Cursiter A Life of the Artist

A pivotal figure who campaigned for the creation of a museum of modern art for Scotland, Stanley Cursiter (1887-1976) is one of Orkney’s best known artists.

This book, written by Pamela Beasant, with a preface by the Director of the Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art, Richard Calvocoressi, pulls together the threads of Cursiter’s life as an artist and a public figure of national importance.

This beautifully illustrated volume tracks the development of Cursiter’s style, including his contribution to the Futurist movement. The only Scottish artist to do so.

Alongside Orcadian landscapes, portraits and photographs from Cursiter’s life, particularly his association with HRH Elizabeth II during his appointment as H.M. Painter and Limner in Scotland from 1948-1976.

Included among these and depicted on the cover is the oil on canvas Linklater and Greig 1931 which now hangs in Stromness Museum after it was gifted by Cursiter himself.