Sir William MacTaggart, FRSERAPPRSA (1903–1981) was a Scottish painter known for his landscapes of East Lothian, France, Norway and elsewhere. He is sometimes called William MacTaggart the Younger to distinguish him from his grandfather, the painter William McTaggart.
Life and work
William MacTaggart was born on 15 May 1903 at Westbank in Loanhead, Midlothian, the son of Hugh Holmes MacTaggart[1] an engineer and partner of MacTaggart Scott & Co.[2]
In 1927 he joined the Society of Eight whose members included Cadell and Peploe, and two years later held his first solo exhibition. In the early 1930s he shared a studio with Gillies.
MacTaggart started teaching at Edinburgh College of Art in 1933 and was president of the Society of Scottish Artists between 1933 and 1936. In 1948 the Royal Scottish Academy made him an Academician and he later served as their president from 1959 to 1969. He was also a member of the Royal Academy in London and was knighted in 1962.