GIF it a go!
Free GIF making guides to download. Learn a new skill. Have a go at mixing up artworks and bringing them to life.
The Queer Code | Secret Languages of LGBTQ+ Art
Explore the visual symbols and language used by LGBTQ+ artists and communities to suggest hidden identities. Oscar Wilde and his circle famously wore a green carnation as a signifier of their identities. These flowers are just one example of the many visual symbols throughout history, which hinted at secret sexualities and identities that had been hidden. So what other coded symbols can we find in the history of queer art? How did today's artist reference and re-use them? And how have hidden symbols transitioned to a wider and more expressive queer visual language?
JAMIE CREWE | ART & FRICTION
Jamie Crewe is an artist based in Glasgow. A beautiful bronze figure with a polished cocotte's head. In this film they speak to us about the role of friction in their work: about exploring queerness, melding the outside with the intimate, and how art can be used to test out thoughts that can't yet be communicated in words.
Take part
Free your mind and make your own art with us.
Art Around You
Art activities to try, wherever you are and with whatever you have around you. Free art learning resources for all.
Art in the Open
Spending time outside in nature is great for our wellbeing. Making art and being creative is fun and relaxing – so why not combine both?
Inspiring collections
New acquistions
This collection presents some of the works acquired in recent years, including painting, works on paper and photography.
Scottish art
In this collection, you can explore a selection of highlights from our collection of Scottish art.
Highlights
The National Galleries of Scotland has over 96,000 objects in its collection. We have selected just a few of these for you to enjoy.
MacKinnon Collection
This unique collection of Scottish photography represents Scottish life and identity from the 1840s through the 1940s – a century of dramatic transformation and innovation.
Reviewing our collection content
As part of our commitment to equality, we are undertaking a review of the national art collection in relation to colonialism, slavery and their legacies. New content, in gallery and online, is being developed over the coming months in light of this research and will remain an ongoing project. If you see content that you think should be reviewed as part of this work, please email us. All suggestions will be considered. We are currently unable to give a timescale for when any agreed changes will be made but we will do it as soon as we can.
