Welcome to the homepage of The Harry and Margery Boswell Collection.
Inaugurated in 1995 by Margery Boswell as a memorial to her late husband Harry Boswell, the Collection has been generously supported by the Boswell family and is now rich with diverse treasures from the best of Scottish art. Most of the artworks in this inspiring collection have been purchased through the Boswell Fund, with others donated through the generosity of artists and committee members.
The Collection forms part of the University of St Andrews’ Museum Collections and many of the works are on display in the School of Art History. If you would like to find out more about any of the artworks please contact [email protected].
‘Cassius Clay (Muhammed Ali) and The Beatles’, Photograph by Harry Benson, 1964
[Black and white photograph of five men (The Beatles and Cassius Clay) stood together smiling at the camera]
‘Sea Fence’, Barbara Rae, CBE RA, 2013
[Abstract multi-coloured painting of the sea with a fence in the foreground. The main colours are yellows, blues and red]
‘Back lane in the Gorbals’, David Peat, 1968
[Black and white photograph of children in the street starting directly at the camera. Some of the children are holding sticks]
‘Woman of the North Sea’ John Bellany, c.1990-1997
[Brightly coloured semi-abstract portrait of a woman with a fish on her head]
[Black and white geometric-style drawing of men sheep shearing. Heavy shading is used.]
The Collection was inspired by Harry Boswell’s passion for collecting Scottish art. Arriving in Scotland from the United States, where he had been affiliated to President John F. Kennedy’s administration, he began the restoration of the Boswell family’s ancestral home. Thereafter Harry began to frequent the auction houses of Edinburgh and acquired a personal collection of art that grew to include a remarkable oil painting by the eminent Victorian painter William McTaggart, alongside fine works by McTaggart’s esteemed grandson Sir William MacTaggart, and oils and tapestries by such luminaries as Sir William Gillies, Dame Elizabeth Blackadder and Sir Robin Philipson. In gifting an endowment to the University of St Andrews, with the purpose of developing a collection of Scottish art, the Boswell family recognize Harry’s passion and preserve the memory of Harry and Margery in perpetuity.
The Harry and Margery Boswell Collection is now firmly established as a representative sample of the best in Scottish art. It remains the commitment of the Boswell family, the University of St Andrews, and the committee of The Boswell Collection to expand and develop this panorama of Scotland’s rich visual culture. In the pages that follow there is presented a virtual exhibition of the collection; welcome to all, we trust you will enjoy viewing this remarkable selection of artworks.
The Museums of the University of St Andrews thank the Boswell family for inaugurating, and for their continued generous support of The Harry and Margery Boswell Art Collection.