A treasure trove of works by one of the north-east’s most renowned artists has gone on show for the very first time.
Eric Auld, who died on Christmas Eve 2013, was famous for his depictions of his beloved Aberdeen.
However, the new show at the city’s Rendezvous Gallery features almost 40 paintings which cast the much-loved artist in a whole new light.
The retrospective exhibition includes sprawling Deeside landscapes, intimate nudes, and intricate oil paintings of everyday life in the city, most of which have never been seen by anyone beyond his closest friends and relatives.
From portraits of his mother Margaret to beautiful pictures of Loch Muick, where he and his wife, daughters and grandchildren spent family holidays, the newly released paintings reveal a side of Mr Auld that collectors will not have seen before.
Mr Auld’s widow Pat said she was delighted that her husband’s work would once again be bringing joy to his admirers.
“When I met Eric he was a student and a lot of these, especially the nudes, are from those days when I was just getting to know him,” she said.
“One of my favourites here is his self portrait, which was painted when my girls were small in 1959. The actual portrait looks remarkably like Eric’s grandson Glen, there’s a lot of resemblance.”
Deirdre Smith, one of Mr Auld’s three daughters, said: “My dad was known mainly for his cityscapes, but this is a side that I think people will find remarkable because of the diversity of the subject matter, landscapes, still life, and many more.
“I absolutely love the style of his earliest work when he was in his 20s, this is work that has been in his studio and 90% of it nobody has seen before.
“I think it will be nice to have these finally on show in people’s houses and out of the studio, my dad was a truly remarkable man and he would have wanted his art out there in the world for people to see and cherish.”
Mr Auld, a Gray’s School of Art graduate, produced hundreds of paintings over a 60-year career and went on to become the principal art master at Kincorth Academy.
His death, at the age of 82, was marked with a motion in the Scottish Parliament, and the family received letters of condolence from fans around the world.
The exhibition will run until February 28 at the gallery at 100 Forest Avenue, Aberdeen.
