A Scottish painter, draughtsman and printmaker, Adrian graduated from Glasgow School of Art in 1983. His debut solo exhibition was presented by Compass Gallery in 1984 and became one of the leading figures in the group known as the New Glasgow Boys. Adrian’s work is primarily figurative, working across many mediums from drawing and painting to playwriting and design. His figures are often placed in vibrant Arcadian settings, full of symbolism.
He is the recipient of many awards including the Haldane Trust Award in 1982; the David Cargill Scholarship in 1983; the Mark Rothko Memorial Award in 1984; the I.C.C.F. Best Design Award New York in 1993 and the Lord Provost Gold Medal from City of Glasgow in 1999; Mark Rothko Memorial Award; a residency at Walker Art Gallery, Liverpool; and the Lord Provost Gold Medal from the City of Glasgow.
Since 2000, he has completed numerous projects involving public art commissions, created of a series of neon works, publications, theatre designs and music collaborations. He has completed major large commissions for the Liverpool Anglican Cathedral; the GOMA Cafe; and the Millennium Tower, Hamilton.
Adrian has exhibited widely throughout the UK and internationally, in both solo and mixed shows including at the Walker Art Gallery, Liverpool; Nigel Greenwood Gallery, London; Galerie Fortlaan, Ghent; Fruitmarket Gallery, Edinburgh (retrospective exhibition); Kelvingrove Museums, Glasgow; Barbican Centre, London; Talbot Rice Gallery, Edinburgh; Festival Exhibition, Edinburgh Gallery; Glasgow Print Studio; Compass Gallery and Cyril Gerber Fine Art. He has also exhibited in Australia, Japan and the USA.
Works in public collections include the Museum of Modern Art, New York; Metropolitan Museum, New York; The Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art, Edinburgh; Glasgow Museums; The Gulbenkian Foundation; Victoria & Albert Museum, London; Setagaya Museum, Tokyo; Tate Britain, London; Liverpool Museums and the Flemings Collection, London.