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# Damian Barr brings the extraordinary true story of two working-class gay artists to vivid life
- URL: https://www.scenemag.co.uk/damian-barr-brings-the-extraordinary-true-story-of-two-working-class-gay-artists-to-vivid-life/
- Published: 2025-07-05T09:33:53.000Z
- Updated: 2025-07-05T09:37:32.000Z
- Author: Graham Robson
- Tags: Culture

This summer, celebrated Brighton-based writer and broadcaster **Damian Barr** brings the extraordinary true story of **Robert MacBryde and Robert Colquhoun** \- two working-class gay artists who defied convention, loved boldly, and lit up the 20th-century art world - to vivid life in his new novel, *The Two Roberts*.

Inspired by real lives and long-buried legacies, Barr’s novel reimagines the fiery romance and creative partnership between the two Scottish men, tracing their journey from 1930s Glasgow to wartime London and the bohemian salons of Paris and Rome. Through art, love, and heartbreak, their bond was as daring as their brushstrokes.

![](https://www.scenemag.co.uk/content/images/2025/07/Two-Roberts.jpg)

The two Roberts

As queer histories continue to be rediscovered and reclaimed, *The Two Roberts* is both a timely celebration and a necessary remembrance - of two men who lived, loved, and created in defiance of the times that tried to erase them.

Ahead of the novel’s publication, Barr will appear in conversation with journalist **Alexandra Heminsley** on **Wednesday, 27 August** at **7pm** at **Ropetackle Arts Centre** (Shoreham by Sea, BN43 5NG)in partnership with **City Books**, Hove. The evening will include a **live Q&A session**, a **chance to meet the author**, and **books available to buy and have signed** on the night.

Named best fiction book of 2025 by the *Guardian*, the *Observer*, the *Scottish Herald* and the *BBC*, this is moving and unmissable exploration of queer love, outsider art, and the enduring power of untold stories.

**For tickets, contact the box office on 01273 464440, or online** [**HERE**](http://www.ropetacklecentre.co.uk/?ref=scenemag.co.uk)

![](https://www.scenemag.co.uk/content/images/2025/07/The-Two-Roberts--September-2025.jpg)