David Harding, (b 1937) is a Scottish artist best known for his residency as a town artist in

Glenrothes Glenrothes (; , ; sco, Glenrothes; gd, Gleann Rathais) is a town situated in the heart of Fife, in east-central Scotland. It is about north of Edinburgh and south of Dundee. The town had a population of 39,277 in the 2011 census, making i ...

and as Head of Environmental Art at Glasgow School of Art. He was born in Leith, Scotland.

Education

From 1955-1959 Harding attended

Edinburgh College of Art Edinburgh College of Art (ECA) is one of eleven schools in the College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences at the University of Edinburgh. Tracing its history back to 1760, it provides higher education in art and design, architecture, histor ...

, where he studied the sculptural use of glass, concrete and ceramics. He attended

Moray House College of Education The Moray House School of Education and Sport ('Moray House') is a school within the College of Arts, Humanities and Social Science at the University of Edinburgh. It is based in historic buildings on the Holyrood, Edinburgh, Holyrood Campus, l ...

in 1960.

Career

From 1961-1963 he taught in various schools in Scotland before moving to

Nigeria Nigeria ( ), , ig, Naìjíríyà, yo, Nàìjíríà, pcm, Naijá , ff, Naajeeriya, kcg, Naijeriya officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a country in West Africa. It is situated between the Sahel to the north and the Gulf o ...

(1963 - 1967) to work in the art department in a bush teacher training college. He returned from Nigeria at the age of 30 and decided to give up teaching, instead undertaking sculpture commissions. Having spent a year as a self employed artist, Harding answered an advert in The Scotsman newspaper for a post with

Development Corporation. He undertook the role of town artist from 1968-1978, working with the planning department. This involved creating a series of public art installations throughout the new town, using building materials that were used to create local housing such as bricks and concrete. Most notable works include the Henge, a spiral of cast concrete slabs and Heritage, rows of concrete embossed columns. Publications: 'Glenrothes Town Artist' 1975 Glenrothes Development Corporation. 'Artists and Buildings' 1977 the Scottish Arts Council. From 1978 - 1985 he lectured at Dartington College of Art in the department of Art and Social Contexts In 1985 Harding started teaching the new subject of Environmental Art at

Glasgow School of Art The Glasgow School of Art (GSA; gd, Sgoil-ealain Ghlaschu) is a higher education art school based in Glasgow, Scotland, offering undergraduate degrees, post-graduate awards (both taught and research-led), and PhDs in architecture, fine art, and ...

(eventually becoming Head of Environmental Art and Sculpture). Several of Harding's former students have been nominated for or received the

Turner Prize The Turner Prize, named after the English painter J. M. W. Turner, is an annual prize presented to a British visual artist. Between 1991 and 2016, only artists under the age of 50 were eligible (this restriction was removed for the 2017 award) ...

. Harding retired from the school in 2001. Publications: 'DECADEnt - Public Art, Contentious Term and Contested Practice'. 1997 Foulis Press, GSA. Edited with Pavel Buchler. Other contributors include Sam Ainsley, Stanley Bonnar. Awarded the OBE in 2002 and in 2018 made a D.Litt(hon) an honorary doctorate by the University of Glasgow.

Exhibitions

* Documenta 14, (with Ross Birrell) Athens, Greece and Kassel, Germany 2017. * Grey Gardens, Dundee Contemporary Arts, UK, Dundee, 2016. * Where language ends (with Ross Birrell), Talbot Rice Gallery, Edinburgh, 14 March - 2 May 2015. * Winter Line (with Ross Birrell), Kunsthalle Basel, Switzerland, Basel, 2014. * You Like This Garden?, (with Ross Birrell) Portikus, Germany, Frankfurt, 2011.

Family

Harding is married with six children.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Harding, David 1937 births Living people 20th-century Scottish male artists 21st-century Scottish male artists Alumni of the Edinburgh College of Art Artists from Edinburgh