24 November 2018 to 17 March 2019, City Art Centre, Admission Free
This winter the City Art Centre showcases an exhibition of vintage street photography by Robert Blomfield, revealing part of a remarkable private archive of his stunning work.
Blomfield practised street photography across the UK from the 1950s to the 1970s, beginning in Edinburgh. He moved to the city to study medicine at the University of Edinburgh in 1956, when he was 18 years old. Whilst a student, Blomfield pursued his passion for photography and spent his free time capturing life on the streets. He adopted an unobtrusive fly-on-the-wall approach, seeking interesting or amusing scenes in the rapidly changing post-war period. An engaging manner and healthy disrespect for authority allowed him to get close to a myriad of subjects, taking photographs that are in turn tender, bold and humorous. Blomfield used a pair of Nikon F SLRs to shoot his images, and did his own developing and printing in a makeshift darkroom set up in his student digs.
A subsequent medical career meant his vast collection of striking images - which number in the thousands and carry echoes of Henri Cartier-Bresson and Vivian Maier - remained largely hidden, stored away in cardboard boxes. In 1999, a stroke forced him to retire from medicine and put down his camera, and ten years ago, his wife Jane started the huge task of cataloguing and digitising these photographs. After her passing Blomfield’s three sons William, Edward and George, along with his brother Johnny, continued this labour of love.
The exhibition Robert Blomfield: Edinburgh Street Photography | An Unseen Archive displays a selection of around 60 black and white works from this remarkable private collection, revealing and documenting the dramatic shifts taking place in Edinburgh’s urban landscape during the 1960s. It includes candid portraits and group shots, children playing amongst crumbling tenements, public gatherings, student life and evolving architecture, offering a rare opportunity to reappraise our understanding of Scottish culture at that time. Staged in the year of his 80th birthday, this first large-scale display of his street-life scenes is also a chance for Blomfield to receive the recognition he rightly deserves.
Robert Blomfield commented: ‘After 50 years I’m thrilled to be able to share some of my pictures with the wider world. Edinburgh is a city that remains close to my heart, and the interaction of its residents with this most dramatic of urban stages provided me with endless inspiration as a young photographer. The exhibition represents a personal view of life on its streets during the 1960s.’
Councillor Donald Wilson, Edinburgh’s Culture and Communities Convener, said: ‘This exhibition of vintage street photography will strike a chord with anyone who grew up in 1960s Edinburgh and bring back so many memories. The exhibition will also appeal to the residents of this wonderful city today and to visitors, who will be able to draw comparisons between then and now, with some areas of Edinburgh having changed beyond recognition. The City Art Centre is the people of Edinburgh’s gallery; the perfect place to showcase Blomfield’s stunning display.’
The exhibition is a partnership with Robert Blomfield and Family. The show is accompanied by a documentary of Robert Blomfield and his work by cinematographer Stuart Edwards and a programme of events. Please see further information about them below under associated events.
For more information on Robert Blomfield: Edinburgh Street Photography | An Unseen Archive please contact Kate Bouchier-Hayes - kate@thecornershoppr.com 07825 335 489 or Susie Gray - susie@thecornershoppr.com 07834 073 795
Image Credits:
Jane Blomfield, Robert Blomfield Photographing Children, Edinburgh, 1966 © the artist
Robert Blomfield, Childhood Friends, Edinburgh, 1966. © the artist
Robert Blomfield, Boy on Cannon, Calton Hill, Edinburgh, 1964. © the artist
Robert Blomfield, Arthur Street Children, Edinburgh, 1960. © the artist
Robert Blomfield, Boy Drinking Cola, Edinburgh, 1966. © the artist
Robert Blomfield, Two Women with Chickens, West End, Edinburgh, 1966. © the artist
Robert Blomfield, Student Union, Teviot Row House, University of Edinburgh, 1964. © the artist
Robert Blomfield, Couples, Princes Street Gardens, Edinburgh, 1966. © the artist
Robert Blomfield, Forth Road Bridge under Construction, North Queensferry, 1962. © the artist
Robert Blomfield, Traffic, Princes Street, Edinburgh, 1964. © the artist
Venue Details:
Address: City Art Centre, 2 Market Street, Edinburgh EH1 1DE
Telephone: 0131 529 3993
Website: edinburghmuseums.org.uk
Twitter: @EdinCulture
Facebook: Facebook.com/City.Art.Centre.CAC
Instagram: instagram.com/museumsgalleriesedinburgh
Pinterest: pinterest.com/edinburghcc/city-art-centre
Opening hours: Monday to Sunday 10am - 5pm
City Art Centre:
The City Art Centre is one of Edinburgh’s main public art galleries. It is owned and managed by the City of Edinburgh Council and is home to the City’s collection of historic and contemporary Scottish art, one of the best in the country. The gallery hosts a vibrant programme of exhibitions from its collection and by contemporary artists and makers.
Associated Events:
Friday 30 November, 2pm
The Early Life and Times of Robert Blomfield: The Making of a Street Photographer
This talk by Robert Blomfield’s brother, Johnny Blomfield, will include personal anecdotes providing an insight into the man behind the evocative images of 1960s Edinburgh on display at the City Art Centre.
Saturday 1 December, 2pm
An Audience with ‘Dark Edinburgh’
Robert Blomfield documented the dramatic shifts taking place in Scotland’s urban landscape during the 1950s and 60s. Similarly, Scott Liddell, the man behind ‘Dark Edinburgh’, documents hidden and changing aspects of the city today. Join Liddell to hear more about his intriguing work.
Sunday 2 December, 2pm
Edinburgh: A City of Contradictions
To complement the exhibition Robert Blomfield: Edinburgh Street Photography | An Unseen Archive Lynn and Paul Henni (henni.photo) will give an illustrated talk about their work. They use black and white photography to capture their home city and look for less conventional views of beautiful Edinburgh.
All events are free, but booking is essential. To book, please contact the City Art Centre on 0131 529 3993 or visit edinburghmuseums.org.uk