Museum Collections, University of Dundee

18/09/2026

We have various activities coming up for this year's Doors Open Days. Most are already fully booked but we do have some spaces on our curator's tour of the current exhibitions in the Tower Foyer and Lamb Gallery on Saturday 26 September at 11.30am. Book now via https://www.eventbrite.com/e/doors-open-day-tower-foyer-lamb-galleries-guided-tour-tickets-1991762140178

03/09/2026

As part of the events programme for our exhibition Dundee and the RSA, celebrating 200 years of the Royal Scottish Academy, we're putting on a special celebration event on Tues 8 September at 5.30pm to mark 100 years since the birth of painter and influential Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art & Design, University of Dundee tutor David McClure RSA.
Speakers include our curator Matthew Jarron; art curator at The McManus: Dundee's Art Gallery & Museum Kirsty Matheson and David's daughter, artist Paola McClure.
The event is free and places can be booked via https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/david-mcclure-rsa-a-centenary-celebration-tickets-1995980565602

26/08/2026

Today the Abertay Historical Society are launching a new fundraiser to restore the Mercat Cross unicorn. Created by legendary sculptor Scott Sutherland RSA in 1971 to replace the much worn stone original, it is now in a bad state of decay - its horn broke off a few years ago and further deterioration is expected. In collaboration with Dundee City Council and Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art & Design, University of Dundee, a cast will be made of Sutherland's sculpture and used to create a new replica with horn restored. Please support by making a donation to

Help us restore Dundee's mercat cross unicorn

24/08/2026

Very sorry to hear the sad news of the passing of artist and Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art & Design, University of Dundee lecturer Jim Pattison RSA.

Jim was born in Dundee in 1955 and initially enrolled at Duncan
of Jordanstone to study Architecture before switching to Drawing & Painting. He graduated in 1978 followed by a postgraduate year. After teaching in various schools, he returned to lecture at the Art College 1990-2012, becoming an Honorary Research Fellow in 2013.

We had the great pleasure of working with Jim on the D'Arcy Thompson Print Folio and he also guest-curated our 2015 exhibition A Passion for Print.

Jim was elected to the Royal Scottish Academy in 2016 and you can see his stunning painting Star in our current RSA exhibition in the Lamb Gallery. It's one of 34 pieces by Jim in our collections, ranging from early student work to his later print projects at the Visual Research Centre.

19/08/2026

Join us at 1.15pm today when we'll have a guided tour of the exhibition Traces of Care in the Tower Foyer Gallery by its curator, MFA Curatorial Practice student Shannon Farley. All welcome!

Join student curator Shannon Farley for an informal guided tour of the exhibition Traces of Care in the Tower Foyer Gallery

12/08/2026

Thanks to a couple of last-minute cancellations we have a few spaces available on our walking tour this afternoon exploring Dundee's connections to the Royal Scottish Academy. We'll be visiting the sites of artists' homes and studios and seeing examples of their work. Places must be booked via

A special walking tour featuring the studios and homes of some of Dundee’s most notable Academicians

07/08/2026

Our new exhibition in the Lamb Gallery, Dundee and the RSA, opens this evening!

Over the years, more than 50 Dundee artists and architects have been elected to the Royal Scottish Academy, going right back to its founding in 1826. This exhibition will feature work by every Academician who was born in, studied in or taught in Dundee, including John Duncan, David Foggie, McIntosh Patrick, Alberto Morrocco and leading contemporary artists such as Will Maclean, Calum Colvin, Leena Nammari and current RSA President Gareth Fisher.

The exhibition has been organised in partnership with the Royal Scottish Academy as part of RSA 200: Celebrating Together. It will be on show until 23 October, open Monday-Friday. Find out more at https://www.dundee.ac.uk/events/dundee-and-rsa

Image: Dark Moves by Alan Robb RSA, 1979

04/08/2026

Our final public art walk is on Wednesday...

Thanks to everyone who came on our lovely walk along the Dighty (and thanks to LouiseKirby for this fab photo). We've almost reached the end of this year's tours but there's still one more on Wednesday 5th August, when we'll be exploring Stobswell. Book now via https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/public-art-design-walking-tour-stobswell-tickets-1991093438072

04/08/2026

For anyone interested in art and health...

Call for papers!

We are delighted to announce detail for the Scottish Society for Art History’s annual conference and share our call for papers.

In partnership with the University of Aberdeen and Grampian Hospitals Art Trust, the Society host a two-day in person conference on 4-5 February 2027, to be held at the University of Aberdeen, exploring the relationship between art and health in Scotland.

Throughout history, the fields of art and medicine have been closely connected. Art history and visual studies have highlighted the importance of visual knowledge for the development of medicine, and the importance of pictorial evidence in a variety of medical specialisms. More recently, the production and reception of art is increasingly discussed regarding its benefits for wellbeing and mental health.
This conference will share current research and critical debate into the myriad relationships between art and health, past and present, and we hope to engage with artists, writers, curators, archivists, art historians, medical practitioners and interdisciplinary researchers.

We welcome proposals for 20 minute papers or 10 minute case studies to be presented in person at the event. Proposals should be in the form of 300 to 500 word abstracts, accompanied by brief biographical details and a supporting image.

The deadline for proposals is 5pm on Thursday 1 October 2026.

Head to our website for full details. We look forward to reading your proposals!

https://ssahistory.wordpress.com/ssah-2027-conference/

Image: Joyce W. Cairns PPRSA, The Patient, 2009. Oil on board. University of Aberdeen Collection.

31/07/2026

Join us on Sunday for a new public art walk!

Thanks to everyone who joined us in our Whitfield tour last Sunday - we definitely had a variety of weather! This Sunday we're going to be doing a brand new walk exploring Douglas and the Dighty, focusing on all of the wonderful work by the volunteers at the Dighty Connect project, as well as murals by Syke (as seen here) and others. Book via https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/public-art-design-walking-tour-douglas-and-dighty-tickets-1991104237373