Scottish Art

The RSA and Lyon & Turnbull: 200 Years of Scottish Art

27 May 2026

Alice Strang

In 2026, both Lyon & Turnbull and the Royal Scottish Academy celebrate their bicentenary, marking 200 years at the centre of Scotland’s artistic and cultural life. We are delighted to be celebrating our common bicentenary by being a partner in the RSA’s nationwide Celebrating Together initiative through the preview of our June 2026 Scottish Paintings & Sculpture auction in Edinburgh, which highlights the breadth and achievement of Scottish art across two centuries.

Scottish Paintings & Sculpture

Browse our upcoming auction online now.

An advertisement in The Scotsman of 10 March 1926 announced that Lyon & Turnbull Ltd, Auctioneers and Valuators then of 51 George Street, Edinburgh, would be offering a ‘Collection of Oil Paintings and Water-colours’ on ‘Saturday First, 13th March at One o’clock’ which formerly belonged to ‘the late David Brown, Esq., Willowbrae House, Edinburgh’.

Amongst the impressive array of Scottish artists whose works were to be presented to the market was Francis Campbell Boileau Cadell. He was in the company of fellow members of the Royal Scottish Academy including William Beattie Brown, Samuel Bough, John Lawton Wingate, Horatio McCulloch and George Paul Chalmers. Fellow members of the important Society of Eight exhibiting society, of which Cadell was a co-founder in 1912, also represented in the collection included Patrick William Adam and John Lavery. The pictures, accompanied by a catalogue, were available to view on ‘Friday First’.

One hundred years later we pride ourselves on the results we achieve for the Scottish Colourists, from dedicated private collections to individual masterpieces, from works on paper to paintings and sculpture. They are presented in our market-leading biannual auctions dedicated to Scottish art, which take place live in Edinburgh’s Georgian New Town and online.

The selection brings together 98 works by 42 Academicians, from the pioneering nineteenth-century artist Walter Geikie to the contemporary painter John Patrick Byrne. Drawn from the ranks of Associate, full and Honorary members of the RSA - including former Presidents Sir James Guthrie, Sir William McTaggart and Sir Robin Philipson - the auction reflects the evolving story of Scottish art through generations of distinguished artists.

Works by Academicians will be accompanied by labels explaining their relationship to the RSA, along with the title and date of their Diploma Work where relevant, which an artist presents to the RSA on election to full member status. Also included is the time span of the artists’ contributions to the RSA’s Annual Exhibitions; the 200th edition of is running concurrently on The Mound, Edinburgh until 14 June 2026.

RSA 200 : CELEBRATING TOGETHER

The anniversary celebrations also coincide with another important milestone: one hundred years since Lyon & Turnbull first offered works by the celebrated Scottish Colourists* - F. C. B. Cadell, J. D. Fergusson, G. L. Hunter and S. J. Peploe - whose work remains central to the history of twentieth-century Scottish painting. A dedicated section within the preview and auction celebrates their lasting contribution and enduring appeal.
The Scottish Colourists relationship to the RSA was strong with Cadell and Peploe was elected RSAs in 1936 and 1927 respectively, whilst Fergusson sent to the RSA Annual Exhibition seven times between 1898 and 1933 and Hunter nine times between 1915 and 1930.

Since our founding in 1826, the RSA and our Academicians have played a significant role in shaping the nation’s cultural landscape. Our project RSA200: Celebrating Together will bring communities across Scotland and beyond together, uniting museums, galleries and cultural partners in a shared celebration.

- RSA on their 200 year celebrations

Together, the works in this auction offer a rich overview of Scottish artistic achievement, while recognising the longstanding relationship between the RSA, Lyon & Turnbull and the artists who have shaped Scotland’s cultural history.

The preview of our 4 June 2026 Scottish Paintings & Sculpture auction opens in our Edinburgh saleroom at 12 noon on Sunday 31 May 2026, all are welcome and admission is free. For those unable to visit us, an on-line ‘virtual’ tour will also be available on our website from that date.

^{*According to the}^{British Newspaper Archive}^{website accessed on 03 March 2026. Image used with permission from SWNS Ltd.}