James Whitelaw Hamilton
{{Short description|Scottish painter (1860–1932)}}
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{{Use British English|date=October 2017}}
{{distinguish|James Hamilton (painter)}}
James Whitelaw Hamilton (1860–1932) RSA, RSW was a Scottish artist, member of the Glasgow School (the Glasgow Boys), of the Royal Scottish Academy{{cite web|url=http://www.educationscotland.gov.uk/rsascottishart/artistbios/hamiltonj.asp|title=James Whitelaw Hamilton – RSA Scottish Art|work=educationscotland.gov.uk|accessdate=5 August 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150923234300/http://www.educationscotland.gov.uk/rsascottishart/artistbios/hamiltonj.asp|archive-date=23 September 2015|url-status=dead}} (RSA) and of the New English Art Club.
Career
Hamilton was born in Glasgow, where he studied before moving to Paris, where he became a pupil of Aimé Morot and of Pascal Dagnan-Bouveret.{{cite web|url=http://www.heroescentre.co.uk/hall-of-fame/the-arts/the-arts-james-whitelaw-hamilton-rsa/|title=The Arts – James Whitelaw Hamilton RSA – Heroes Centre|work=heroescentre.co.uk|accessdate=5 August 2015}} Returning to Scotland in 1884, he spent time at Cockburnspath with other future Glasgow Boys James Guthrie, Joseph Crawhall and Arthur Melville. In 1887 he was elected a member of the New English Art club, exhibiting at their annual exhibitions in London. He also showed regularly with the Glasgow Institute of the Fine Arts, of which he was honorary secretary for many years.[http://special.lib.gla.ac.uk/manuscripts/search/detail_p.cfm?NID=13391&AID=&CID=88349 Glasgow University manuscript collection] He became an associate of the RSA in 1911, and a full academician in 1922. He was also a member of the Royal Scottish Society of Painters in Watercolour (RSW).
In 1897 Hamilton won a gold medal at the Munich International Exhibition, which led to several overseas commissions, including one from Victor Emmanuel III of Italy, who appointed him a Cavaliere of the Order of the Crown of Italy in 1901. His sister, Maggie Hamilton was also an artist.
In 1900 the art dealer Alexander Reid organised a one-man-show for Hamilton at his gallery at 124 St Vincent Street in central Glasgow.Alexander Reid in Context, Frances Fowle,_vol1
At the Venice Biennale
Hamilton's work was shown in the British Pavilion at the Venice Biennale at all eight biennales between 1897 and 1910.{{cite web|url=http://venicebiennale.britishcouncil.org/timeline/1910|title=British Council − British Pavilion in Venice|author=British Council|work=britishcouncil.org|accessdate=5 August 2015|url-status=dead|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20150815230046/http://venicebiennale.britishcouncil.org/timeline/1910|archivedate=15 August 2015|df=dmy-all}} In 1897, 1899 and 1901 he was part of the Scottish artists' section of the exhibition.{{cite web|url=http://venicebiennale.britishcouncil.org/timeline/1901|title=British Council − British Pavilion in Venice|author=British Council|work=britishcouncil.org|accessdate=5 August 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150815225930/http://venicebiennale.britishcouncil.org/timeline/1901|archive-date=15 August 2015|url-status=dead}}
File:James Whitelaw Hamilton - Ebbing Tide - Google Art Project.jpg
Collections
File:James Whitelaw Hamilton -Lighthouse at Eyemouth Harbor-.jpgJames Whitelaw Hamilton- Lighthouse at Eyemouth Harbor- Circa 1880–1910]]
Hamilton's works can be seen in many Scottish, English and overseas public collections, including the following:{{Art UK bio|ref=1}}
- Glasgow Museums & Art Galleries
- University of Dundee
- National Museums Liverpool
- the Hunterian Museum and Art Gallery
- the Royal Scottish Academy
- the Paisley Institute Museum and Art Gallery
- the Neue Pinakothek, Munich
- the Saint Louis Art Museum
- the Carnegie Institute, Pittsburgh{{cite web|url=https://archive.org/stream/catalogueofpictu00ontauoft/catalogueofpictu00ontauoft_djvu.txt|title=Full text of "Catalogue of pictures by the Glasgow painters : exhibition held under the auspices of the Toronto Art Museum and the Ontario Society of Artists : open from April 20th to May 15th, 1906 at the Art Galleries ..."|work=archive.org|accessdate=5 August 2015}}
Family
His sister Maggie Hamilton was also an artist. She married the architect A. N. Paterson.{{cite web | url=http://www.scottisharchitects.org.uk/architect_full.php?id=200361 | title=Dictionary of Scottish Architects - DSA Architect Biography Report (September 9, 2022, 9:09 am) }}
References
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Category:19th-century Scottish painters
Category:Scottish male painters
Category:20th-century Scottish painters
Category:British modern painters
Category:Social realist artists
Category:Royal Scottish Academicians
Category:People from Helensburgh
Category:Recipients of the Order of the Crown (Italy)