The Pier Arts Centre Collection – Recent Acquisitions
Over the last twenty years, the Pier Arts Centre Collection has grown more than two-fold, made possible by the generosity, passion and vision of patrons and their families, along with the ambition of staff, friends and its supporters.
The works presented in this new collection display are amongst some of the works of art which have joined Margaret Gardiner’s core collection of modern masters. Visually, there are connections to be made with key collection works by artists such as Barbara Hepworth, John Wells, Peter Lanyon, Patrick Heron and Wilhelmina Barns-Graham – and fundamentally, these works are rooted deeply in the connectivity between the processes and structures of nature and human experience.
The Pier Arts Centre endeavours to unfold and enrich the Collection by expanding on key themes such as abstraction, colour, landscape, and form, made possible through the additions of works by core collection artists such as Ben Nicholson and Naum Gabo; as well as contemporary artists, including Alexandra Kadzevich and Brandon Logan. Supporting local artists is also of great importance, as is recognising the significance of art made here in Orkney which often encompasses elements of the Orkney landscape that are observed, re-presented and offered in striking ways.
The connections that can be made between the modern and the contemporary ignite fresh conversations that can be intriguing, comforting, surprising, thought-provoking, and compelling. Seeing and experiencing the familiar with the new gives hope, whilst allowing for reflection on time, and all that it is worth.
Together, and individually, the works on display give an insight into the local and the international scope and scale of the Pier Arts Centre’s Collection. The ideas rooted in all the works exist – and are here – as a reminder of the constant and continuous flow of inspiration and joy that can be found in art and life. In endings, and beginnings.
The gifts and acquisitions in this display have been made possible through the support of Art Fund, the Contemporary Art Society, and the Cultural Gifts Scheme by HM Government, and through the generosity of the artists, and artist’s Estates as named and credited throughout.