Exhibition

Unmasked: Exploring Scottish Portraiture

13 September 2025 - 31 May 2026
10am-5pm
Free to all

A selection of historic and contemporary Scottish portraiture from the City Art Centre's permanent collection.

Portraiture is an age-old artform with a seemingly simple purpose: to record the likeness of a human subject. Yet the enduring appeal of portraiture lies in its complexity. Behind every portrait is a series of stories – interwoven narratives about the sitter, the artist, and the circumstances that brought them together.

Unmasked: Exploring Scottish Portraiture examines this fascinating genre in depth, with a selection of highlights from the City Art Centre’s permanent collection. Featuring examples of painting, drawing, sculpture, printmaking and photography, the exhibition spans almost 400 years of artistic production, from historic portraits by George Jamesone and Allan Ramsay to contemporary works by Flannery O’kafka and Sekai Machache. Unmasked shares new research findings from the collection and reveals several recent acquisitions, on display for the first time.

This listing is supplied by one of our museum partners and is not moderated by Art Fund.

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IndividualTiana Clarke Please note this is an example card and not a reflection of the final product

Visitor information

Address

City Art Centre

2 Market Street, Edinburgh, Midlothian, EH1 1DE
0131 529 3993

Free to all

Opening times

Mon - Sun 10am - 5pm
Closed 25 & 26 Dec, 1 & 2 Jan

Exclusions and safety measures

Admission free, but charges apply for some temporary exhibitions.

Visitor information