Following his first solo exhibition in London in 1905, Fergusson moved to Paris in 1907 where, more than any ofhis Scottish contemporaries, he assimilated and developed the latest advances in French painting by artists such as Henri Matisse and André Derain. Fergusson's work changed dramatically, represented in the exhibition in the boldly coloured and designed Hortensia, 1907, and The Blue Hat, Closerie des Lilas, 1909. A daring series of nudes created between 1910 and 1913 are amongst the most original paintings in British art of the period.
In 1913, Fergusson met the dance pioneer Margaret Morris in Paris and they began a personal and professional relationship which lasted until his death. On the outbreak of World War One, Fergusson moved to London, where Morris ran the Margaret Morris Club alongside her dance school and theatre in Chelsea. Fergusson immediately came into contact with the London avant‐garde and Morris and her pupils provided Fergusson with an endless source of inspiration, represented in works such as the idyllic Bathers: Antibes (1937).
Few works by Fergusson survive from the war years, but in July 1918, he was granted permission by the Admiralty to go to Portsmouth to 'gather impressions for painting a picture'. He spent several weeks there sketching and the resultant series of paintings, including Blue Submarine: Portsmouth Harbour, show Fergusson experimenting with Vorticism. In addition, an important series of landscapes which Fergusson painted following a motoring tour of the Scottish Highlands in 1922, including Storm Around Ben Ledi, will be shown together for the first time in 90 years.
Fergusson made his first sculpture in Paris in 1908, a little‐known aspect of his oeuvre, which he is thought to have continued throughout the next 50 years. A special feature of the exhibition is a display of sculptures, made in wood, stone and bronze, including the seminal Eastre of 1924, enigmatic Standing Female Nude and voluptuous Dancing Nude: Effulgence of c.1920.
The 1920s was perhaps the most successful decade of Fergusson's career. The end of the war enabled him to visit France once again, his joy at which is evident in works such as Christmas Time in the South of France of 1922. He also had numerous solo exhibitions, in Edinburgh, Glasgow, New York and Chicago, and his work was included in important group shows in London and Paris.
John Duncan Fergusson, The Blue Hat, Closerie des Lilas, 1909. Oil on canvas, City Art Centre, City of Edinburgh Museums and Galleries; purchased from Margaret Morris 1962. ©The Fergusson Gallery, Perth & Kinross Council, Scotland
In 1929 Fergusson moved back to Paris, but World War II forced him to leave France for a second time. In 1939, he and Morris settled in Glasgow, which he believed was the most Celtic city in Scotland. Fergus and Meg, as the couple were affectionately known, played a vital part in the renaissance of the arts in the city, including as founder members of the exhibiting and discussion groups the New Art Club in 1940 and the New Scottish Group in 1942.
Fergusson developed a distinct late style, which reached its climax in the majestic Danu, Mother of the Gods, 1952. Continued visits to France throughout the 1950s resulted in pictures of beauty and poise, such as Wisteria, Villa Florentine, Golfe‐Juan of 1957. Fergusson died in Glasgow on 30 January 1961. Morris made an extensive effort to secure his posthumous reputation, establishing in 1963, the J.D. Fergusson Art Foundation to look after the works and archival material which she inherited. These were presented to Perth & Kinross Council, who opened The Fergusson Gallery in 1992.
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