Rare William Lamb works to go on show as Montrose sculptor’s studio re-opens

Historically significant sculptures are returning to Montrose for the long-awaited opening of the William Lamb studio. They include the loan of a Royal Scottish Academy bronze purchased 80 years ago and another piece not seen locally since the 1990s.

Montrose-born Lamb is regarded as one of Scotland’s finest artists of the early 20th century. His small workshop at the end of Trades Close was first developed as a museum in the late 1970s.

It is owned by Angus Council and operated by the Friends of William Lamb. But the three-roomed studio has been closed for the past five months. Work has been completed to tackle dry rot and a new heating system installed. It will re-open to the public next month.

The Friends have become partners with the Royal Scottish Academy (RSA) in their 200th anniversary year. It will see the return on loan of The Young Fisherman which the RSA purchased in 1946.

Lamb exhibited sculptures and etchings at the RSA every year from 1924 till his death in 1951. Most of these works can be seen in the studio, including the sculptor’s three Royal heads. Among them a study of six-year-old Princess Elizabeth who would later become Queen Elizabeth II. Lamb also sculpted poets Hugh McDiarmid and Violet Jacob.

Work will soon commence on the installation of My Model Listens to a Tall Story. The bronze has not been in the studio since 1994 and will be placed in the courtyard alongside its partner Le Paresseux.

The Studio will open to the public on Friday and Saturday afternoons from 2 to 4pm commencing from Friday July 31 until Saturday August 29. Entry is free but donations are welcome. It sits at the east end of Trades Close or 24 Market Street, Montrose.

In April, a Lamb bust of Robert Burns went on show at Montrose Museum for the first time. It has been loaned to Angus Alive by Sunderland Museum and Winter Garden to celebrate the Angus town’s links to the Bard. Sunderland hosted the first conference of the Robert Burns Federation to be held outside Scotland in 1907.

This article appeared in the Courier on 28 July 2026