Nine previously unseen artworks by the late Alasdair Gray — one of Scotland’s most beloved and eccentric creative minds — are to go on public display this weekend at Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum in Glasgow, the place that first sparked his lifelong love for visual art.
The intimate pieces, part of the Morag McAlpine Bequest, were gifted to Glasgow Life Museums in 2014 following the death of Gray’s wife. Now, a decade later and in what would have been Gray’s 90th year, the works will be unveiled to the public for the first time in Kelvingrove’s Fragile Art Gallery.
Personal Gifts Become National Treasures
The newly exhibited works span a range of media and sentiment. Many were deeply personal — anniversary gifts, birthday drawings, and portraits of loved ones — some of which were later transformed into book covers or fictional characters in Gray’s novels.
Among the highlights is the original artwork for his 1992 novel Poor Things — a surreal, richly coloured piece that captures Gray’s blend of dark humour, literary invention, and wild visual imagination. The novel was adapted into an Oscar-winning film in 2023, propelling Gray’s legacy further into global recognition.
Also featured:
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The wrap-around jacket for Old Negatives
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Preliminary artwork for the cover of People Like That by Agnes Owens
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A draft of the cover design for Gray’s novel A Working Mother
Gray’s Artistic Legacy on Display
Alasdair Gray — who died in 2019 at age 85 — was a polymath of Scottish culture. Born in Riddrie, Glasgow, he made his mark not just as a painter but as a novelist, poet, playwright, and printmaker, seamlessly blending art and text in his signature style.
Gray’s distinct visual style drew on influences ranging from medieval illuminated manuscripts to 20th-century expressionism, often recycled and reimagined across his output.
“These works offer a rare window into Gray’s deeply personal creative process,” said a spokesperson from Glasgow Life Museums. “They show how his emotional life, literary imagination, and artistic vision were all intimately connected.”
A Homecoming of Sorts
Kelvingrove holds special meaning in Gray’s life. He often spoke about the gallery as the place that ignited his passion for visual art, and it remains home to many other works from Gray’s earlier City Recorder series (1977–78), some of which are also on show at the Gallery of Modern Art.
The new display is curated to mark 10 years since the donation and celebrate Gray’s enduring impact on Scotland’s cultural identity.
More Than a Display — A Celebration
The exhibition arrives in the lead-up to the annual Gray Day on 25 February, which celebrates Gray’s life and work through lectures, performances, and readings.
The Morag McAlpine Bequest is now officially part of Scotland’s national artistic legacy, enriching public access to one of the most idiosyncratic and influential voices in Scottish art and literature.
