Scottish National Portrait Gallery

John Ruskin: Artist and Observer

4 July – 28 September 2014

John Ruskin (1819-1900) is renowned as the greatest British art critic of the 19th century and the champion of Turner, but his role as an artist remains relatively little known. He was however an outstanding draughtsman and watercolour painter, who took particular inspiration from the natural world and architectural subjects. 

This exhibition illustrates, with the finest examples, the range and quality of his drawn and painted work. Gothic palaces in Venice, wild and spectacular Scottish and Alpine landscapes and minutely-defined and brilliantly-coloured birds and plants are highlights of the show. The works on display come from the key UK and US collections (both public and private), and the exhibition is a prestigious collaboration with the National Gallery of Canada in Ottawa. 

It is especially fitting that John Ruskin: Artist and Observer should be showcased in Edinburgh, as Ruskin came from a Scottish family, visited Scotland many times, and was a passionate advocate for the beauty of its landscapes and literary heritage. Key episodes in his public and private life took place here.

Fri-Wed, 10am-6pm 

Outside August: Mon-Sun, 10am-5pm

Thu, 10am-7pm

£8 (£6)