Marian Leven
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Marian Leven RSA (born 1944) is a Scottish artist known for her sculptures, land art and collage work and for painting in oils, acrylics, and watercolour.


Biography

Leven was born in 1944 and is originally from
Auchtermuchty Auchtermuchty ( ; , 'upland of the pigs/boar') is a town in Fife, Scotland. It is beside Pitlour Hill and north of Glenrothes. History Until 1975 Auchtermuchty was a royal burgh, established under charter of James V of Scotland, King Jame ...
in
Fife Fife ( , ; ; ) is a council areas of Scotland, council area and lieutenancy areas of Scotland, lieutenancy area in Scotland. A peninsula, it is bordered by the Firth of Tay to the north, the North Sea to the east, the Firth of Forth to the s ...
, Scotland. She studied
Textile arts Textile arts are arts and crafts that use fiber crop, plant, Animal fiber, animal, or synthetic fibers to construct practical or decorative Physical object, objects. Textiles have been a fundamental part of human life since the beginning of ...
at
Gray's School of Art ''Gray's Anatomy'' is a reference book of human anatomy written by Henry Gray, illustrated by Henry Vandyke Carter and first published in London in 1858. It has had multiple revised editions, and the current edition, the 42nd (October 202 ...
in Aberdeen, from 1962 to 1966 and now works in various art media including painting in watercolour, oils and acrylic, printmaking, sculpture, land art and collage. She has a family tradition of weaving. Leven's work often focusses on the Scottish landscape, weather and social history, although some pieces are abstract. Leven has been
Artist-in-residence Artist-in-residence (also Writer-in-residence), or artist residencies, encompass a wide spectrum of artistic programs that involve a collaboration between artists and hosting organisations, institutions, or communities. They are programs that pr ...
at
Sabhal Mòr Ostaig Sabhal Mòr Ostaig (; ) is a public higher education college situated in the Sleat peninsula in the south of the Isle of Skye, Scotland with an associate campus at Bowmore on the island of Islay. Sabhal Mòr is an independent Academic Part ...
on
Skye The Isle of Skye, or simply Skye, is the largest and northernmost of the major islands in the Inner Hebrides of Scotland. The island's peninsulas radiate from a mountainous hub dominated by the Cuillin, the rocky slopes of which provide some o ...
. Leven was a member of the
Royal Scottish Watercolour Society The Royal Scottish Society of Painters in Watercolour (RSW) is a Scottish art society established in 1878. The current patron is Charles III. It is a registered charity based in Glasgow and holds an annual exhibition. The first preliminary meeting ...
and has also showed works at the
Royal Scottish Academy The Royal Scottish Academy (RSA) is the country's national academy of art. It promotes contemporary art, contemporary Scottish art. The Academy was founded in 1826 by eleven artists meeting in Edinburgh. Originally named the Scottish Academy ...
, the
Royal Glasgow Institute of the Fine Arts The Royal Glasgow Institute of the Fine Arts (RGI) is an independent organisation in Glasgow, founded in 1861, which promotes contemporary art and artists in Scotland. The institute organizes the largest and most prestigious annual art exhibiti ...
and with the Society of Aberdeen Artists. Leven has created
public art Public art is art in any Media (arts), media whose form, function and meaning are created for the general public through a public process. It is a specific art genre with its own professional and critical discourse. Public art is visually and phy ...
jointly with Will Maclean: the sculpture ''Waterlines'' at the
University of Aberdeen The University of Aberdeen (abbreviated ''Aberd.'' in List of post-nominal letters (United Kingdom), post-nominals; ) is a public university, public research university in Aberdeen, Scotland. It was founded in 1495 when William Elphinstone, Bis ...
and the
land art Land art, variously known as Earth art, environmental art, and Earthworks, is an art movement that emerged in the 1960s and 1970s, largely associated with Great Britain and the United StatesArt in the modern era: A guide to styles, schools, & mo ...
and land raid work ''An Suileachan'' on the
Isle of Lewis The Isle of Lewis () or simply Lewis () is the northern part of Lewis and Harris, the largest island of the Western Isles or Outer Hebrides archipelago in Scotland. The two parts are frequently referred to as if they were separate islands. The t ...
. Leven was awarded the Noble Grossart prize in 1997. She and Maclean were awarded the
Saltire Society The Saltire Society is a membership organisation which aims to promote the understanding of the culture and heritage of Scotland, founded in 1936. The society organises lectures and publishes pamphlets, and presents a series of awards in the fiel ...
's Award for Arts and Craft in Architecture in 2013 for ''An Suileachan''. She has work in the collection of the
Verdant Works Verdant Works, also known as Scotland's Jute Museum, is a former jute mill in the Blackness area of Dundee, Scotland. It was purchased in 1991 by the Dundee Heritage Trust. The trust restored the buildings, which were officially opened by Pr ...
. She also exhibited in the 2002 exhibition ''Beyond Conflict''. Leven convened the RSA Annual Exhibition in 2017. She has also worked as an art teacher and lecturer. Leven is married to Will Maclean. They have three children: the film director John Maclean, the musician David Maclean of
Django Django Django Django are a British art rock band based in London, England. Formed in 2009, the band has released five studio albums starting with their self-titled debut in 2012. Their latest album '' Off Planet'' was released on 16 June 2023. Hist ...
, and a daughter, Miriam, who has Down's Syndrome. Leven lives in
Tayport Tayport, also known as Ferry-Port-on-Craig, is a town in Fife, Scotland. It lies on the Firth of Tay opposite Broughty Ferry, a suburb of Dundee. The two were linked by a ferry service until 1939. To the east of Tayport is the vast Tentsmuir ...
in Fife.


References


Further reading

* Blair, Dr Lindsay (2012) ''Scottish Connections: The Art of Marian Leven and Will Maclean'' (Hamburg: Galerie Herold) * Downie, Kate (2009) ''The Coast Road Diaries''


External links


Artist's website
* Living people 1944 births 20th-century Scottish women artists 21st-century Scottish women artists Alumni of Gray's School of Art People from Auchtermuchty People from Tayport Royal Scottish Academicians {{Scotland-artist-stub