The view from here...

BREATHTAKING iconic landscapes are the focus of a new exhibition opening at the Scottish National Portrait Gallery, this Saturday.

The Pyramids and Sphinx Pic: Contributed

Stunning images of the Egyptian pyramids, taken when photography was a relatively new art form, intensely beautiful photographs of the Outer Hebrides taken by the legendary American artist Paul Strand, and thought-provoking landscapes by British-American photographer Sze Tsung Leong are just three of the highlights of The View From Here: Landscape Photography From The Collection Of The National Galleries Of Scotland.

Many of the works on show have rarely been seen before and will accompanied by a number of new acquisitions, never before displayed.

The extraordinary richness of the photography collection at the National Galleries of Scotland, 38,000 items in total, will be showcased in the exhibition which will bring together 70 key works charting the history of landscape photography over the course of 175 years, from the earliest days to the present day.

Other highlights will include Niagara Falls, taken in around 1855 by Platt D Babbitt.

Closer to home, Scotland’s landscape was also celebrated in the nineteenth century by the likes of James Valentine and George Washington Wilson, whose prints of Highland landscapes and Scottish towns and villages sold all over the world.

Patricia MacDonald, meanwhile, took to the skies to capture the Scottish scenery. Her aerial views of hills, glens, forests and rivers are absorbing colourful compositions.

Christopher Baker, Director, Scottish National Portrait Gallery says, “The wealth of imagery the photography collection of the National Galleries of Scotland encompasses will be made accessible in an exciting way through the new series of thematic exhibitions of which The View from Here is the first.”

The View From Here, Scottish National Portrait Gallery, Queen Street, Friday-30 April 2017, free, 0131-624 6200