They were already accomplished and revered artists, but an Edinburgh workshop offered a chance to spread their wings and explore a different way of working.
Collaborating with Edinburgh Printmakers, artists like John Byrne, John Bellany and Alasdair Gray pushed boundaries that resulted in striking works of art.
Now rarely available limited edition prints of work by them and other leading Scottish contemporary artists, including Rachel Maclean, Alan Davie and David Shrigley – known for his Partick Thistle mascot, Kingsley – are set to go on sale for, in some cases, just a few hundred pounds.
They include Byrne’s artwork, Moonstruck, created at Edinburgh Printmakers while he worked on the ceiling of The King’s Theatre in the city.
The signed and numbered print, estimated at between £400 to £600, echoes elements of the theatre’s celestial-themed ceiling, with its angular figure captured in the sudden spotlight of the moon’s glow.
The King’s Theatre is currently undergoing a £12m revamp and is due to re-open next year.
Also featured in the sale is a newsprint-inspired screen print, Untitled (News: Nobody Likes You, by David Shrigley, and a work by John Bellany, one of the workshop’s most prolific artists.
Better known for his vivid and colourful paintings which hang in some of the world's major galleries, he had a long partnership with the workshops that spanned over 40 years from the 1970s and which led to more than 60 print editions.
Among his works in the auction is a 1987 etching, Through a Glass Darkly, which has guide price of between £700 to £1,000.
The 26 limited-edition prints will be sold live online by Edinburgh-based fine art auctioneers, Lyon & Turnbull, on behalf of the pioneering Edinburgh Printmakers studio as part of its wider Prints & Multiples sale.
Edinburgh Printmakers was originally established in 1967 in the city centre and was the first studio of its kind in the UK open to all artists. It is moved to a former rubber factory and brewery in Edinburgh's Fountainbridge in 2019, and remains one of the largest of its kind in Europe.
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The artworks featuring in the auction have been sourced from its extensive archive.
Lots include two 2011 prints by artist and write Alasdair Gray, known for his novels Lanark, and the Poor Things, recently adapted as an Oscar award-winning film. One is a nude entitled Ann, and the other Bill Skinner in his Otago Home, which is estimated to fetch between £300 to £500.
Glasgow-based artist Rachel Maclean also has her distinctive artworks featured in the sale. They include her 2013 work, Highland Romance, based on a still from her film The Lion and the Unicorn, which explores Scottish themes. It is estimated to fetch between £1,000 to £1,500.
Other highlights include a numbered and signed lithograph by Adrian Wiszniewski, one of the so-called New Glasgow Boys group of artists. Called Tête a Tête, it was created by drawing on prepared limestone blocks in the prints studio and then printed, and has an estimate of between £300 to £500.
The sale also features a 2001 print from a set of 13 etchings produced by Alan Davie, who said to be a key inspiration for David Hockney, and work by Carol Rhodes, known for evocative paintings and drawings of landscapes affected by human intervention.
Head of Editions at Edinburgh Printmakers, Alastair Clark said: “For many artists - including the international roster included for this auction - printmaking might not be their first practice so they approach the process with fresh ideas and challenges for us here in the studio.
“It's a partnership - we bring technical know-how and our own creative input when we are working with an artist on a print project.
“This relationship often brings out the best of the artists' potential and not only creates stunning artworks but helps to push the boundaries of printmaking to a whole new level.”
Most of the limited edition and signed prints have an auctioneer’s estimate of just a few hundred pounds.
Janet Archer, CEO Edinburgh Printmakers said: “These prints are an opportunity to own works created at Edinburgh Printmakers by significant artists as they developed their practice by creating ambitious works in print.
“All proceeds from sales will go towards supporting artists and the wider creative community.”
The Edinburgh Printmakers’ works feature in the closing section of the auction.
Carly Shearer, Head of Prints and Multiples with Lyon & Turnbull, said: “Printmaking is such an exciting artform. The core techniques have a long history, but with new technologies and opportunities for education, the possibilities for creative innovation are endless.”
For more details of the auction, visit the Lyon & Turnbull auction site here
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