Alasdair Gray: Gray Stuff

About

'Gray Stuff: Designs for Books and Posters, 1952 - 2010' is an exhibition of original graphic works by Alasdair Gray, revealing the development of illustrations used in his critically acclaimed novels, such as 'Lanark' (1981), 'Poor Things' (1992) and 'Old Men In Love' (2007), and providing a rare opportunity to see the vibrant sketches and motifs which surround and animate the texts. The exhibition coincides with the launch of 'A Life in Pictures', an extensive visual biography published by Canongate, and a display of Gray's portraits at Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art. Including work from the collections of National Libraries of Scotland, Sorcha Dallas, Glasgow and Alasdair Gray's own collection, this is an insightful range of work touching many areas of Gray's extensive practice, which can be traced back throughout his life. 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 great 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 work has begun to receive the international recognition it deserves: his work is to be included in the 2010 British Art Show, which opens in Nottingham (23 October 2010 - 9 January 2011). Gray lives and works in Glasgow.