Robert MacBryde was a key figure in 20th-century Scottish art and one half of the celebrated artistic duo known as “The Two Roberts”, alongside his lifelong partner Robert Colquhoun.
Trained at the Glasgow School of Art, MacBryde’s early work reflected the strength of Scottish modernist traditions, but by the 1940s he had developed a distinctive post-war style marked by bold colour, rhythmic composition, and emotional intensity.
After moving to London during the Second World War, MacBryde and Colquhoun became central to a circle of artists and writers including Francis Bacon, John Minton, and Keith Vaughan. Exhibiting at the Redfern Gallery and later the Institute of Contemporary Arts, MacBryde gained recognition for his expressive still lifes and richly textured figurative works. His compositions, often depicting bottles, musical instruments, and interiors, vibrate with sculptural structure and psychological depth, fusing the everyday and the symbolic.
In addition to painting, MacBryde also produced designs for theatre and stage, where his eye for pattern and rhythm found a natural extension. Although his later years were marked by hardship and relative obscurity, his contribution to post-war British art remains vital. His paintings and prints are now held in major collections, including the Tate, the Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art, and the Victoria and Albert Museum.
