Once part of the Linklater family’s personal collection, the acquisition reunites the significant artwork with the university’s existing Linklater Collection, donated to the University in 1976 by Marjorie Linklater, following the death of her husband, renowned author, and Aberdeen graduate and former Rector, Eric Linklater.
The Eardley artwork arrives as the university is celebrating the 50th anniversary of the Linklater Bequest with a major exhibition of its works running throughout 2026 and was unveiled at a private event last week with Magnus Linklater, the son of Eric and Marjorie Linklater.
The purchase ensures public access to the artwork and is particularly meaningful given Eardley’s later career was spent in the fishing village of Catterline, just south of Aberdeen, where she focused on painting landscapes.
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The new acquisition is a full-length portrait of Andrew Samson, one of a group of working-class children in the Townhead area of Glasgow who were the main subject of Eardley’s paintings when working in her studio in the city.
It also forms part of a wider institutional commitment to promoting artists, particularly women and LGBTQ+ artists, whose work has historically been marginalised and will serve as a key resource for students and researchers.
Neil Curtis, Head of University Collections, said: “This major acquisition is a significant addition to the University’s collection of 20th‑century century paintings, made possible thanks to the exceptional generosity of our funding partners. By reuniting this portrait of Andrew Samson with a Catterline landscape bequeathed by Eric Linklater, we are now able to display a more fully representative view of Joan Eardley’s work and better understand the Linklater family’s collecting legacy.”
With the latest acquisition, the Linklater Collection now comprises 11 important Scottish modernist paintings by artists including JD Fergusson, SJ Peploe, Leslie Hunter, Anne Redpath, and Joan Eardley.
The exhibition ‘Aberdeen Artworlds: the Linklater Collection’ in the Gallery of Sir Duncan Rice Library will run to December 2026 and forms the cornerstone of the University’s public cultural programme this year.
