GLASGOW.- Glasgow's Gallery of Modern Art has acquired a major piece of sculpture, Seven and Seven Is or Sunshine Bathed the Golden Glow by Turner-shortlisted artist Jim Lambie. The purchase of this vibrant and exciting work has been made possible by a £76,700 grant from independent charity The Art Fund.

A riotously coloured freestanding sculpture, Seven and Seven Is or Sunshine Bathed the Golden Glow is made from chairs painted in gloss, cut in half and piled on top of one another to create a wavelike formation. Handbags covered with fragments of broken mirror are attached to it at various points. The evocative title refers to two songs recorded by rock bands Love and Felt, and is a musical reference characteristic of Lambie’s work.

Lambie is one of the most important Scottish artists of his generation and has made a significant contribution to Glasgow’s worldwide reputation as a centre for contemporary visual art. Created in 2008, Seven and Seven Is formed the centrepiece of Lambie’s solo exhibition at GoMA the same year. Jim Lambie – Forever Changes was the gallery’s largest and most popular show of 2008, drawing 310,000 visitors.

David Barrie, Director of The Art Fund, said: "Following its instant popularity at last year’s exhibition, Seven and Seven Is will be a star attraction at Glasgow’s Gallery of Modern Art. Lambie’s international reputation and Glaswegian roots make his work an essential presence in the gallery’s permanent collection."

Bailie Liz Cameron, Chair of Culture and Sport Glasgow said: "The people of Glasgow have a rich and varied collection of artistic treasures and thanks to the continued support of The Art Fund, Glasgow City Council can now add to that with this outstanding sculpture. Jim Lambie's Forever Changes exhibition was a huge hit for the Gallery of Modern Art last year. We are extremely grateful to The Art Fund for their support in acquiring new works which will delight audiences for many years to come."

Lambie‘s work takes familiar objects and transforms them into daring and unique pieces, combining original materials and techniques with playful and pertinent references to culture and society. Ordinary objects are altered and embellished with materials such as paint, tape and Perspex to create new and striking arrangements.

Jim Lambie was born in Glasgow in 1964; a graduate of Glasgow School of Art, he continues to live and work in the city. His work has featured at the 2003 Venice Biennale, the 2005 Turner Prize and more recently at last year’s Colour Chart: Reinventing Colour, 1950 to today at the Museum of Modern Art in New York.

Seven and Seven Is joins other works of art by Glasgow-based artists with international reputations bought with Art Fund help, including Phantom by Alison Watt (2007) and Simon Starling’s Tabernas Desert Run (2004), reflecting GoMA’s enduring commitment to purchasing work that reflects the development and practice of contemporary fine art in Scotland.

Seven and Seven Is was created for the 2008 Glasgow International Festival of Visual Arts.