Dame Elizabeth Blackadder (1931 – 2021) was one of Scotland’s most significant modern artists and the first woman elected to both the Royal Scottish Academy (1972) and the Royal Academy of Arts (1976). The breadth of her work in oil, watercolour, and printmaking techniques has long been celebrated for its new perspectives in contemporary art.
Bringing together works from the Royal Scottish Academy’s collection alongside textiles produced by Dovecot’s renowned studio; this new exhibition reveals the richness and vitality of her visual language. Paintings and drawings are seen in dialogue with tapestries and rugs, highlighting a shared sensitivity to colour, texture and composition.
At the heart of the exhibition is Blackadder’s long-standing creative relationship with Dovecot Studios. Spanning over five decades, this collaboration resulted in more than 30 tapestries and hand-tufted rugs, translating her distinctive use of colour into richly textured forms.
A major highlight of the exhibition is the debut of a newly created hand-tufted rug The Red Bouquet, inspired by the 1975 painting of the same name. Made by Dovecot’s studio team, this vibrant work will be shown publicly for the first time in this exhibition.
Elizabeth Blackadder: A Life in Colour runs from 20 June to 14 November 2026. Admission is free.
