Local Heroes at the Park Gallery opens on Sat 26 June and runs until Sun 3 October.  

The exhibition includes pieces from Falkirk Council’s Art Collection, featuring the work of internationally respected artists Dame Elizabeth Blackadder and Alan Davie.  This is the Park Gallery’s first new exhibition post lockdown, and we are very excited to draw on our own collection to celebrate two of the area’s finest artists.

Dame Elizabeth Blackadder was born in Falkirk in 1931 and studied at the Edinburgh College of Art. In 1962 she took up a teaching position at her alma mater where she remained until her retirement in 1986. She worked in a variety of media including watercolour, oils and prints. Her work is in many of the country’s major galleries and she is considered one of Scotland’s greatest artists. She was the first women to be elected to both the Royal Scottish Academy and the Royal Academy.  In 2001 she was appointed Her Majesty’s Painter and Limner in Scotland.

James Alan Davie, known as Alan Davie, was born in Grangemouth in 1920. Son of a painter and art teacher at Grangemouth High School, he studied at Edinburgh College of Art. After college he entered military service during the Second World War.  Following this he worked making jewellery, teaching art and as a professional jazz musician.  He gained international acclaim in the 1950s with his abstract work and has exhibited internationally. His works are in many of the world’s great collections.  Sadly, he died in 2014 but his influence lives on.

Please note Callendar House is closed on Tuesdays.  Please pre-book your visit here.