Sir Joseph Noel Paton exhibition opens in Dunfermline

Three generations linked to Sir Joseph Noel Paton have attended a reception at a major retrospective being held in the artist’s home city of Dunfermline. 

Family members have loaned five oil paintings and more than 30 drawings to the exhibition, which runs at Dunfermline Carnegie Library and Galleries until 9 February. 

Guests at the reception on Friday (25 October) ranged from Paton’s oldest surviving great-grandchild, 91-year-old Diarmid Campbell of Argyll, to his youngest great-great-great-grandchild, 10-year-old Arlo Agnew from the US. 

The free exhibition of 80-plus oil paintings, drawings and engravings seeks to foster a fresh appreciation of Paton, who enjoyed vast popularity during his lifetime. 

Paton was Queen’s Limner in Scotland – the art equivalent of Poet Laureate – and poignant sketches of Queen Victoria and her children are among the attractions on show. 

Such a large gathering of descendants seems appropriate as family life was hugely important to Paton, despite the demands and distractions of widespread fame. 

The exhibition Joseph Noel Paton: An Artist’s Life – From Dunfermline to the Royal Court at Dunfermline Carnegie Library & Galleries. (Image: Dunfermline Carnegie Library & Galleries) Contrary to the austere Victorian stereotype of fatherhood, Paton was very much a hands-on dad, nicknaming his large, noisy brood of 11 children ‘the Infantry’. 

Domestically themed works in the show include The Lullaby – a tender portrait of Paton’s wife Maggie and young son Diarmid. There is also a painting of his five-year-old son Callie, who died from diphtheria. 

One of Paton’s great-great-granddaughters, Edinburgh-based Cat Berry – who is descended from Paton’s son Diarmid – said: “It is hugely exciting to see this wonderful retrospective after so many years of planning. 

“It will also be great to see all those sketches, kept in the family for generations, that have never previously been displayed.” 

“This retrospective offers us a rare insight into Noel Paton’s creative process. We really hope the exhibition will be widely enjoyed and give him the recognition he deserves.” 

Cat Berry, left, with exhibition curator Lesley-Anne Lettice (Image: Dunfermline Carnegie Library & Galleries) One of Paton’s great-granddaughters, Diana Noel Paton – who is also Edinburgh-based and descended from Diarmid – says there is something for everyone to enjoy in Paton’s work. 

“Visitors to the exhibition will find Scottish history, Pre Raphaelite painting, royalty, religion, weaponry, family, dogs, fairies … the list goes on,” says Diana. 

“It has been thrilling to hold this family gathering, surrounded by so many of Noel Paton’s paintings and drawings. It has been a once-in-a-lifetime occasion – most of us have never met each other before, so there has been so much to catch up on.” 

The family gathering was hosted by the cultural charity OnFife, which runs the Carnegie Library and Galleries. Says exhibition curator Lesley-Anne Lettice: “We're delighted to be hosting this opportunity for the Paton family to connect – many of them for the first time. 

“It's also a wonderful tribute to Noel. I think he would be overjoyed to see all of them gathered together here in his hometown to celebrate his life and work.”