May marks a landmark moment in the Royal Scottish Academy’s history as we celebrate 200 years since our founding in 1826. From the opening of the 200th Annual Exhibition and special anniversary events at the RSA to exhibitions, talks and commissions taking place across Scotland, discover what’s on this month.
What’s on at the RSA
9 May - 14 June
The 200th edition of the Annual Exhibition will be a melting pot of contemporary art from across Scotland and further afield, with all artworks shown side by side in the Academy’s grand Neoclassical galleries in the heart of Edinburgh. Including the RSA Open Exhibitions Art and Architecture, the show will allow visitors to explore a vast array of creative practice under one roof.
William Donaldson Clark, A view along Princes Street in Edinburgh, 1858
9 May – 14 June
Far Afield brings together artworks by Royal Scottish Academicians created on location and through travel. Including paintings, prints and studies developed in response to new landscapes and cultures, the exhibition celebrates the enduring relationship between travel and artistic practice.
Celebrating Together
Beyond the Academy’s walls, RSA200 continues to be celebrated through exhibitions, residencies and events in galleries, museums and cultural spaces across the country. From island communities to city centres, explore how artists and audiences are marking this occasion together.
Closing this month
Power from the Glens: James Shearer RSA & Contemporaries
Until 3 May
This exhibition brings together large-scale artworks on loan from SSE’s collection of stunning watercolours, detailed architectural drawings, and engineering plans from James Shearer RSA and his contemporaries.
Scottish Maritime Museum, North Ayrshire
Tides of Time: Scotland's Maritime Heritage Through the RSA
Until 3 May
Tides of Time brings together nine distinguished Academicians who all share a deep connection to Scotland’s maritime heritage. Artwork by John Bellany HRSA, Joan Eardley RSA, Ian Fleming RSA, Ian Hamilton Finlay RSA and Sylvia Wishart RSA are on display, alongside work by current Academicians Joyce W. Cairns PPRSA, Kate Downie RSA, Will Maclean RSA and Arthur Watson PPRSA.
Elizabeth Blackadder RSA, Self Portrait with Cat, 1976
Hugo Burge Foundation, Scottish Borders
HBF x Royal Scottish Academy Visual Art Residency
Until 13 May
Siobhan McLaughlin, the recipient of the Hugo Burge Foundation x Royal Scottish Academy Visual Art Residency will ‘live’ with Elizabeth Blackadder’s Self Portrait with Cat, displayed within her private studio space.
An Tobar and Mull Theatre, Isle of Mull
Calum Wallis: The Ground Shakes
Until 15 May
Calum Wallis received an RSA Residency for Scotland in 2022. At An Tobar, he’s presenting new works that take a geological journey across Scotland, using the Highland Boundary and Great Glen fault lines as way markers for an exploration of a land that is in a constant cycle of change.
Aghaidh Ris An Achadh: Facing the Field – Fraser MacBeath
Until 16 May
Fraser MacBeath is an audiovisual artist, composer and field recordist from the Isle of Lewis. He won the RSA Benno Schotz Prize for the most promising work by a Scottish artist under 35 at the Royal Scottish Academy 197th Annual Exhibition.
Stuart Mackenzie RSA at Linlithgow Burgh Halls
The Gallery at Linlithgow Burgh Halls, West Lothian
Species Morphology: A Living Archive, a solo exhibition by Stuart Mackenzie RSA
Until 17 May
This solo exhibition by Stuart Mackenzie RSA is his first since his 2019 show in the Academicians’ Gallery. Species Morphology investigates ecological and biological aspects of nature, examining the characteristics that distinguish one species from another.
Ilana Halperin: What is Us and what is Earth
Until 17 May
An exhibition of sculpture, drawing and photography from Glasgow based artist Ilana Halperin RSA, whose art seeks to make geological time human; to map the incomprehensible vastness of geological time and the natural world through the knowable familiarity of human experience.
George Macpherson RSA: Ceòl na Tìr-dhàimh | The Music of Home
Until 17 May
First exhibited at the RSA in 2025, this exhibition showcases paintings by George Macpherson RSA. George’s abstract works express the textures and sounds of nature, the magic of the Highland landscape and the warmth of Gaelic song and dance; elements garnered from the artist’s childhood near the River Shin.
Gray's School of Art, Aberdeen
Into the Light
Until 24 May
Twin sculptures by Keith Rand RSA from Aberdeen Art Gallery’s collection are the inspiration for Into the Light, an exhibition of new works by Members of Aberdeen Artists Society.
From The Clyde to Sarajevo & The Venice Lagoon, The Wyllieum
From The Clyde to Sarajevo & The Venice Lagoon
Until 31 May
Curated by Arthur Watson PPRSA, this exhibition shows how customs officer and artist George Wyllie was embraced by the Academy and backed by some of Scotland’s most eminent sculptors.
Low Parks Museum, South Lanarkshire
WOMEN – Women in Art
March to May
Currently on view
Shetland Museum & Archives, Lerwick
Outwith | Valda, MacDiarmid and Whalsay
Until 20 June
Outwith will focus on the nine years (1933–1942) poet Hugh MacDiarmid and his wife Valda spent on the Shetland island of Whalsay, exploring how the island influenced their lives and work despite persistent challenges. Featured items will include original manuscripts and personal letters on loan from NLS, visual art from artists Alexander Moffat RSA and Ruth Nicol, and images drawn from private family collections.
