Duff House
Overview
Unpick the tale of two Williams – William Duff, owner of Duff House, and William Adam, its architect. The two fell out over money during the creation of this splendid early Georgian mansion, leading to a five-year court case. As home to noted art collectors, Duff House has long been adorned with magnificent paintings. It later played an active role in the Second World War. Today, Duff House is a country house gallery displaying collections from the National Galleries of Scotland.
Exhibitions at Duff House
NGS Work In Focus: Berenice by Henri Martin
29 August 2024 to 24 August 2025, during opening hours.
This mesmerising painting was probably modelled by the artist Marie-Charlotte Barbaroux, Martin’s wife. It was inspired by a short story, Berenice, by the American author Edgar Allan Poe (1809-1849). First published in 1835, this story was translated into French by the poet Charles Baudelaire (1821-1867).
In Poe’s gruesome tale, Egaeus, the narrator, falls in love with his beautiful cousin Berenice. She suffers from a mysterious debilitating illness, causing her to fall into a trance-like state. As Berenice’s health deteriorates, Egaeus develops intense obsessions, focusing latterly on her teeth. The girl eventually dies and Egaeus is grief-stricken. He visits her grave, as if in a dream, and later discovers her extracted teeth in a box beside him. Martin seems to have been inspired by this passage from Berenice:
From the 1890s Martin adopted the neo-impressionist technique, applying small dots of paint to the canvas, which brought him huge commercial success.
Scottish Portrait Awards
10 October 2024 to 31 January 2025, during site opening hours
Launched by the Scottish Arts Trust in 2017, the Scottish Portrait Awards have become a barometer of contemporary Scottish art practice. The Awards give visibility to a mix of well-established artists as well as newcomers across a wide variety of styles. Drawing on personal and universal narratives – from identity and family, to loss and personal reflections, the Scottish Portrait Award exhibitions are always diverse and engaging, generating contemplation as well as debate while celebrating the wealth of creative talent in Scotland today. This year, as well as fine art and photographic prints,the exhibition will come with a digital component, the Scotland Now! Phone Portrait Award.
