The Glasgow Group now celebrating its 33rd year, has served Glasgow well for each of these 33 years, offering a welcome to an immensely wide of range of painters, sculptors, printmakers, ceramicists and installation artists. They even invite folk from Edinburgh!

In European City of Culture Year it is worth remembering that, without the longterm spadework put in by local organisations such as the Glasgow Group, Glasgow 1990 would never have happened

It was entirely in character that the Glasgow Group should take on the awesome challenge of inaugurating such a large difficult space as the Tramway on an almost non-existent budget. The Tramway's potential was evident - but so were the problems. The lack of basics: no proper lighting; no movable screens; no wall cladding, much less rails to hang pictures from, would have scared off a lesser organisation.

However after years of struggling with the Mclellan Galleries (before they received their 1990 ?3.5 million facelift of course),the group is still used to handling shortcomings. Their remarkable core of stalwarts, led by chairman Jim Spence, set to. In no time at all the exhibition was hung and open for business.

Sensibly the Group had invited Glasgow Sculpture Studios members to exhibit alongside them. The Tramway is excellent for large scale sculpture and the guests made the most of their opportunity. Glasgow Group's policy of inviting other artists, especially the young to exhibit with them started in 1963 and has proved one of their strengths, keeping their annual shows fresh.

The Group's 1990 programme has included their usual healthy mix of ages, nationalities, styles and media. Exhibitions from Norway, Wales and Spain, exhibitions by members and non-members, exhibitions in Glasgow and elsewhere - and much excitement still to come.

I wish the Glasgow Group every success and look forward to their next 33 exhibitions!"

Cordelia Oliver , Scottish Art Correspondent , The Guardian. 1990

" When I first new it , as such ( for its members were all students at Glasgow school of Art ) this enterprising coterie of co - exhibitors was called , with good reason THE YOUNG GLASGOW GROUP. It was in 1960 that the GLASGOW HERALD invited me to select a group of young West of Scotland artists to show at the Outlook Tower during the EDINBURGH FESTIVAL for that year.

Some of the participants in that exhibition - Anda Paterson , Jack Knox ,Carole Gibbons , Ian McCulloch , for example - have gone on to success of various kinds: others a little older Like Bet Low , Philip Reeves and the late Tom McDonald , were quickly brought into the fold to enrich the texture of successive annual exhibitions in the McLellan galleries.

Since those days , indeed , the organisation , unlike most youthful exhibiting groups which tend to be shortlived once interests diverge ( they are usually founded for want of exhibition space ) has continued not just to exist , as such , but also to expand its sights , inviting non-members , including members from other parts of Scotland , to share its' generous wall and floor space , inevitably gathering some of the latter into full membership.

New blood is of the essence in the continued revitalisation of an enterprise like THE GLASGOW GROUP. The inclusion of such as George Wyllie brought a whimsical/serious force to bear on the three - dimensional scene from the mid - seventies ( not least in last year's major Tramway Exhibition which might have been said to revolve around Wyllie's " Paper Boat ").

Such continuity , as admirable as it is unusual , doesn't happen of its own accord. Credit is always due to unceasing effort and commitment on the part of a few individuals. Without President James Spence to act as "sheepdog" ( if he doesn't feel aggrieved at the metaphor) ; without William Birnie to mastermind the Glasgow Group Society of loyal friends and supporters , now grown from small beginnings to a membership of several hundreds ; and without the cheerfully efficient Hilda Butler's work as Secretary for many years , things might have been very different.

True 1990 might have seen a GLASGOW GROUP exhibition , in memory of what was , rather than in celebration of what still , happily is. One might have been writing a retrospective article instead of , as now , a few words of congratulation on the GLASGOW GROUP's continued health and prosperity."

Glasgow Group 1990

Wales Group 56

In 1990 we reconnected with our friends Wales Group 56 and mounted
an exhibition of their work in the Glasgow Group Gallery.

After inviting Basque artists to exhibit with the group for their annual exhibition
the group mounted a show in Bibao, Spain.
Click for more photos

Glasgow Group members at 1990:

William Birnie, RSW, (Vice-Pres.), David Cohen, James Connell, Tom Hutcheson, RGI,

Dawson Murray, RSW, Ken Palmer, Anda Paterson, RSW, RGI, Philip Reeves, RSA, RE, RSW, RGI,

Willie Rodger, ARSA, Tom Shanks, RSW, RGI, Gregor Smith, RSW, James Spence, RSW, (President),

Douglas Thompson, James Watt, Bill Wright, RSW George Wyllie, ARSA