Adam Bruce Thomson, 1885-1976

Bruce Adam Thomson OBE, RSA, PPRSW, also known as "Adam B," was a Scottish painter whose long, busy life tells the story of Scottish painting for the first three quarters of the twentieth century. Adam B was born in Edinburgh and was said to be a man of great integrity. Prior to receiving scholarships that allowed him to travel overseas to Spain and then Paris, he first studied at the Trustees Academy and then the recently founded Edinburgh College of Art, earning diplomas in both drawing and painting as well as architecture. He was a skilled lithographer and etcher who also pursued training in the challenging pastel and watercolour mediums. Prior to his return to the college, Thomson fought in the Great War and served in the Royal Engineers as a Second Lieutenant. He then taught etching, composition, and still life to the painting school's students, as well as colour theory to the architecture students. He remained affiliated with Edinburgh College of Art up until his passing. Even though the artist stopped instructing in 1950, he continued on as a trustee member and an examiner. He served as the RSA's Treasurer for seven years before becoming the RSW's President for another seven years starting in 1957. In 1963, Thomson received an OBE. Then, in 1976, he passed away. The archives of the National Library of Scotland hold some 24 of his sketchbooks, spanning around 40 years of work.