Five Centuries of Scottish Art

The book traces five centuries of Scottish art, showing how the nation’s history shaped its painters and printmakers. It presents major works, highlights Scotland’s distinctive artistic identity, and places its tradition within the wider European context.

Five Centuries of Scottish Art has its roots in Duncan Macmillan's seminal book Scottish Art 1460-1990, which received many accolades including the Saltire Prize as Scottish book of the year. Now fully updated, this ambitious publication celebrates Scotland's singular place in the history of art and examines how the twists and turns of its specific history have influenced the remarkable work produced by the nation's painters and printmakers in particular. Starting at the Court of James III, the narrative weaves its way through the Reformation, the Enlightenment, Victorian Scotland, the 20th century and the years following the Millennium. Bringing together first-class scholarship and over 350 beautiful reproductions of key works by a wide-range of artists, the book reveals the depth and breadth of Scotland's artistic heritage and its distinctive artistic identity. Looking beyond Scotland, Duncan Macmillan also makes the case for a distinctive Scottish artistic tradition which, while it reflects Scotland's particular political, social and cultural history, both belongs in, and has contributed to, the wider history of European art.