Ian Hamilton Finlay, an artist, poet, and landscape designer, reinvigorated the classical tradition through a diverse body of work that celebrates the enduring power of words. He is best known for his garden Little Sparta, set in the Pentland Hills near Edinburgh, where he lived and worked for the last 40 years of his life. Finlay was a key figure in the concrete poetry movement, and his extensive poetical and graphical works were published by Wild Hawthorn Press, which he co-founded in 1961. His visual artworks, created in collaboration with skilled artists and craftspeople, are housed in museums, parks, and gardens worldwide.

Ian Hamilton Finlay: Fragments will take place in May 2025 at the following locations: Ingleby Gallery (Edinburgh), KEWENIG (Palma de Mallorca), Galleria Massimo Minini (Brescia), Victoria Miro (London), David Nolan Gallery (New York), Sfeir-Semler Gallery (Hamburg), Stampa Galerie (Basel), and Galerie Hubert Winter (Vienna).

A NEW PUBLICATION

Published on 8 May 2025 by ACC Art Books and edited by Pia Maria Simig, Fragments brings together one hundred works by Ian Hamilton Finlay, each accompanied by a short, fragmentary text by the artist, as well as writings from distinguished authors who engaged with Finlay’s work during his lifetime. The book features introductory essays by Stephen Bann (CBE, Emeritus Professor of History of Art at the University of Bristol) and Tom Lubbock (chief art critic of The Independent from 1997 until his death in 2011), along with 100 full-color plates. Additional texts are provided by Yves Abrioux, Stephen Bann, Prudence Carlson, Patrick Duncombe, Julia Eames, Patrick Eyres, Alec Finlay, Ian Hamilton Finlay, George Gilliland, Harry Gilonis, and Tom Lubbock. The book is designed by John and Orna Designs.