JOE HARGAN
DA PAI PPAI RGI
SOLO SHOW 2026
OPEN Saturday 24th October to Sunday 1st November 2026
From 11.00am to 5.00pm each day
MEET THE ARTIST
Your opportunity to meet Joe on the OPENING DAY, Saturday 24th October, between 1pm to 4pm
He is as fascinating as his paintings!
BUYING OR RESERVING A PAINTING?
You can BUY or RESERVE a painting now by either calling 0141 942 4683 or alternatively email kenlemond@msn.com.
The Joe Hargan DA PAI PPAI RGI Solo Show only occurs every second year. Access to this quantity of his paintings is very rare. For that reason, we recommend that you make any selection decisions quickly in order to avoid any potential disappointment.
ARTWORKS
JOE HARGAN DA PPAI PAI RGI
THE IMPORTANCE OF JOE HARGAN’S ART WITHIN SCOTLAND
Joe Hargan DA PPAI PAI RGI is of significant interest to us (the gallery) and indeed the whole shape and development of contemporary Scottish art as we know it.
He is one of the artistic giants of a contemporary generation. Born in 1952, he studied at Glasgow School of Art (1970-1974) at a time when the prevailing teaching influence was still landscapes (impressionist and semi-abstract).
Importantly, his brave ‘counter-period’ stance sets him apart from his peers - he was well ahead of the next step towards figurative narrative painting.
Classically trained (DA), his art shows all the skill of a rigorous development and training – he really knows how to apply paint !
Hargan has a love of fun and he wants to share that passion with you. He is very likeable and charismatic, and this is reflected in his preference for light-hearted passage rather than heavy subject. He wants you to engage with his theatre or message and not run away from it. Indeed, he offers you multiple layers of carefully orchestrated interest and entertainment within his paintings to draw you in and excite you.
Hargan's paintings set in stately homes are instantly recognisable.
On the face of it, the paintings feature a mysterious character (often, 'Sniffy') painted within a stately interior setting with a series of unconnected and strange figurative or object placements. Each element is beautifully painted. Hargan is inviting you to read and understand how all of the separate elements connect within his tongue-in-cheek vignette to form the whole story and intrigue for the viewer.
As an example, the underlying plot is often comparing classical art with modern art. In the background are beautifully painted old masters (for example, Canaletto’s, Gainsborough’s, Velazquez’s and Whistler’s) – the classically painted; in the foreground, on pedestals or plinths are examples of modern, conceptual art where the art is an idea or object rather than the traditional aesthetic (for example an object, installation, site specific art, video or audio performance – as manifested in the Turner Prize). Hargan relays his feelings (cynicism, disdain) to the viewer by including low-art objects such as a McDonald’s Big Mac, a glass of wine, plates of cakes, apples, books, a bath, dogs and cats (Emin – the Unmade Bed). His careful selection of the non-art objects serve to exaggerate and highlight his point – surely this cannot be art ?
More recently, we are seeing the increasing use of younger female characters within his paintings. His more regular use of a vivid palette and a younger model might represent his own nod to modernisation.
This is art at it’s very best.