Alexander Goudie (1933-2004) achieved renown as a portrait painter and his sitters included HM The Queen, and Billy Connolly. He married Marie-Renee from Brittany in France and for over 30 years he spent the summer months painting the surrounding countryside and harbour scenes.
One of his greatest achievements were his 54 paintings inspired by Scottish poet Robert Burns’ poem “Tam O’Shanter”. This series of monumental paintings took nearly a decade to complete and are now part of the Goudie Collection at Rozelle House in Ayrshire.
1933 Born 11 November, Paisley, Renfrewshire
1950-5 Studied Drawing, Painting and Sculpture
at Glasgow School of Art under
William Armour, David Donaldson and
Benno Schotz.
Somerville Shanks Prize for Composition
Newbery Medal for Distinction
Post-graduate Scholarship
Keith Award – Royal Scottish Academy
1953 First visit to Paris
1956 Elected Member of Glasgow Art Club
1957 Painting trip to Toledo and Madrid
1958 Tour of France: visiting Rouen, Royan,
Bordeaux, Bayonne, Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port,
Saint=Lizier, Nimes, Arles, Avignon,
Annecy, Reims.
1959 First visit to Brittany
1962 Marries Marie-Renee Dorval
1962 First of annual painting trips to Loctudy
1979 Elected Member of the Royal Society of
Portrait Painters
1987-89 Décor for Brittany Ferries flagship,
“Bretagne”
1990 Awarded the Freedom of St. Pol de Leon
Publication of “Goudie’s Brittany”
1995 Décor for the First Class Passenger
salons of the “Val de Loire”, Brittany Ferry
2004 9 March, died at his home in Glasgow
2008 Publication of “Tam O’Shanter”
illustrated by Alexander Goudie
Exhibitions:
1966 First major exhibition of Breton paintings,
Scottish Gallery, Edinburgh
1970 La Foret-Fouesnant, Brittany
1974 Scottish Gallery, Edinburgh
1977 “Breton Images”, Edinburgh Festival Exhibition,
Scottish Gallery, Edinburgh
1982 “Drawings, Pastels, Watercolours,
Macaulay Gallery, Stenton
1983 London Studio Exhibition,
33 Tite Street, Chelsea, London
“Goudie at 50”, Major Retrospective,
The Fine Art Society, Glasgow
1986 “Breton Idyll”, The French Institute,
Edinburgh and The Fine Art Society, Glasgow
1987 “Breton Sketchbook”, Macaulay Gallery,
Stenton
1990 St. Pol de Leon, Brittany
1991 “Goudie’s Venice” Harari and Johns,
London
1992 “Goudie’s Brittany”, Fine Art Society,
Glasgow
1994 “Salome”, Edinburgh Festival Exhibition,
The TSB Atrium, Edinburgh
1995 Collaboration with The Musée de la Faience,
Quimper, Brittany
1996 “Tam O’Shanter” Edinburgh Festival Exhibition,
Freemason’s Hall, Edinbu
1998 “Goudie Ceramique” , The Musée de la Faience,
Quimper, Brittany
1999 “Tam O’Shanter, The Tale in Pictures”,
Roger Billcliffe Gallery, Glasgow
“Goudie Ceramique”, Roger Billcliffe Gallery,
Glasgow
2000 “The Goudie Collection” of Tam O’Shanter
paintings opens on permanent display at
Rozelle House, Alloway, Ayrshire
2001 “The Artist and his Muse”,
Roger Billcliffe Gallery, Glasgow
2002 “Breton Works’ Exhibition, John Davies Gallery,
Stow on the Wold, Gloucestershire
2003 “Tam O’Shanter; New Works”,
The Glasgow Art Club, Glasgow
2005 “Breton drawings and watercolours:,
Ewan Mundy Fine Art, Glasgo
2006 “Alexander Goudle Memorial Exhibition”,
Scottish Gallery, Edinburgh
Brittany Ferries collection exhibition “
L’Art est un Voyage”,
Musée National de la Marine, Paris
“Goudie’s Glasgow”, Roger Billcliffe Gallery,
Glasgow
2007 “Eté Mediterranean”, Ewan Mundy Fine Art, Glasgow
2008 “Joie de Vivre – The Art of Alexander Goudie”,
Paisley Museum, Paisley
“A Portrait of Spain” Roger Billcliffe Gallery, Glasgow
2009 “Tam O’Shanter – Works on paper”,
Scottish Gallery, Edinburg
Commissioned Portraits:
1988 Portrait of the Lord Chancellor,
Lord Mackay of Clashfern KT, PC, QC
1993 HM The Queen
(Full-length canvas which hangs in the
Ladies Lounge at the Caledonian Club in London)
Posthumous portrait of the 14th Duke of Hamilton
2003 Portrait of the 15th Duke and Duchess of Hamilton
Also portraits of Billy Connolly; Sir Chris Bonnington
and a host of other figures drawn from the worlds of
politics, commerce and entertainment.
TV:
1979 TV series “Portrait” which explored in fascinating
detail the intricacies of portrait painting featuring
Billy Connolly, Sir Chris Bonnington and Sir Edward Brammell.