Barbara Rae CBE RA RE is a Scottish painter and printmaker whose acclaimed work is exhibited worldwide. Her landscapes are conveyed through her vivacious use of colour, composition and line.
Barbara Rae was born in Falkirk, Scotland and studied at Edinburgh College of Art from 1961 to 1965. After winning a post-graduate scholarship, she travelled to France and Spain drawing inspiration from contemporary European art. In 1967 she had her first solo exhibition in Edinburgh and has exhibited regularly since then. She attended Moray House College of Education and taught in Edinburgh until 1972. She went on to lecture in Drawing, Painting and Printmaking at Aberdeen College of Education from 1972 to 1974 and in Drawing and Painting at Glasgow School of Art from 1975 to 1996. In 1992 she was elected a member of the Royal Scottish Academy and in 1995 a member of the Royal Fine Art Commission.
Rae chooses to visit key places that provide her with first-hand insight into an area's specific social history. Her studies range from an ancient standing stone in Scotland to black blasted vines terraced on a Spanish hillside. She travels the world in search of inspiration, working in her Edinburgh studio from studies created on location. She is the recipient of numerous awards, scholarships, and honorary degrees; her work is held in national museums, public and private collections worldwide. Among Rae's many awards are major Scottish Arts Council Awards in 1975 and 1981, the Guthrie Medal from the Royal Scottish Academy in 1977, the Royal Scottish Academy Sir William Gillies Travel Award in 1983, the Calouste Gulbenkian Printmaking Award also in 1983 and the Hunting Group Prize in 1990.