Alasdair Gray / Gray Stuff - Designs for Books and Posters, 1952-2010

'Gray Stuff: Designs for Books and Posters, 1952 – 2010' is an exhibition of original graphic works by Alasdair Gray, revealing the development of the illustrations used in his critically acclaimed novels, such as 'Lanark' (1981),' Unlikely Stories Mostly' (1983) and 'Lean Tales' (1985). The exhibition coincides with the launch of 'A Life in Pictures,' an extensive visual biography published by Canongate and at the Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art (SNGMA) a room has been dedicated to a selection of Gray’s portraits.

The vitality of Alasdair Gray’s illustrative work is made clear in the graphic posters in the Upper White Gallery, which display the strong, economic use of line at the heart of much of Gray’s artwork and illustration. Similarly bold motifs taken from Gray’s books feature throughout the exhibition on the gallery walls, the front desk and in the Round Room. Included in the exhibition, the ledgers that Gray has used to develop his ideas demonstrate the way he integrates various forms of text and image and, like the other preparatory material in the exhibition, they reveal an unbridled creative mind that is continuously searching, improvising and exploring possibilities across many art forms.

Gray originally trained as a visual artist at Glasgow School of Art, from 1952 to 1957, and has habitually worked with both pictures and text. Receiving critical acclaim for his novel 'Lanark' (1981), Gray became better known as a writer than an artist despite designing and illustrating his own works and maintaining his visual practice. In recent years Gray’s visual art has begun to receive the international recognition it deserves, being included in the 2010 British Art Show, which opens in Nottingham (23 October 2010 - 9 January 2011). 

Realised in collaboration with National Library of Scotland, Sorcha Dallas, Canongate, ArtLink and Creative Scotland.