McCulloch, Ian, RSA
1935 – 2026
Trained at Glasgow School of Art from 1953 until 1957 and at Hospitalfield House, Arbroath and was awarded a Travelling Scholarship in 1957. The same year he was the recipient of the RSA Chalmers Bursary [a £30 cash award] in the RSA School of Painting Competition.
He taught at the University of Strathclyde and was an early invited Member of the Glasgow Group founded by James Morrison RSA, James Spence and Anda Paterson in 1957.
He became an Associate Member of the RSA in 1989 and an Academician in 2005.
McCulloch served on RSA Council 2008-2010 and was Convener of the RSA Annual Exhibition in 2002 when it was held in the McLellan Galleries in Glasgow, a space with which he was familiar from Glasgow Group days. In addition he served on a number of Committees of Arrangements, Purchases and Awards Committees for both the RSA Annual and RSA Students Exhibitions between 1991 and 2002.
He rose to prominence over the Glasgow Concert Hall Murals controversy when at a special dinner to commemorate the gifting [by Strathclyde Regional Council] and installation [in the main foyer] of McCulloch's two large paintings, Cllr Pat Lally leader of Glasgow City Council announced that the painting would be taken down after a year and replaced. The incident led to uproar at the dinner, and subsequent media debate about political censorship of art, with questions being raised in Parliament.
