Alison Watt, Phantom. Courtesy GoMA
A large abstract oil painting of moving fabric, titled Phantom by eminent Scottish artist Alison Watt OBE, has been acquired by Glasgow’s Gallery of Modern Art (GoMA).
Born in Greenock in 1965 and a Glasgow School of Art graduate, Watt recently completed a two-year residency at The National Gallery in London.
There she drew inspiration from old masters, in particular, Francisco de Zurbarán’s Saint Francis in Meditation and completed a series of works, of which Watt believes the 2.1m by 3.3m Phantom is her best.
The Glasgow gallery acquired the painting with significant help from the UK’s leading independent art charity, The Art Fund, who gave GoMA £22,500 towards the cost of the painting – half of the total cost of the work at £45,000.
“Phantom is a work both sensual and dynamic that documents Alison Watt’s time as the youngest ever artist-in-residence at the National Gallery,” said David Barrie, Director of The Art Fund. “I am delighted that The Art Fund was able to give GoMA the funds it needed to acquire Phantom, which will now join its collection of work by leading Scottish artists.”
Phantom will go on show in November in GoMA’s Contemporary Collection Exhibition.
