Maritime exhibitions celebrate UK mariners' endurance

Two recent exhibitions have spotlighted the UK's merchant maritime legacy, from heroic Antarctic survival to artistic celebration of seafaring life.

In Ayrshire, the Scottish Maritime Museum is hosting Fortitudo, a striking exhibition by Italian artist Paola Folicaldi Suh, which is open until 18 January 2026 at the Linthouse Building in Irvine. It reimagines Sir Ernest Shackleton's 1914 Imperial Trans-Antarctic Expedition aboard the civilian vessel Endurance, his third expedition. Shackleton, a former Merchant Navy officer, led a diverse crew on the Norwegian-built Polaris, renamed Endurance. Though the expedition failed to cross Antarctica, all crew survived two years stranded in the ice.

Ms Folicaldi Suh's vivid scenes and portraits are inspired by expedition official photographer Frank Hurley's photographs, enriched with quotes from Shackleton's memoir South and recollections by Endurance captain Frank Worsley and Aurora captain Aeneas Mackintosh. Shackleton died in 1922, aged 47, at the start of his fourth Antarctic voyage.

Meanwhile, in London, the Royal Society of Marine Artists (RSMA) marked 80 years of marine art exhibitions at the Mall Galleries this September. Around 450 original works were displayed, highlighting sailing yachts, fishing, and portscapes.

The RSMA's first planned exhibition in 1939 was delayed by WWII, eventually debuting in November 1946 at the Guildhall Art Gallery. The society maintains strong ties with the Royal Navy, with members' works held in the Imperial War Museum and National Maritime Museum.

Images from the RSMA exhibition remain viewable online here along with the 2025 award winners.