Scotland’s Spiritualist art

ALAN MURDIE examines the country’s rich tradition of mediumistic art and psychic photography

Hanging in the offices of the Sir Arthur Conan Doyle Centre in Edinburgh is a striking painting entitled ‘The Dawn of Peace’. It was the work of Jane Stewart Smith (1839-1925), a gifted and imaginative artist depicting her vision of the afterlife according to Spiritualist doctrines. The 21st century has seen a growing interest in Spiritualist art, with major exhibitions held at the Courtauld Institute in 2016, the Guggenheim in New York in 2018 and at Tate Modern in 2023. Given the prominence of this painting in a working Spiritualist centre today, it was appropriate that earlier this year art historian Michelle Foot chose the Centre as the venue for the launch of her illuminating book Modern Spiritualism and Scottish Art: Scots, Spirits and Seances 1860-1940. This first in-depth study…

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Fortean Times (Digital) - 1 Issue, 449

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