Current Exhibits
Lucian Freud’s Etchings
A Creative Collaboration
Lucian Freud (1922-2011), one of the foremost British artists of the 20th century, was best known as a painter, but he also made many etchings of the subjects and sitters featured in his paintings. The prints were not copies of the paintings; they were conceived independently and required separate sittings.
While painting was a solitary pursuit for Freud, etching was a collaborative endeavour. He made most of his etchings from 1986 onwards when he began working with master printer Marc Balakjian (1938-2017) at Studio Prints, London. They conferred on all aspects of the production process, with Freud studying each proof and adding hand-drawn marks indicating those areas he wanted to revise on the plate.
This exhibition organised by the Victoria and Albert Museum, London, features highlights from a unique collection of trial proofs gathered by Balakjian which he printed throughout his collaboration with Freud. Some relate to published prints; others are rare impressions of prints that Freud abandoned or rejected. Seen together these impressions illuminate the creative partnership between artist and printer and demonstrate the ways in which Balakjian’s exceptional skills supported Freud’s achievements in print.
Lucian Freud: Trial proof of Pluto Aged 12, 2000, etching with pastel. Printed by Marc Balakjian
© The Lucian Freud Archive. All Rights Reserved 2025 / Bridgeman Images
Discovering Malky McCormick
Discovering Malky McCormick invites visitors to come behind-the-scenes as staff at The Dick Institute catalogue and curate a collection of artwork by Malky McCormick. This is in preparation for 2026’s Malky McCormick: A Life in Colour exhibition in the museum’s Main Gallery. Offering a preview of some of the amazing artwork in this collection, Discovering Malky McCormick encourages you to enter Malky’s colourful world.
Malky McCormick is often described as Scotland’s best-known cartoonist. Born in Glasgow, he moved to and settled near Kilmarnock. His art tells Scottish stories, many of which reflect his connection to Ayrshire. Using the Scots language to look at the funny side of life, Malky’s work is sure to make you smile.
Wild Things and Wicked Tales Exhibition
This autumn, the Young People’s Gallery is taken over by Wild Things and Wicked Tales, an imaginative exhibition created by nine young artists aged 8–12 during our summer school.
Over four days, the group pulled inspiration from across our cultural venues: learning tree ID and medieval storytelling at Dean Castle, experimenting with printmaking inspired by Paula Rego’s exhibition in the Main Gallery, and diving into cartooning in the Malky McCormick space upstairs. Along the way they invented their own strange stories, performed skits, and explored everything from thermal cameras to soft pastel studies of taxidermy.
The result is a playful, curious and creative collection of artworks that bring together mythical creatures, mischievous characters and twisted tales, all imagined and made by the young people themselves.
The Young People’s Gallery celebrates the creativity of children and young people throughout the year, and each summer we host a summer school, using our vast collections to get creative.
Drop in, explore, and see what wild and wicked worlds they’ve created.
