Warder’s Choice
The National Galleries of Scotland
Edinburgh, Scotland
9 February – 27 April 2008
by Rea Cris

The National Galleries of Scotland is boasting one of their most successfully received exhibits, Warder’s Choice which, as the title implies, hands the floor to those responsible for protecting the galleries’ vast collection of prints and drawings. The idea is fantastic, a true ‘grass roots’ exhibit, but before the curators of the National Galleries can pat themselves on the back for a job well done, there are a few glitches which prevent the exhibit itself from being fantastic.

Despite the grand gesture, in reality the exhibit is rather small in scale and scope. Confined to the protective lighting displays and sharing the space with the permanent Scottish collection, it is very poignant that the staff did not have the choice of any paintings or sculptures - many warders make reference to their favourite paintings or sculpture in their information placards that accompany each piece. Refused their first choice, the warders have had to scrounge up a semi-adequate replacement. Too much focus has been placed on the warders themselves rather than giving attention equally to the art. The information cards, although indispensable to the exhibit, tend to draw enormous amount of attention away from the prints themselves. Some read like lonely hearts adverts, with some warders explaining previous employment and hobbies before even addressing the reason for their choice.

In the information leaflet on site, this statement jumps out: “They [warders] spend much of their working day in the galleries surrounded by the collection and many of them have a fantastic knowledge of, and love for, the works of art that they look after”. Why does this seem like a pleasant surprise? Reading the warders’ information placards, the majority are artists or graduated from arts institutes. Although I am sure the statement was intended as a complement, it has a very belittling tone.

The most exquisite choice in the exhibition, from Head Warden Keith Braithwaite, is Stanley Curisiter’s miniature paintings. Curisiter was the director of the NGS from 1930 till 1948 and to aid his curating decisions made miniatures copies of all the paintings in the collection. Roughly painted but still recognizable, these miniatures are made to scale and are absolutely fascinating. They would not be out of place in a cabinet of curiosity.

Whether the exhibit couldn’t be expand to include paintings and sculptures because curator Valerie Hunter was frightened it would not be as popular as she expected or due to a lack of funds or restrictions, if they are to do this again, next time the warders should really have complete free reign. Which, if that means including Eduardo Paolozzi’s gigantic “Vulcan”, then so be it.

http://www.nationalgalleries.org/whatson/exhibition/5:368/4565

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