Irises, c.1960

Born in Galashiels in 1895, Anne Redpath was one of the defining figures of twentieth-century Scottish painting and a central force within what became known as the Edinburgh School. A painter of remarkable individuality, confidence and technical brilliance, Redpath transformed still life, landscape and interior painting through her bold handling of colour, richly textured surfaces and instinctive understanding of composition. Her work combined the decorative refinement of European modernism with a profoundly personal response to the domestic world, establishing a visual language that remains among the most distinctive in British painting.