James McBey (1883-1959) was a world-renowned artist who was born just outside Newburgh and spent his early life living in the village. At the Newburgh Village Public Hall, (which would have been built while McBey lived here as it opened in 1891), we wanted to celebrate the man and his work as one of Newburgh’s most famous offspring. To this end we asked Aberdeen Art Gallery, which houses much of McBey’s work, if we could have some high quality reproductions of a selection of his artwork to hang in the hall. They kindly donated the digital images which we had printed and framed and hung in the entrance hallway. You can see the work and photos of McBey we have on display below, along with a plaque, on long-term loan from the Church of Scotland, which came from the (now sold) Foveran Kirk which McBey attended each Sunday.
The Newburgh & Ythan Community Trust recently began a wider project to celebrate the life and work of James McBey which you can read about here and which the hall is a part of. Anyone can view our McBey collection, just try the Hall door and see if it’s open, and if not phone us on 07876656996 and we’ll do our best to open it up for you.
