The Torrie Gift, 1836-2016

Genevieve Warwick, Neil Lebeter

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceedingChapter

Abstract

This introductory essay forms part of an exhibition publication by University of Edinburgh staff, students, and curators, as well as colleagues in the National Galleries of Scotland. It forms part of a pioneering series of exhibitions on university art collections based on collaborative teaching and research across the university. The essay charts the history of the University of Edinburgh Torrie Collection both as a founding collection for the study of art within the history of the university, and within the broader history of the great development of university and national museums and galleries in nineteenth-century Britain. Chiefly composed of Dutch 'Golden Age' paintings and Italian Renaissance bronzes, it was the first major bequest of art to the university in 1836. Its donation was overseen by the university architect, William Henry Playfair, who would later propose its display at his newly-built National Gallery of Scotland. The history of the Torrie Collection continues to be a lodestone of university collecting and giving, but also of research and learning, as successive generations of researchers bring new frameworks of enquiry to the study of our historic collections. This publication by staff, students and curators marks 180 years of university art collecting, and celebrates its distinctive past, present, and future as a focus of collaborative learning and enquiry.
Original languageEnglish
Title of host publication10 February 2017 University of Edinburgh Torrie Collection
EditorsGenevieve Warwick
PublisherTalbot Rice Gallery University of Edinburgh Museums and Galleries
ISBN (Print)978-1-904443-75-9
Publication statusPublished - 10 Feb 2017

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