Waiting Figure in a Landscape: The Painting of Carole Gibbons

Abstract

This article traces the career of Glasgow painter Carole Gibbons to consider why she never achieved the same public profile as some of her contemporaries. It reflects on Glasgow’s art scene from the late 1950s to mid-1980s, her peer group, influences and her position as a woman, to understand why she is not more recognized. Since 2012 her work has been brought to wider public attention by a new generation of artists, specifically through her friendship with the painter Lucy Stein. This article uses an interview with Gibbons and Stein as a basis for unravelling Gibbons’ experiences.