One of Britain’s most important contemporary art foundations is to bring the flavour of London’s art scene to a draughty castle at the head of a Highland glen.
The Roberts Institute of Art, formerly of Camden, London, is based in Cortachy Castle, three miles north of Kirriemuir, and plans to turn it into a hub for its Scottish activities as well as hosting two artist’s residencies.
David Roberts, the institute’s founder, and his wife, the artist Indre Serpytyte, are expected to split their time between the castle and London.
The institute is working with the Hunterian Museum, Glasgow, on Flesh Arranges Itself Differently, an exhibition billed as “an exploration of the varied ways in which artists have evoked bodily experiences”.
This showcases works by artists including Michael Armitage, Christine Borland, Ayan Farah, Eduardo Paolozzi and Robert Rauschenberg. The Hunterian exhibition is typical of the institute’s output. Founded in 2007, it has welcomed more than 135,000 visitors and collaborated with over 1,000 artists.
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Cortachy Castle dates to the 15th century and was home to the Ogilvies of Glen Clova. James Ogilvy was made Earl of Airlie by Charles I, a close link with the Stuart royal family that saw the house forfeited after the 1745 rebellion, though it was later recovered and stayed in the Airlie family, before it was leased to Roberts in 2018.
In the years ahead it will become a base for programmes of contemporary events and discussions with artists and local organisations.
Roberts, 65, made a fortune in commercial property. He met his wife at her graduation show from the Royal College of Art in 2009, where he bought a series of her works, nine photographs of homes covertly used by the KGB.
At Cortachy, the renovation of two outbuildings is nearly complete and Jesse Wine, a ceramicist, is due to start a residency in May. In summer, Monika Sosnowska, a Polish sculptor, will take the second studio.
In an interview with the Financial Times Roberts and Serpytyte emphasised the flexibility of the residencies. “There are no parameters. It’s about using this great landscape and quiet place to push their practice in whatever way they want,” said Serpytyte.
