* JAMES DOWNIE ROBERTSON MBE RSA RGI RSW (SCOTTISH 1931 - 2010),
SIX CHRISTMAS CARD DESIGNS
mixed media on board, three signed and dated
image size each varies, overall size 60cm x 85cm
Mounted, framed and under glass.
Provenance: the Private Collection of a Scottish Gentleman, a close friend of the artist.
Note: James Downie Robertson was born in Cowdenbeath in 1931, one of twin boys. His family moved to Glasgow at the start of the Second World War and he attended Hillhead High School. He then studied at the Glasgow School of Art (GSA) under the redoubtable David Donaldson and Joan Eardley. Graduating in 1953, Robertson spent some time in Spain but later accepted a teaching post at Keith Grammar School from 1957-58. In 1959 he returned to teach at the Glasgow School of Art and in the following forty-one years he was to be a very major influence on the careers of generations of Scottish artists. Jimmy (as he was to all who knew him) was one of the great characters of the Glasgow art scene in the second half of the 20th century. A man with his own chair in the bar at the Glasgow Art Club where he was often to be found. He was primarily a landscape painter and with a distinctive style. His work was exhibited in the top galleries throughout his career and he won numerous awards and prizes at the major public Scottish exhibitions. His work is in many corporate, public and private collections worldwide, including those of HRH Prince Phillip and HRH The Queen Mother.