a necklace made from parts of her own coffee maker.  Titled “Love Machine”, the work explores the solace she found from her daily cup of coffee during periods of isolation.  Several works were made from 3-D printing including an intricate orb-shaped pendant lamp.  There were many more interesting items to explore and we ended up spending significantly more time in this museum than originally planned.

The Scottish National Portrait Gallery has an impressive collection of portraits from the 14th Century to the current day in a variety of mediums including paintings, sculptures, drawings, etchings and photographs.  There are around 3000 paintings and sculptures, 25,000 prints and drawings and over 38,000 photographs representing both historical and modern Scottish personalities.  While the predictable highlights include images of iconic historical figures including Mary Queen of Scots, Winston Churchill, Robbie Burns, Sir Walter Scott, etc., their images are so ubiquitous that they weren’t very exciting to see again.  We were drawn to a portrait titled “A Young Skip”, especially after reading the back story of nine-year-old John Darg Laing with a raised broom calling for a curling shot.  The description goes on to reveal that John was killed in WWI at age 19 after his plane was shot down.  Rich really liked the painting depicting the execution of King Charles I, including a scene after the beheading where the executioner holds up the severed head while a woman in the foreground faints.

We were much more interested in viewing the Modern section featuring more current Scottish personalities.  Even though we did not recognize most of the people in the portraits, it was fascinating to see the how they were depicted, especially when creating self-portraits.  There were several portraits of current Scottish celebrities that we did recognize.  A whimsical oil painting of Tilda Swinton titled “Red and Unread” (2002-4) was created by her former partner John Byrne.  It depicts a red-headed Swinton sitting on a big pile of scripts that she had turned down while her foot is on a smaller pile that she had completed.  Byrne also painted a portrait of actor and comedian Billy Connolly (2002) depicting him at various points in his career with details including a kilt with a buckle emblazed with Connolly’s nickname “Big Yin”, and Banana Boots from his 1970s routines. John Bellany’s (1986) painting of Sean Connery in a colourful golf shirt from Belmont Golf Club is interesting since his head seems disproportionately small compared to his body. An irreverent oil painting of actor Alan Cummings (2014) by Christian Hook portrays Cummings wearing a kilt around his neck made from the tartan of the Scottish Independence “Yes” Campaign while his bare legs stretched out.  A jar labeled “Honey” is a tribute to Cummings beloved dog Honey who had recently passed away.  A (2020) photograph of Rwandan Scottish actor Ncuti Gatwa just pops from afar in his striking bright yellow suit.  The actor is known for his role in the Netflix show Sex Education and debuted as the 15th Doctor Who in 2023.

Some of the portraits that I liked despite not being familiar with the subject include a regal 2018 painting of singer Emeli Sandé that has elements of abstract expressionism in the purple hues chosen for her face and cubism in the depiction of her cheeks and hair.  Singer/Songwriter Horse McDonald sang her best-known song “Careful” during the sitting for her 2019 portrait and artist Roxana Halls captured her vibe, mannerisms and movements.  The colours in the background seem to reflect the mood of the music being performed.  Even more interesting was seeing how artists portray themselves in self-portraits.  Painter William Crosbie depicts himself contemplating a surrealistic painting, revealing his interest in the art style (1941).   Barbara Balmer’s 1995 self-portrait on a “Frosty Friday” depicts a closeup of her barely exposed face, mostly covered by a hat and high-neck jacket.  The muted colours of this painting, her calm demeanor and the focus on her eyes make this image distinctive.  George Alexander Doulas Haig, the 2nd Earl Haig’s 1988 self-portrait depicts himself standing with a paint brush and paint palette with the Eildon Hills behind him.  He started painting when he was a prisoner of war during WWII.

Although most portraits are of a single person, there are works in this museum that depict multiple people.  Two examples of this were paintings hung adjacent to each other.  Looking at them head on, to the left was “Last Supper in Footdee” by Joyce Cairns (1989) depicting an imaged dinner party at her home, portraying herself with 9 people from her life dressed in costumes, plus Tigger the cat and a disembodied hand with a striped sleeve representing an anonymous 12th person that seems reminiscent of the painting we saw earlier at the National Gallery.  The pale almost ghoulish faces remind me of something German painter Otto Dix might create.  Across from this painting is one called “Poet’s Pub” by Alexander Moffat (1980) that depicts Scottish poets and writers from mid to late 1900s, none that I had heard of, but I liked the colours and the composition.  One of the most interesting yet eerie portraits is titled “Three Oncologists” by Ken Currie (2002) depicting cancer specialists from Ninewells Hospital and Medical School in Dundee.  They are painted in a ghostly manner to reflect the emotional and psychological aspects of their work in cancer treatment.  Finally, “Rescue Party, Kilmun Street” (1941) does not seem to be a portrait of anyone specific but may have warranted inclusion in the gallery because it was painted by James Bond author Ian Fleming detailing an incident while he was a police officer during WWII.

As much as the portraits were interesting to see, the real star of this museum is the architecture and magnificent splendor of the Great Hall that was part of the Portrait Gallery building designed by Sir Robert Anderson between 1885-1890.  As you enter on the ground floor, you are presented with a series of arches held up by columns topped by a stunning wrap-around frieze with a gold and gesso background on which a procession of 155 figures from history including clergy, monarchy, politicians, military leaders, writers and artists.  They are depicted chronologically from Stone Age man to Saint Ninian (the first Christian missionary 360AD) through to essayist and historian Thomas Carlyle (1795-1881) with important figures like Robert the Bruce, Mary Queen of Scots, John Knox, Sir Walter Scott, Robbie Burns, Sir Henry Raeburn and more.  The walls on the second floor boast a series of large-scale murals painted in late Victorian and Edwardian styles which depict famous events in Scottish history.