Toby Paterson RSA, St Ives Axonmetric Brown. Part of the Scottish NHS Arts Partners Touring Exhibition
Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh: Scottish NHS Arts Partners Touring Exhibition
Until 24 June
Bellfield Centre, Stirling: Scottish NHS Arts Partners Touring Exhibition
30 March – 28 June
This touring exhibition will highlight works by RSA Academicians and award winners, showcasing art's powerful connection to health and wellbeing and inviting audiences from across Scotland to engage with and appreciate visual art, creating uplifting and healing environments for patients, visitors and NHS staff.
National Galleries Scotland: Modern
Joan Eardley | The Nature of Painting
Until 28 June
Discover Eardley’s oil paintings alongside works by artists including Samuel John Peploe RSA, William McTaggart RSA and Phoebe Anna Traquair HRSA, as well as contemporaries Bet Low RSA and Antoni Tàpies HRSA.
Art Collection, University of Stirling
Art & Science Exhibition
Until 7 August
This exhibition includes Stuart Mackenzie RSA’s Species (Coelacanth) II, a print on loan from the RSA Collection, and Le Bouc, a painting by Alison Watt RSA, displayed in Scotland for the first time.
Rachel Maclean: They've Got Your Eyes
Until 16 August
They’ve Got Your Eyes is a major new commission and free exhibition by Scottish artist Academician Rachel Maclean RSA (Elect), featuring the world premiere of a film created using AI models trained on her own image and artistic archive.
St Andrews Museum
Living Colour: Celebrating 200 Years of the Royal Scottish Academy
Until 6 September
Living Colour celebrates two centuries of remarkable Scottish artistry. The exhibition features carefully crafted still lifes, elegant portraits, beautiful landscapes and thought-provoking abstracts from 19th and 20th century Scottish art.
John Gray Centre, East Lothian
An exhibition of paintings by John Bellany HRSA
Until 19 September
This exhibition is being curated by Helen Bellany, the wife of John Bellany and Alexander Moffat RSA who was a lifelong friend of John Bellany.
National War Museum, Edinburgh
Joyce W. Carins PPRSA | Maps: Memories from the Second World War
Until 4 October
The exhibition Maps: Memories from the Second World War features Father's Memorabilia, North West Europe, part one of a diptych by Joyce W. Carins PPRSA, created as part of her influential War Tourist project.
Francis Campbell Boileau Cadell RSA, The Poet (1912). On loan from the RSA Collection and currently on view at Perth Art Gallery.
The Scottish Colourists Revealed
Until 26 October
See the Scottish Colourists as you’ve never seen them before in a new exhibition at Perth Art Gallery celebrating rare paintings by four of the most important Scottish artists of the 20th century, some of which have never before been on public display.
Blair Castle & Gardens, Blair Atholl
James Hutton and Glen Tilt Exhibition
Until 30 October
Celebrating the tricentenary of the birth of James Hutton and his discoveries within Glen Tilt, this exhibition features new commissions by Jake Harvey RSA and artist Helen Douglas.
Cupar Museum & Heritage Centre, Fife
Four Paintings, a Scandal and an Angel
Until 30 October
This exhibition tells the story of Charles Lees - his background, career and the scandal of his runaway marriage.
Royal Botanic Garden, Edinburgh
Earth Matters: Seeing soil through art
Until 1 November
Marking 300 years since the birth of James Hutton, the Edinburgh-born geologist, farmer and thinker who revolutionised our understanding of Earth’s creation, this exhibition features work by Academicians Wilhelmina Barns-Graham, Joan Eardley, Ilana Halperin and Graeme Todd.
University of Aberdeen, Aberdeen
Aberdeen Artworlds: The Linklater Collection
Until 6 December
This exhibition marks the 50th anniversary of a bequest by Eric and Marjorie Linklater to the University of Aberdeen. An unusual domestic collection, it includes works by Joan Eardley RSA, S. J. Peploe RSA, James Cowie RSA and Stanley Cursiter RSA.
A celebration of Andrew Carnegie and the Royal Scottish Academy at the Andrew Carnegie Birthplace Museum
Andrew Carnegie Birthplace Museum, Dunfermline
The Carnegie Travelling Scholarship: A celebration of Andrew Carnegie and the Royal Scottish Academy
Until 13 December
For over 120 years, the RSA Carnegie Travelling Scholarship has supported artists in Scotland. This exhibition will showcase the range of artists awarded the scholarship from its inception to the present day.
Discovery Point & RRS Discovery, Dundee
Polar Portraits by Calum Colvin RSA
Until 31 December
Discovery Point is home to RRS Discovery; built and launched in Dundee in 1901 for Captain Scott and Ernest Shackleton’s first Antarctic voyage. On view throughout 2026 are two portraits by renowned Scottish artist Calum Colvin RSA, depicting two of polar exploration’s most recognisable figures, Captain Scott and Roald Amundsen.
