JOHN DUNCAN FERGUSSON R.B.A. (SCOTTISH 1874-1961)
ROSE IN THE HAIR, 1908
Signed, titled, inscribed and dated verso, oil on board
64cm x 53.5cm (25in x 21in)
Acquired from Margaret Morris, the Artist’s wife, by the father of the present ownerExhibited: T. & R. Annan & Sons Ltd, Glasgow, Exhibition of Paintings by John Duncan Fergusson, September-October 1949, no.25;L'Institut Français d'Ecosse, Edinburgh, Paintings of France and Scotland by John Duncan Fergusson, 1 February-10 March 1950, no.21;Royal Scottish Academy, Edinburgh, J. D. Fergusson 1874-1961: Memorial Exhibition of Paintings and Sculpture, 11 November - 2 December 1961 and tour, no.39 
Rose in the Hair of 1908 is a tour de force example of how Fergusson’s practice flourished in the context of the very birth of modern art, following his move from Edinburgh to Paris. Indeed, his reputation is based on the seven years he spent in the French capital between 1907 and 1913, where he occupied a unique position amongst British artists within the avant-garde art scene. Fergusson absorbed and evolved the latest developments in the work of artists including Pablo Picasso, Henri Matisse and André Derain. In fact, the undiluted colour and unrefined technique of the Fauves, or ‘wild beasts’ was of great interest to him. He and his then partner, the artist Anne Estelle Rice, became key figures in the Anglo-American ‘Rhythmist’ group, known for their progressive arts journal Rhythm, of which he was founding Art Editor in 1911and whose works were shown in group exhibitions in London and Cologne in 1912.The controlled, realist technique of the portraits Fergusson had made in Edinburgh, which were full of Edwardian sophistication, gave way to the bold, gestural and suggestive brushstrokes seen in Rose in the Hair, which evoke a far more modern concept of womanhood. Feminine confidence, beauty and style remain but are now celebrated by way of layered colours and a sense of spontaneity. The combination of a female figure with a decorative background was to inform much of his future work, whilst the simplification of form, structural use of outlining and bright palette show why Fergusson was elected a member of the cutting-edge Salon d’Automne the year after it was painted, in recognition of his contribution to the modern movement.During this period, Fergusson preferred to paint friends and lovers. It has been suggested that the sitter for Rose in the Hair is Anne Estelle Rice, but this has not been proven. Other possibilities could be the American writer Elizabeth Dryden or the haute couture business-owner Yvonne de Kerstratt, who also sat for him frequently; all three women feature in major works created between 1907 and 1910. What is clear is the rapport between model and artist, and that it was through paintings such as this that Fergusson threw off the shackles of conservative Edinburgh, emerged as an artist of daring originality and embarked upon the journey which was to culminate in his masterpiece, Les Eus of c.1913 (Hunterian Art Gallery, University of Glasgow). Fergusson kept Rose in the Hair all his life and selected it for inclusion in solo exhibitions of his work staged by T. & R. Annan & Sons Ltd in Glasgow in 1949 (priced at £100) and at L’Institut Français d’Ecosse in Edinburgh in 1950. It also featured in the touring Memorial Exhibition organised by the Arts Council Scottish Committee of 1961-62, following the artist’s death in Glasgow.We are grateful to Susan Moore and to Amy Waugh, Culture Perth & Kinross, for their help with our research.