JAMES PITTENDRIGH MACGILLIVRAY
1856-1938.
Sculptor, Painter, Poet, Printmaker and Photographer.
Sculptor in Ordinary to the King in Scotland.
Described as an extremely difficult person whose attitude and manner alienated him from the art world and the public.
He stated " I don't get an commissions because I want to do the work in my own way and take my own time to do it the time I find necessary to make things the way I want them. The result is a tendency to tell the mob to go to hell."
The Prime Minister Ramsay Macdonald after giving a talk asked MacGillivray for his opinion of the talk to which MacGilivray replied "Far to long". At this time MacGillivray was believed to be under consideration for a knighthood in his position as Sculptor in Ordinary to the King in Scotland, however after his comments to the Prime Minister the matter of the knighthood appears to have been dropped.
A fervent nationalist he constantly upheld the stand for Home Rule. Nominated for the rectorship of Edinburgh University in 1922 as a Nationalist candidate, he however began to question his beliefs after he was defeated in the election.
Soon after Gladstone's death in 1898, a committee to organise three public monuments in Gladstones honour, was set up by the Duke of Westminster. The sites chosen were to be in Edinburgh, Dublin and London. MacGillivray was recommended by Sir George Reid for the Scottish Commission and work commenced in 1904.
Lack of public funds curtailed MacGillivrays plans for the monument which was completed by 1913. Due to the outbreak of war it was not constructed until 1917. Unveiled by Lord Roseberry the monument stood on the west side of St Andrew's Square. A site not suited to MacGillivray who had designed the monument for an open space and objected that it was dwarfed by the monument to Lord Melville. So incensed was he by this location he wrote to the Scotsman newspaper suggesting Glasgow as a better site and entered into protracted letter writing to the Edinburgh Town Clerk about the matter. Fifteen years after his death the monument was moved as part of a traffic management scheme of the time from its original site to Coates Crescent Gardens, Edinburgh.
He stayed at Ravelston Elms, Murrayfield Road, Edinburgh and after his death on 29th April 1938 his remains were interred at Gogar church.
MacGillivray Tombstone ©
Photograph from collection of Mrs. M. Day
| William Alexander. | Oil and canvas. 1877. | Aberdeen Art Gallery and Museums. |
| Still Life with a Japanese fan. | Watercolour. 1880. | Huntarian Art Gallery, University of Glasgow. |
| W. Y. MacGregor. | Bronze Medallion. 1881. | Glasgow Art Gallery and Museum. |
| J. Crawhill. | Bronze Medallion. 1881. | Glasgow Art Gallery and Museum. |
| George Hendry. | Bronze head. 1881. | Glasgow Art Gallery and Museum. |
| Rhododendrons. | Oil on canvas. 1887. | Glasgow Art Gallery and Museum. |
| George Napier. | Bronze Medallion. 1893. | The Fine Art Society PLC. |
| Children in an east coast close. | Oil on canvas. 1893. | A. M. Patrick. |
| The Right Reverend Monsignor Munro. | Bronze head. 1893. | Royal Scottish Academy. |
| The Yellow Rose. | Zincograph.. c1894. | Aberdeen Art Gallery and Museums. |
| Sir George Reid PRSA. | Bronze bust x2. 1894. | Aberdeen Art Gallery and Museums. |
| Sir George Reid PRSA. | .Plaster maquette. 1894. | Dr I.G. Brown. |
| La Dame aux Camellias. | Pen and ink wash. c1894. | National Galleries of Scotland. | Luna. | Pen and ink wash on paper. c 1895 | National Galleries of Scotland. |