Works on Paper: Art & Energy, Kate Downie RSA
Until 14 March 2027
From pylons to wind turbines, we live in a world where we are never far away from the monumental infrastructure of the energy industry. This selection of drawings, prints and photographs from Aberdeen Art Gallery’s collection explores how artists from the 1970s to the present day have chosen to creatively engage with these physical markers.
David Michie RSA, Untitled (golfer with golf trolley), RSA Collections
R&A World Golf Museum, St Andrews
Masterstrokes: 200 Years of Scottish Golfing Art
Until 21 March 2027
Visit the R&A World Golf Museum, where you can enjoy paintings and prints, photography and architecture, sculpture and sketches from the RSA Collections and The Royal and Ancient Golf Club, as well as significant pieces from Fife Cultural Trust and the Museum’s own collections.
Opening this month
Studies in Photography, Edinburgh
Hill & Adamson: Exhibition & Book Launch & Seminar
1 May - 20 June
Hill & Adamson: The Fisherwomen and Men of the Firth of Forth offers a fresh perspective on the pioneering work of David Octavius Hill RSA and Robert Adamson, whose remarkable collaboration between 1843 and 1847 produced some of the most enduring images in the history of photography.
Jim Pattison RSA, Redivider (Frieze 1)
REDIVIDER
2 - 30 May
This exhibition showcases new work by Jim Pattison RSA. REDIVIDER is one of the longest single English language palindromes in common usage and describes 'something that divides or apportions again'. Pattison's Redivider prints and paintings are based on collages made from images from Frieze and Tate magazines that have been collaged together, scanned and digitally reconfigured.
No31 Gallery, Scottish Borders
Hewn: An exhibition of artwork by Edward Fellows, Jake Harvey RSA and Tjibbe Hooghiemstra
9 May - 6 June
Hewn features works by Edward Fellows, Jake Harvey RSA and Tjibbe Hooghiemstra, who all share a uncomplicated relationship with their making processes and materials. Their work is both visceral, lyrical and intelligent; pared-down to a point that exposes a vulnerability and an unflinching honesty.
Gracefield Arts Centre, Dumfries
William Littlejohn RSA: In a New Light
9 May – 20 June
Featuring over 40 works selected from the artist’s studio bequest, this show at Gracefield Arts Centre explores the life and work of William Littlejohn RSA (1929-2006).
Lamb and the RSA Lecture
13 May
The annual Lamb Lecture will focus on William Lamb’s contributions to and connections with the Royal Scottish Academy. The lecture will be delivered by Norma Atkinson, Chair of the Friends of the William Lamb Studio.
Ilana Halperin, The Rock Cycle (From Coral to Limestone), 2020, photograph by Sandra De Rycker. Courtesy of Dundee Contemporary Arts
Dundee Contemporary Arts, Dundee
DCA Editions: RSA200
16 May - 2 August
Explore a selection of print editions by RSA at Dundee Contemporary Arts. Works by Claire Barclay RSA, Ilana Halperin RSA and Toby Paterson RSA, all made in DCA Print Studio as part of DCA’s editions programme, will be on show.
Jean F. Watson: An Artistic Legacy
16 May - 4 October
Jean Fletcher Watson (1877-1974) presented a series of financial donations to the City of Edinburgh to develop a collection of Scottish art. Since then, the Jean F. Watson Bequest Fund has enabled the acquisition of more than 1,000 artworks. This exhibition at the City Art Centre will celebrate Watson’s vision and generosity, showcasing works by William Fettes Douglas PPRSA, Arthur Melville ARSA, Charles Hodge Mackie RSA, Anne Redpath RSA and more.
Clydebank Town Hall, West Dunbartonshire
Elizabeth Blackadder's work in West Dunbartonshire Museum Collection: Talk and Etching Demo by Ian McNicol
21 May
Join Ian McNicol to delve into the work of Dame Elizabeth Blackadder RSA.
John MacKechnie RSA,
John MacKechnie RSA, MBE | Uisge: Water
22 May – 4 July
An exhibition of screenprints on the theme of water by John MacKechnie RSA, former Director of Glasgow Print Studio.
Meffan Museum & Art Gallery, Angus
Royal Scottish Academy: 200 Years of Art in Angus
30 May - 10 August
This special exhibition brings together works by Academicians past and present, exploring two centuries of creativity, innovation, and influence, inspired by the landscapes and communities of Angus.
Wendy McMurdo, Avatar, 2008, City Art Centre, City of Edinburgh Council © 2025 Wendy McMurdo. All Rights Reserved, DACS Images
National Galleries Scotland: Portrait
Wendy McMurdo: The Digital Mirror
30 May - 25 October
This solo exhibition of work by Edinburgh-based artist Wendy McMurdo will be the largest presentation of her work in Scotland to date. It will feature more than 50 photographs, as well as digital animations and key loans of works that have inspired her practice. The exhibition will concentrate on her work produced from 1995 to 2018, exploring childhood and play in the digital age.
Our bicentenary isn’t just about looking back, it’s about looking ahead to the future of creativity in Scotland, and we couldn’t be more excited to share more highlights from across the programme as the celebrations continue.
