Howard Hodgkin in Glasgow

Imagine my surprise, and delight this afternoon when I walked into The McLellan galleries, Glasgow to see this painting by Howard Hodgkin, one of my favourite contemporary artists.

“Surely there must be some mistake?” I thought for this the RGI ( Royal Glasgow Institute) exhibition, a west coast of Scotland annual event.

But it is all part of re-branding their image flinging their doors open to the whole world, well England and Ireland and – another surprise it has even introduced photography!

Now all this may strike you as quaint but believe me the RGI is one of the most conservative art institutions in Scotland.

It had over 2,000 submissions this year and managed to hang 500 in the cavernous McLlellan galleries, which until ten years ago hosted this event annually. But for the past ten years it has been in a number of smaller venues around the city so it was good to see it back in the McLellan galleries.

It's always good to check out who amongst one artists friends have work hung there and I was delighted to see quite a number including Damian Henry with his delightful linocuts, Jacqueline Marr with her impressive painting of Wings and Nicola Carberry’s drawing.

Unfortunately her delicate graphite drawing was hung above Howard Hodgkin’s huge painting Palm and Window which grabbed the eye the moment you stepped into the gallery.

Some years ago Simon Schama interviewed Howard Hodgkin at the Hay Book Festival and it was one of the most painful interviews I have ever witnessed.

Getting information out of Hodgkin was like pulling teeth for he is notoriously shy and taciturn and Schama had a real struggle.

In reply to Schama’s questions he kept saying:” look at my work.”
Schama said that is exactly what he wanted to do but Hodgkin had refused to allow his work to be displayed on a screen in a tent.

So you can see why I was surprised to see a Hodgkin painting amongst this coterie of west coast artists.