THE NUMBER 40 WINTER 2013 NEWSLETTER OF THE FRIENDS OF EDINBURGH UNIVERSITY LIBRARY ‘…The Portals of Discovery…’ James Joyce Discoveries come in many forms: made a Companion of Honour (an bursting with unnamed boxes of unknown territories both physical explanation of his theory, I am glad books, prints, plaster casts, films and intellectual, the confirming and to say, is on our back cover). His and tapes: twelve collections in all ordering of existing entities, the assistant, Alan Walker, a Fellow in the jumbled in mysterious splendour. ‘epiphany’ of revelation – though this School of Physics and Astronomy, was Much has been catalogued, is often the result of unconscious also awarded an MBE for his services including an incunable still with cerebration of latent experiences and to science engagement and science its lending label! ideas and the result of hard work and education in Scotland. The University The reviewing and cataloguing application over many years. In this and the City are basking in reflected of the Collections has resonated edition we look at a whole gamut of glory and rightly proud of these throughout the University, adding ‘discoveries’ from the Higgs Boson to achievements. Peter is an unassuming, information and new knowledge the equally beautiful complexities private man wary of the spotlight. to existing archives and artefacts. of the Edinburgh College of Art We wish him well and may he have See what these pages reveal. New treasures now being revealed. deserved pleasure at the ceremony Worlds indeed! Professor Emeritus Peter Higgs in Stockholm in December. has been awarded the Noble Prize for At the ECA the discovery was Lady Caplan Physics for his theory and also made in a basement storeroom President, FoEUL Professor Emeritus Peter Higgs with his theory which won him the Nobel Prize for Physics on a blackboard behind him (for explanation, see back cover). THE NUMBER 40 WINTER 2013 An introduction to the Edinburgh College of Art Collections My first encounter with the historic by the design and the study space, as some but they were all kept locked collections of Edinburgh College of well as the holdings of modern art away. This niggled me for a couple of Art was in 2007 when I visited the reference books. I asked the guide if years and in 2010 I asked the new new library building at Evolution there were any rare books and was librarian if it might be possible to House. I remember being impressed told that there were supposed to be take a closer look. Jane took me into the lower regions of the architecture department, where a narrow storeroom was crammed with books, prints, plaster casts, film tapes and nameless boxes. It quickly became apparent that there was a great deal of valuable and unique material in this little room, all of it secure but basically inaccessible. What else might ECA have? What could be done to realise this collection’s potential? Six years later, the merger between ECA and the University of Edinburgh has transformed the situation. At an early stage, it was decided that ECA’s collections were vital to its identity and should be properly resourced as part of the merger agreement. This allowed us to review the collections (there turned out to be at least twelve major collections), move them into modern accommodation and appoint professional staff to make them discoverable online. The ECA Rare Book Collection came out of the storeroom in 2011; it is now fully catalogued and available in the Centre for Research Collections. The ECA Archive has also been moved to the CRC and is being appraised and sorted by a professional archivist for the first time. The ECA Art Collections are being brought back to life by a dedicated art curator and are being enriched by new acquisitions. Extraordinary discoveries have been made – ranging from lost masterpieces by Page 2 THE NUMBER 40 WINTER 2013 Discoveries: Inspiration and Creativity in the ECA Archives, Art and Rare Books collection leading modern artists to a misplaced 15th century book. More will be discovered as the collections continue to be opened up through cataloguing, conservation and digitisation, telling the story of ECA and making the material available for teaching and scholarship. The ECA collections have hugely enhanced the University’s existing holdings and have made us think again about the kind of material we acquire. For instance, we now buy books on architecture, design and textiles we would not have considered a few years ago. These naturally have great visual appeal and Introduction book parts of the collection and a contribute to our programmes of wealth of resources for students and exhibitions and online displays. The The ECA Collections of Archives, staff to work with creatively. Projects ECA collections project is also an Art and Rare Books provide a unique have been undertaken