It's often said that Scotland's contribution to the worlds of engineering, medicine and science far outweighs its size as a nation. The same could also be said of it artistic endeavours. True, we haven't produced the individual genius of a Rembrandt or the collective talents on a par with the Impressionists but since the late 19th and early 20th centuries, Scotland has nutured successive generations of artists who have been ranked alongside the best of their contemporaries worldwide.

As we begin a new century, Scottish art is thriving. The country's four art schools continue to initiate experimentation and fresh thinking amongst their graduates across a wide range of media while the major galleries are promoting Scottish art to an unprecedented degree. Major exhibitions provide a welcome platform for almost every aspect of the nation's art history which in turn has ensured that the volatile art market has kept pace with it. Scottish art is thus the focus of greater debate, analysis and public interest than at any time in recent memory