Ian Hamilton Finlay

Sailing Dinghy

1996

© Estate of Ian Hamilton Finlay

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Not on display

Artist: Ian Hamilton Finlay 1925–2006
Medium: Boat and painted wall text
Dimensions: Displayed: 6020 × 4400 × 1400 mm
Collection: ARTIST ROOMS Tate and National Galleries of Scotland
Acquisition: ARTIST ROOMS Acquired jointly with the National Galleries of Scotland through The d'Offay Donation with assistance from the National Heritage Memorial Fund and the Art Fund 2008
Reference: AR00021

Online caption

Boats and the sea were central themes throughout Finlay’s career. 'Sailing Dinghy' comprises a clinker-built, sailing boat, which the artist himself sailed, installed alongside a short poem painted onto the wall. The dinghy’s bow, sails, rudder and stern are labelled with numbers referenced in the poem. The poem’s simple phrases evoke the power and movement of the vessel, encouraging the viewer to make a mental voyage from gallery to sea. The now static and landlocked vessel provides a contrast to this flight of imagination with its stillness and physical presence.

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