Family

Sam Taylor-Wood, Simon Starling, Callum Innes, Liisa Roberts, Richard Billingham, Damien Hirst, Rachael Whiteread, Tatsuo Miyajima, Tim Head, Richard Hamilton, Marc Quinn, Paul Miller (AKA. D.J. Spooky), Douglas Gordon, Emma Kay, Georgina Starr. 13 December 1998 - 31 January 1999

1999 marked the 225th anniversary of Inverleith House, and the fortieth anniversary of it changing from use as a private house in 1959, to becoming a public gallery. It was used as a family house by successive Regius Keepers of the Garden; the last Regius Keeper to do so being Professor Harold Fletcher, who realised the potential of the building for showing contemporary art when a home for the first Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art was being sought. After a conversion of the house to retain the features of the original rooms the house was first opened as the Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art in 1960. Whilst Inverleith House was again converted in 1990 to incorporate lift access, the character of the rooms has always been retained.

‘Family' was an exhibition of works belonging to a present day collector who lends items of contemporary art from his collection to museums, artists and friends. On this occasion however, much of the collection was brought together in a house for the first time. The arrangement and placing of works throughout the seven rooms of Inverleith House reflected in different ways, their original use, as dining room, drawing room, billiard room, library and bedrooms.

For example, the dining room contained a set of six ‘Homemade Eames Chairs' by Simon Starling, and a painting ‘Resonance XII' by Callum Innes. The drawing room contained drawings by Damien Hirst, Tim Head, Richard Hamilton and Marc Quinn. There was even a pool table in what used to be the Billiard Room, which visitors were able to use.

Whilst some of the visitors had exhibited at the garden before (notably Callum Innes, Douglas Gordon and Damien Hirst), many of the works in this exhibition were produced at an early stage in the artists careers, thereby offering an insight into the creative process itself. The diversity of works on display encompassed drawing, painting, sculpture, video, and sound.

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