With a career encompassing the birth of modern art in Paris, to revitalizing the arts scene in Glasgow after the outbreak of World War II, Fergusson is the most international and diverse of the Scottish Colourists. The only Colourist to make sculpture, he was also involved with the performing arts through his partner, the dance pioneer Margaret Morris. An artist of passion and sensuality, he is best known for his depictions of women. The exhibition includes some of his most admired paintings such as The White Dress: Portrait of Jean, 1904, a life‐size image of Edwardian femininity featuring Fergusson's partner Jean Maconochie, and Portrait of Anne Estelle Rice, a striking depiction of the American artist created in 1908.

Born in Leith near Edinburgh, Fergusson was essentially self‐taught. By 1902 he had his first studio in the Scottish capital and became a familiar figure sketching in the city, represented in the exhibition via 'Bank of Scotland from Princes Street Gardens' from the early 1900s. In about 1900, Fergusson met fellow Colourist S. J. Peploe and from 1904 they spent the summers painting together in France, resulting in works such as Royan, 1910, also included in the show.

J. D. Fergusson, Self Portrait, 1907 © The Fergusson Gallery, Perth and Kinross Council