This item was published during the term of a previous administration that ended in April 2007
Listen
Dream Team plays to gallery
13/08/2003
A team of national footballing heroes was unveiled today at the Scottish National Portrait Gallery in Edinburgh.
Some of the best players ever to have worn the dark blue shirt, appear in a collection of 12 portraits designed to celebrate Scotland's national game and to make art accessible and appealing to all communities.
The collection, which includes footballing greats from pre and post-war eras, demostrates how our national game forms part of the cultural fabric and has a tremendous capacity to inspire and motivate people to play the game.
Speaking at the unveiling, Sport and Culture Minister Frank McAveety said:
"It is a pleasure to see so many greats from Scotland's rich footballing past captured on canvas. The familiar faces of footballing heroes like Kenny Dalglish, Jim Baxter, Denis Law and others, are brought to life by the artist.
"The 'Dream Team' is a clever selection of players who have represented different clubs and backgrounds from across Scotland, and who also excelled at national and international level. The collection will therefore have a wide appeal to adults and children from communities across Scotland, and puts the arts within reach of us all.
"The collection also uses sporting champions as a tool for inspiring and motivating people to take up the game. Football is entwined with Scotland's way of life, and our heroes from the past have a major impact on promoting sports participation in the future."
The team selection, made by artist Mark I'anson in collaboration with staff at The Herald newspaper, includes legendary figures such as Billy McNeill, Jim Baxter, Denis Law and Kenny Dalglish, with Jock Stein heading the team as manager.
It was commissioned by the Portrait Gallery to celebrate the enormous significance of football in Scottish culture.
The Scottish National Portrait Gallery provides a visual history of Scotland from the 16th century to the present day, told through portraits of the people who shaped it.
For more information contact Patricia Convery on 0131-624-6325 or e-mail
p.convery@nationalgalleries.org