by students important example of how what insight into the training of some of using the archive for inspiration for started out as an apparent problem the country’s leading artists, as well as new creative works. can become a fantastic opportunity. the technical aspects of the teaching The inclusion of the ECA Art The ECA collections tell a story of from the sculptures and paintings Collection into the wider University creativity and innovation, and it that were also acquired for the Collection represents the largest seems appropriate that they should purposes of instruction. addition of artwork into the now be having a transformative We are still in the early stages of University of Edinburgh since its effect on the University. We hope discovery, but it became clear from formation. Much of the collection you enjoy reading about them. the very start of the process that this requires rehousing, conservation is a unique collection of art, archives and reframing work, in order to Joseph Marshall and rare books. Some of the make it fit for research and display. Rare Books and Manuscripts discoveries that have been made so However, a key development in the Librarian far are detailed below, but the last year has been the introduction collection contains some of the of the ECA Collections Purchase biggest names in Scottish art; Samuel Prize, a small fund which is awarded Peploe, John Bellany, Anne Redpath, to graduating students of Elizabeth Blackadder and Eduardo outstanding quality, with selected Paolozzi, to name just a few. works entering the Art Collection. The Archive provides a unique Therefore, as we work on narrative and the context to the discovering and conserving the creative life of the College and historic Collections, contemporary Opposite. Samuel John Peploe, Female Nude with Pitcher (c.1896). Oil on Canvas. provides a weaving narrative of collecting continues in parallel in people, places, events, art and objects. order to build a fuller and richer Above. Barbara Hepworth, Studies for a Man and a Woman. Drawing and watercolour on board. Copyright It has continued to provide context representation of the creative © Bowness, Hepworth Estate. to discoveries in the art and rare output of ECA. Page 3 THE NUMBER 40 WINTER 2013 Below. Letter from Ben Nicholson to Principal Robert Lyon, 10 July 1953. S.J. Peploe 1908, the new centre for the training purchase of a number of significant of artists in Edinburgh inherited a works of art by some of the finest Samuel Peploe began his professional number of prize winning works artists in Britain. While it was life in slightly more unusual from the RSA Life Classes, including immensely exciting when these circumstances than most artists of the life painting by Peploe, painted works were being uncovered, it was his tremendous reputation; working in 1896. During the review of ECA not entirely clear initially why works for a time in a solicitors’ office before Collections, this painting was by Ben Nicholson and Henry Moore, deciding to pursue a career as an discovered in a storage cupboard in who studied at Slade School of Fine artist. Born in Edinburgh in 1871, the ECA Main Building and quickly Art and Leeds School of Art respec- Peploe took classes at The Royal identified as a Peploe. Research is on- tively, appeared in the collection of Scottish Academy between 1892 to going into the painting, but it appears Edinburgh College of Art. The 1896 before attending the Academie that it is a previously unknown work, archive provided the information to Julian in Paris. His visits and making this a very significant find. solve this mystery through the files subsequent move to Paris in 1910 on the Carnegie Trust, showing that profoundly changed his practice Ben Nicolson and Barbara they were purchased to demonstrate with the work of Matisse and Derain Hepworth, Figure Studies first-hand works by the very finest becoming particularly influential. British artists of the time. When Edinburgh College of Art In the 1940s and 1950s, The Carnegie The story of one exciting find so opened its doors on the newly Trust provided funds for the far started on a Friday afternoon in constructed site at Lauriston Place in December 2012. The dedicated ECA Page 4 THE NUMBER 40 WINTER 2013 Left and below. John Bellany, Drawing from ECA portfolio (1960–65). Copyright © The Artist’s Estate. Bottom. Student Preparing Revel Party Decorations c.1940s. staff had been in post for a short items in the ECA Art Collection. while and the archivist, was going Neither the Hepworth Gallery in through some of the administrative Wakefield nor Hepworth’s grand- correspondence files about bequests daughter, Dr Sophie Bowness, had and gifts and the Carnegie Trust. ever seen the work and the only In one letter the writing was other record of its existence was in particularly spidery.