| Robert Burns. | Bronze maquette. 1895. | Aberdeen Art Gallery and Museums. |
| William Alexander. | Bronze bust. 1895. | Aberdeen Art Gallery and Museums. |
| Der Zeitgeist. | Zincograph. 1895. | Huntarian Art Gallery, University of Glasgow. |
| Autumn Wind. | Zincograph. 1895. | Huntarian Art Gallery, University of Glasgow. |
| Study for a full length of Robert Burns with left hand in pocket. | Pen and ink. 1896. | Royal Scottish Academy. |
| The Gypsy Queen. | Bronze head. 1896. | Aberdeen Art Gallery and Museums. |
| Hannah. | Marble bas relief. 1897. | Perth Museum and Art Gallery. |
| Ianthe. | Bronze head. 1897. | Aberdeen Art Gallery and Museum. |
| Paolo Fransesca. | Bronze Plaque. 1897. | Mrs K. Lyall. |
| Hypnos. | Bronze head. 1900. | Aberdeen Art Gallery and Museums. |
| Atlanta. | Bronze bust. 1908. | Aberdeen Art Gallery and Museums. |
| Hpinna Thaia. | Bronze plaque. 1908. | Rachel Ross. |
| An Oread. | Bronze figure. 1910. | Aberdeen Art Gallery and Museums. |
| Ein Elfchen. | Bronze bust. 1913. | Aberdeen Art Gallery and Museums. |
| Ehrna. | Bronze bust. 1913. | Dundee Art Gallery and Museum. |
| Le Flandre. | Bronze bust. 1914. | Aberdeen Art Gallery and Museums. |
| Pieta. | Bronze. 1914. | Aberdeen Art Gallery and Museums. |
| Harvesting the Sea. | Plaster maquette. 1914. | Kirkcaldy Museum and Art Gallery. |
| Douglas Strachan. | Bronze bust. 1915. | Aberdeen Art Gallery and Museums. |
| Pro Patria. | A book of Poetry published privately by Macgillivrey. 1915. | University of Aberdeen (Queen Mother Library). |
| Ariadne of Naxos. | Bronze. 1915. | Dundee Art Gallery and Museums. |
| The Wife of Flanders | Bronze Bust 1915. | Glasgow Art Gallery and Museum. |
| Fransesco Petrach. | Bronze plaque. 1916. | The Fine Art Society PLC. |
| A Kid of the Goats. | Bronze. 1919. | City of Edinburgh Museums and Art Galleries. |
| William Skeoch Cumming. | Bronze. 1920. | City of Edinburgh Museums and Art Galleries. |
| Bog Myrtle and Peat Reek. | McGillivray's second book of poetry published privately by him. 1922. | University of Aberdeen (Queen Mother Library). |
| Death of Dr Hornbrook. | zincograph. 1926. | Glasgow Art Gallery and Museum. |
| Summer. | Zincograph. 1926. | Glasgow Art Gallery and Museum. |
| Winter. | Zincograph. 1926. | Glasgow Art Gallery and Museum. |
| The Chalice Bearer. | Zincograph. 1926. | Glasgow Art Gallery and Museum. |
| Die Loreiel. | Zincograph. 1926, | Glasgow Art Gallery and Museum. |
| Head of an Unknown Woman. | Bronze plaque. 1929. | G. MacPherson. |
| Study for a full length of Robert Burns with right arm extended. | Pen and ink. n.d. | National Galleries of Scotland. |
| Ian Macgillivray. | Plaster medallion. n.d. | Dundee Art Gallery and Museum. |
| Edina. | Zincograph. n.d. | Huntarian Art Gallery, University of Glasgow. |
| Guardian Angel. | Zincograph. n.d. | The Fine Art Society PLC. |
| Bust of an unknown woman. | Marble bust. n.d. | City of Edinburgh Museums and Art Galleries. |
| Head of an unknown man. | Bronze. n.d. | Mr & Mrs R Saunders. |
| City Builders. | Pencil and charcoal. n.d. | National Galleries of Scotland. |
| The Moon (or Luna). | TZincograph. n.d. | Carlisle Museum and Art Gallery. |
| Dawn. | Zincograph. n.d. | Carlisle Museum and Art Gallery. |
A photograph of the artist in his studio is in the National Library of Scotland as are a number of is letters.