Posted 04 Aug 2021, by Kate Cowcher
In May 1967, a painting of men cutting down trees arrived in Dunoon, the small seaside town on the Cowal peninsula, in the west of Scotland. The painting was by the Tanzanian artist, Samuel J. Ntiro, and was posted from Dar es Salaam by Ntiro himself to T. G. Henderson, Argyll County Council s Director of Education.
Ntiro s painting,
Chopping Wood, had been bought by the renowned writer Naomi Mitchison for a council-funded initiative called the Argyll Collection. Mitchison had founded the latter in 1960 during her time as Argyll County Councillor, when she lobbied Henderson for funds to acquire modern art for Argyll s schools. Mitchison believed that children in rural Scotland, many of whom lived several hours from major museums, deserved to have access to modern art, to inspire creativity and pride.