Looking back at Alex’s life in art

Aug 21 2008 by Kenneth Speirs, Paisley Daily Express

THE work of a Paisley man who became one of Scotland’s best known artists will be the focus of a major exhibition due to run for three months

Alexander Goudie, who died in 2004, painted everyone from the Queen to Billy Connolly and also created colourful landscapes and sensitive portraits of loved ones.

Now a retrospective at Paisley Museum will provide visitors with a huge survey of all that he did, with work being gathered from all over the world for the show.

Dubbed ‘Joie de Vivre – The Art of Alexander Goudie,’ the exhibition will explore the artist’s varied styles, as well as taking a look at his life and loves.

The artist’s son Lachlan said: “My father always said he lived his life through art.

“The 100 or so works in this exhibition allow us to follow his career as an artist - from Paisley to the Glasgow School of Art to Buckingham Palace.

“In my view, the passion and energy of the works on display underline the pleasure of paint and an insistence that we should, these days more than ever, take time to indulge in the joy of life.”

Paisley-born Goudie was a student and tutor at Glasgow School of Art and his portraits were drawn from the highest in the land, as well as those from the world of commerce and entertainment.

The exhibition at Paisley Museum will also look at his landscapes, sculptures, ceramics and set design.

The French region of Brittany had a huge influence on Goudie, not just in art but also in his personal life.

His wife Marie-Renée Dorval hailed from Brittany.

Born in 1933, Goudie spent over 30 years documenting the changing way of life for farmers and fishermen, played out against the vivid scenery of this area.

But his Scottish roots came to the fore in his telling of Robert Burns’s Tam O’Shanter in a series of more than 60 paintings.

Sir Timothy Clifford, former Director of the National Galleries of Scotland, said: “At his best, Goudie could draw better than any of his rivals in Scotland. There was magic and vision in his art and, I expect, history will be kind to him.”

The Paisley Museum exhibition opens on Friday, September 19, and will run until Saturday, December 13.