The Glasgow Boys 1880–1900

The Glasgow Boys represent the beginnings of modernism in Scottish art. In the early 1880s, disillusioned by the artistic establishment’s emphasis on history painting, they recorded contemporary rural life, often working out of doors. They were influenced by the realism of Dutch and French art and by the tonal painting and colour harmonies of James McNeill Whistler (1834–1903).

A world-leading industrial centre, Glasgow was home to wealthy merchants with a taste for modern art. Led by James Guthrie and John Lavery, the Glasgow Boys were supported by the art dealer Alexander Reid (1854–1928); they exchanged ideas in the studio of William York Macgregor, or through working together at artists’ colonies in rural Scotland and France.

By the late 1880s their work was characterised by bold, vigorous, painterly handling and an increasing emphasis on the decorative. They absorbed the lessons of Impressionism and the brilliant colours and flattened forms of Japanese prints. By the mid-1890s they enjoyed an international reputation, exhibiting throughout Europe and the USA.