From this upper floor, we can also get a closer look at the individual figures represented in the procession.  The frieze was created by William Brassey Hole, who also painted the large murals.  Seeing the details of all the individual figures makes this work even more impressive.  There are marble busts along the window ledges including ones of Sir Walter Scott and artist Phoebe Anna Traquair, one of the few females represented.  More busts are found in a Victorian library that visitors can use for study and research with books and journals dating from the 19th century to present day.

Of the four National museums that we visited in Edinburgh, the least interesting for me was the Modern Art Museums.  Dubbed Modern 1 and Modern 2, I thought this would be the largest collection that we would see since it spanned two buildings.  But it turned out that Modern 2 only housed a rather pricey paid special exhibit that we were not keen on.  So, we were left with Modern 1 which was relatively small and felt repetitive since a large section contained portraits that were too reminiscent of the Portrait Gallery.  What I liked best about Modern 1 was the cool, swirly sculptural landform in front of the museum, that was designed by landscape architect Charles Jencks.  Consisting of a serpentine mound accessed via a circular path with three crescent-shaped pools of water in the middle, this serene landscape that you can walk on was the most beautiful work that I found at this museum.  I also liked some of the outdoor sculptures including a bronze by Eduardo Paolozzi titled Master of the Universe (1989) which shows scientist Sir Isaac Newton bent over with a measuring instrument.  The sculpture is based on a famous work by William Blake.  We also unexpectedly came across one of Antony Gormley’s six cast iron figures based on the artist’s own body.  This one depicts a man down only to his torso and it is made to appear like the figure is rising up out of the ground.  The set of six sculptures are known as SIX TIMES and we would find one more later in the day when we walked part of the “Water of Leith Walkway”.

I was disappointed that there were not more sculptures on display inside the Modern 1 Museum as I was hoping for large-scale, brightly coloured pop art installations like those we experienced at other Contemporary art galleries around the world.  The limited sculptures on display were created by French artist Louise Bourgeois and British artist Helen Chadwick as part of a temporary exhibit called Artist Rooms that highlights the works of selected artists.  In one of Bourgeois’ rooms was a giant bronze Spider sculpture (1994) with an “egg sac” filled with rocks.  Bourgeois associates the spider motif with motherhood and her own mother since she sees them both as “repairers”.  Another room had an untitled installation made up of items of her own clothing plus bones (from a cow) and tubular objects made from rubber and fabric that are meant to resemble body parts.  The work is supposed to reflect the aging body.  Helen Chadwick’s installation, made with her partner David Notarius was called “Piss Flowers” (1991) since they were literally made from urinating on piles of snow in flower-shaped moulds that were then filled with plaster to form floral sculptures.  They documented their process with black and white photos.

I was immediately drawn to Kenyan British artist Michael Armitage’s work, painted on a Ugandan Lubugo bark cloth, since I recognized the homage to Gaugain’s Vision of a Sermon which we saw at the National Gallery.  The fuzzy image resembling Jacob Wrestling the Angel is represented in the same location of the painting, but instead of Breton women, there are African dancers performing a ritual Tanzanian Baikoko dance on the right and other figures with their backs turned away instead of looking forward at the action.  The work is titled "Nasema Nawe" (2016) which is Swahili for “I say to you”.  Armitage’s works blend East African landscapes with commentaries on social inequities, violence and politics.  Another interesting piece was “The Order of Desire” (2022) by Frieda Jaegar which combines oil painting with Indigenous Mexican embroidery techniques.  A painting of a car dashboard with items such as a cell phone cable, candy wrappers, lipstick and a scrunchie (representing consumerism) is adorned with beautifully embroidered plants and flowers forming an unconventional still life.  Jaegar also reflects on what objects are considered masculine vs. feminine.

I spent a long time carefully inspecting all the details of Grayson Perry’s “The American Dream” (2020).  This is a colour etching on paper that channels old 1950s Cold War propaganda maps warning of communist threats.  In this version which satirizes the current polarized cultural landscape of United States, the god-like “Big Brother” is a representation of Mark Zuckerberg’s face, commenting on social media’s power to fuel conflict, outrage and division.  Red arrows emanating from this face represent the negative emotions generated from doom-scrolling including fear, alienation, resentment, anger, remorse, and so forth.  These arrows lead to vehicles including war planes, battleships and helicopters labeled with buzzwords and catch phrases such as “Climate Change”, “Black Lives Matter”, “White Privilege”, “Baby Boomers”, “Free Speech”, “Animal Rights”, etc.  There is so much to look at and absorb in this work.

Although we found the Modern museum a bit underwhelming, we were thrilled to discover the Water of Leith Walkway right next to it and decided to explore.  The Water of Leith is the main river traversing through central Edinburgh.  It is 24 miles long, starting from Pentland Hills in the south, then flowing north-east through Edinburgh before emptying into the Firth of Forth, which is a narrow inlet of the North Sea.  The Walkway is a public treelined footpath that runs 12 miles along the river, passing by the Modern Museum and the village of Dean (where we saw the Dean Cemetery) within Edinburgh.  Five more of Antony Gormley’s sculptures were found along the river but only one was close enough for us to come across.  It was thrilling to spot the full-body sculpture standing in still water with a raging waterfall nearby.  The Walkway was serene and passed under bridges and by an athletic complex where people were playing Padel as well as some tennis courts. What a wonderful getaway from the hustle and bustle of Old Town Edinburgh, especially during the Fringe Festival.  This unexpected find became one of the highlights of our stay in Edinburgh.