In the Pub | Uncovering The Argyll Collections Past

We are delighted to announce that The Argyll Collection Reconnected Research Manager Kirsty MacNab’s latest foray into The Argyll Collection archives has led to the rediscovery of the long-forgotten title of painting by the Zambian modernist Henry Tayali! Tayali’s work arrived in Argyll in the early 1970s but soon lost much of its identifying information. In 2018, it was first reattributed to the artist when Elikem Logan, a research assistant on Dr Kate Cowcher’s project, focused on Argyll’s overlooked African artworks, and deciphered Tayali’s signature in the lower right. Colleagues in Zambia and Tayali’s family were contacted, and the attribution was confirmed. The title of the painting, however, remained a mystery until now.

Over the last few months, Kirsty MacNab has examined private papers belonging to Jim Tyre, who worked with Naomi Mitchison on the founding of The Argyll Collection. Amongst these was a letter from the latter revealing that the painting’s title is In the Pub, aptly referring to the vibrant, bustling scene that the artist depicts. Dr Cowcher confirmed that thematically this connects to many other similar works by Tayali, which often clearly identify their location in the title.

“We are very grateful to the Tyre family for lending their archives to us and are extremely excited to see what we’ll discover next!” Kirsty MacNab

Tayali’s painting is one of twelve artworks by African modernist artists in Argyll and Bute’s collection, all of which were exhibited in the 2021 exhibition Dar to Dunoon: Modern African Art in the Argyll Collection at Dunoon Burgh Hall.

'In the Pub' by Henry Tayali. Credit The Argyll Collection © The artist’s estate