Mary Nicol Neill Armour
Encyclopedia
Mary Nicol Neill Armour LLD
(1902-2000) was a Scottish landscape and still life painter and former Honorary President of the Glasgow School of Art
and of the Royal Glasgow Institute of the Fine Arts
.
Born Mary Nicol Steel on the 27 March 1902 at Blantyre, near Hamilton
, Lanarkshire, Scotland, Mary Steel won a scholarship to attend the prestigious Hamilton Academy
school. At the Academy she attracted the attention of art teacher Penelope Beaton (1886–1963, who was later to become Head of the Junior Department, Edinburgh School of Art) who persuaded Mary’s father to allow his daughter to enrol at Glasgow School of Art
, where she was to study from 1920. In 1925, after a post-diploma year and teacher training, Mary Steel became an art teacher.
In 1927 she married the landscape and figure painter William Armour (1903–1979), settling in Milngavie on the outskirts of Glasgow city.
Mary Armour was to exhibit regularly at the Royal Academy
; the Royal Scottish Academy
(winning the Guthrie Prize in 1937); the Royal Society of Painters in Watercolour, the Scottish Society of Artists and the Royal Glasgow Institute of the Fine Arts
. In 1941 she was elected an associate of the Royal Scottish Watercolour Society, becoming a full member in 1956, and became a Royal Scottish Academician in 1958. Armour taught still life painting at Glasgow School of Art from 1951 to 1962 when she retired from teaching and returned to painting full-time.
In 1972 she was awarded the Cargill Prize at the RGIFA (Royal Glasgow Institute of the Fine Arts) becoming a full member of the RGIFA in 1977. In 1982 she was awarded an honorary LLD
from the University of Glasgow
. Armour was also elected Honorary President of the Glasgow School of Art and of the RGIFA, which awards the annual 'Armour Award' for a work of distinction by a young artist.
Dr. Mary Nicol Neill Armour died in 2000.
'
Legum Doctor
Legum Doctor is a doctorate-level academic degree in law, or an honorary doctorate, depending on the jurisdiction. The double L in the abbreviation refers to the early practice in the University of Cambridge to teach both Canon Law and Civil Law, the double L indicating the plural, Doctor of both...
(1902-2000) was a Scottish landscape and still life painter and former Honorary President of the Glasgow School of Art
Glasgow School of Art
Glasgow School of Art is one of only two independent art schools in Scotland, situated in the Garnethill area of Glasgow.-History:It was founded in 1845 as the Glasgow Government School of Design. In 1853, it changed its name to The Glasgow School of Art. Initially it was located at 12 Ingram...
and of the Royal Glasgow Institute of the Fine Arts
Royal Glasgow Institute of the Fine Arts
The Royal Glasgow Institute of the Fine Arts is an independent organisation in Glasgow, founded in 1861, which promotes contemporary art and artists in Scotland. It is the third largest organization of its kind in the United Kingdom...
.
Hamilton, South Lanarkshire
Hamilton is a town in South Lanarkshire, in the west-central Lowlands of Scotland. It serves as the main administrative centre of the South Lanarkshire council area. It is the fifth-biggest town in Scotland after Paisley, East Kilbride, Livingston and Cumbernauld...
, Lanarkshire, Scotland, Mary Steel won a scholarship to attend the prestigious Hamilton Academy
Hamilton Academy
Hamilton Academy was a school situated in Hamilton, South Lanarkshire, Scotland.Described as "one of the finest schools in Scotland" in the Cambridge University Press County Biography of 1910, Hamilton Academy featured in the Scottish Secondary Teachers' Association Magazine article series on...
school. At the Academy she attracted the attention of art teacher Penelope Beaton (1886–1963, who was later to become Head of the Junior Department, Edinburgh School of Art) who persuaded Mary’s father to allow his daughter to enrol at Glasgow School of Art
Glasgow School of Art
Glasgow School of Art is one of only two independent art schools in Scotland, situated in the Garnethill area of Glasgow.-History:It was founded in 1845 as the Glasgow Government School of Design. In 1853, it changed its name to The Glasgow School of Art. Initially it was located at 12 Ingram...
, where she was to study from 1920. In 1925, after a post-diploma year and teacher training, Mary Steel became an art teacher.
In 1927 she married the landscape and figure painter William Armour (1903–1979), settling in Milngavie on the outskirts of Glasgow city.
Mary Armour was to exhibit regularly at the Royal Academy
Royal Academy
The Royal Academy of Arts is an art institution based in Burlington House on Piccadilly, London. The Royal Academy of Arts has a unique position in being an independent, privately funded institution led by eminent artists and architects whose purpose is to promote the creation, enjoyment and...
; the Royal Scottish Academy
Royal Scottish Academy
The Royal Scottish Academy is a Scottish organisation that promotes contemporary Scottish art. Founded in 1826, as the Royal Institution for the Encouragement of the Fine Arts, the RSA maintains a unique position in Scotland as an independently funded institution led by eminent artists and...
(winning the Guthrie Prize in 1937); the Royal Society of Painters in Watercolour, the Scottish Society of Artists and the Royal Glasgow Institute of the Fine Arts
Royal Glasgow Institute of the Fine Arts
The Royal Glasgow Institute of the Fine Arts is an independent organisation in Glasgow, founded in 1861, which promotes contemporary art and artists in Scotland. It is the third largest organization of its kind in the United Kingdom...
. In 1941 she was elected an associate of the Royal Scottish Watercolour Society, becoming a full member in 1956, and became a Royal Scottish Academician in 1958. Armour taught still life painting at Glasgow School of Art from 1951 to 1962 when she retired from teaching and returned to painting full-time.
In 1972 she was awarded the Cargill Prize at the RGIFA (Royal Glasgow Institute of the Fine Arts) becoming a full member of the RGIFA in 1977. In 1982 she was awarded an honorary LLD
Legum Doctor
Legum Doctor is a doctorate-level academic degree in law, or an honorary doctorate, depending on the jurisdiction. The double L in the abbreviation refers to the early practice in the University of Cambridge to teach both Canon Law and Civil Law, the double L indicating the plural, Doctor of both...
from the University of Glasgow
University of Glasgow
The University of Glasgow is the fourth-oldest university in the English-speaking world and one of Scotland's four ancient universities. Located in Glasgow, the university was founded in 1451 and is presently one of seventeen British higher education institutions ranked amongst the top 100 of the...
. Armour was also elected Honorary President of the Glasgow School of Art and of the RGIFA, which awards the annual 'Armour Award' for a work of distinction by a young artist.
Dr. Mary Nicol Neill Armour died in 2000.
'
External links
- http://www.gsa.ac.uk Glasgow School of Art
- http://www.royalscottishacademy.org Royal Scottish Academy
- http://www.royalglasgowinstitute.org Royal Glasgow Institute of the Fine Arts