A new display exploring the relationship between the Victorian painter John Everett Millais and Perthshire is to open at Perth Art Gallery following the long-term loan of a private collection of 300 artworks and personal belongings belonging to the artist and his wife Effie Gray.
Millais in Perthshire opens on 25 July in Gallery 3 at Perth Art Gallery and marks the first time in more than two decades that all of the gallery’s public spaces will be fully accessible.
The free exhibition will feature more than 25 objects from the Millais collection, as well as items from the gallery’s permanent collection.
The collection belongs to Millais and Effie’s great-grandson, Sir Geoffroy Millais, and reflects his early years this collection reflects his early years as a child prodigy as well as his later career and family life.
It includes 19 oil paintings, more than 150 works on paper, personal correspondence, studio tools such as the artist’s brushes and palettes, and Effie Gray’s lace, jewellery, and family heirlooms.
“It feels fitting that this collection finds its home in Perth, where the story of my great-grandparents began,” Millais said. “Sharing these personal treasures with the public is a way of keeping their legacy alive and offering new generations the chance to connect with their remarkable lives and work.”
Helen Smout, the chief executive of Culture Perth and Kinross, which operates Perth Art Gallery, said: “We are honoured to be the recipients of such an important and personal collection. This is not only a homecoming for Effie Gray, but a celebration of Millais’ enduring connection to Perthshire and a transformative moment for the cultural landscape of our region.”
Gray was born in Perth and married Millais in 1855 at her family home of Bowerswell. The couple later lived nearby at Annat Lodge. Millais drew inspiration from the landscapes, rivers and people of the area, with local scenery appearing in some of his most celebrated paintings.
Prior to her marriage to Millais, Gray was married to the art critic John Ruskin. The marriage was annulled.
The collection includes the rarely seen oil painting Halcyon Weather from 1892, created near Newmiln House by Stanley, Perthshire, a cast of a salmon Millais caught on the River Tayand and a christening porringer gifted to the couple’s daughter, Mary, by her godfather and fellow Pre-Raphaelite, William Holman Hunt.
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