Graduate’s ‘striking’ art collection donated to Glasgow University

A student at the University in the late 1960s, the Glasgow-born businessman and philanthropist died in 2022 after suffering from pneumonia. 

The donated artworks include paintings by the renowned eighteenth-century Scottish artists Allan Ramsay and Henry Raeburn, as well as a work by one of the progenitors of the Glasgow School, George Henry.

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The Hunterian Museum thanked Dr Mazumdar-Shaw for her generous donation and said that the artworks would create “meaningful connections to the University’s teaching and research, the history of The Hunterian and its collections, and wider opportunities for public engagement.”

Among the works is the 1892 ‘Portrait of a Lady’ by George Henry, which will become the artists’ twelfth work held by the museum.

(Image: George Henry, ‘Portrait of a Lady’, c. 1892. © The Hunterian, University of Glasgow.)Curator of French and British Art at the Hunterian, Anne Dulau, said: “The painting reflects his interest in the interplay between figure, fashion and intricately composed backgrounds. A decorative bust-length work, it reveals the lasting impact of Henry’s transformative trip to Japan in 1892”

The Museum’s complete collection includes additional works by Henry, including Japanese Pottery Seller, Japanese Beauty, and Girl with Red Hair. 

The Museum also noted a “striking and unusual” Henry Raeburn portrait of an anonymous young Indian woman among the donated collection.

“Though her identity remains unknown, it is compelling to consider she may have been of Anglo-Indian heritage and may have been present in Scotland during a time when Raeburn was primarily painting male figures of the Scottish Enlightenment”, said Art Curator Dr Lola Sanchez-Jauregui Alpanes.

“This work opens up conversations about the complex social, cultural, political, and economic ties between Britain and Asia during that period, as well as new aspects of Raeburn’s female portraiture.”

The late Mr Shaw and his widow Dr Mazumdar-Shaw have been significant donors to the University in the past. In 2004, the couple made a joint donation of $7.5 million towards the construction of the University’s Advanced Research Centre, one of the largest ever single donations endowed to the University.

(Image: John Shaw and Dr Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw)The state of the art building, one of the University’s largest, was opened in 2022 after being officially named after Mr Shaw and Dr Mazumdar-Shaw.

Commenting on the donated collection, Director of The Hunterian, Professor Steph Scholten, said: “The Hunterian has been at the heart of Glasgow’s cultural landscape for over 200 years and is incredibly grateful to Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw for her generosity.

“John was not only a friend, supporter and alumnus of the University – he was a proud member of our community and a dedicated collector of Scottish art.

“As The Hunterian enters a new phase of transformation, we are committed to showcasing the very best of our collections while addressing the urgencies of today’s complex world in partnership with our communities and in continued collaboration with the Mazumdar-Shaw family.”