THIRTY years ago a seminal exhibition helped propel a generation of Scottish artists to the attention of the world.

But the artists who rose to fame after the landmark Vigorous Imagination show at the National Galleries of Scotland in 1987 have been "neglected", a leading critic and curator has claimed.

The Vigorous Imagination show featured a group of Scottish artists who have since become successful and well-known, including Peter Howson, David Mach, Calum Colvin, Ken Currie, Sam Ainsley and the late Steven Campbell.

This week two new shows have opened in Edinburgh and Glasgow, which mark the anniversary of this show, The Vigorous Imagination at the National Galleries of Scotland, featuring work from the same artists.

However art writer Clare Henry, a key organiser of the first show at the Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art, and also curator of The Vigorous Imagination Revisited, has lamented the galleries treatment of the artists since 1987.

Although the artists have many works in both national and local art collections, Ms Henry feels that deserve solo shows of their own.

Ms Henry, who was the chief art critic of The Herald for many years, said: "From that class of 1987, a lot of them have doing really well, have established careers.

"My question is this: why have not any of them - why have Steven Campbell or Adrian Wiszniewski for example - not had a solo show at GoMA [Gallery of Modern Art] in Glasgow or the Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art since then? I think it's atrocious and outrageous.

"Yes, they have had paintings in group shows, but I don't know how they've been so neglected by GoMA and the national galleries.

"Why not have them at GoMA? Nobody has faded away, they are still making work.

"That show was 30 years ago, so it means everyone in it is now in their 50s and at a rich stage of their careers."

Ms Henry noted that several of the artists in the Vigorous Imagination show are not represented in public collections.

The new shows, at the Fine Art Society in Edinburgh and the Roger Billcliffe Gallery in Glasgow, feature works by Howson, Campbell, Colvin and a host of others.

The Vigorous Imagination show of 1987 had its roots in a diary piece published in The Herald in 1985.

Roddy Forsyth's arts diary noted a public protest outside the Royal Scottish Academy by Edinburgh artists Phil Braham and Ian Hughes.

They had displayed examples of their work on the RSA's front porch to draw attention to official "indifference" to emerging Scottish artists.

The protest eventually led to Ms Henry being asked to organise the Vigorous Imagination show at the SNGMA.

Ms Henry added: "This show and these artists were fundamental to everything that came later on, it laid a foundation.

"They paved the way for what was to come later - nothing comes out of nothing.

"I think it was important in getting 1990 [Glasgow City of Culture] and what was to come in Scottish art."

Other artists featured in The Vigorous Imagination included Philip Braham, Gwen Hardie, Ian Hughes, Keith McIntyre, June Redfern, Mario Rossi, Joseph Urie and Kate Whiteford.

In response to Ms Henry, Simon Groom, director of the Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art, said: "Scotland has produced a great many artists of international significance in the last 30-40 years, and the Vigorous Imagination exhibition held at NGS marked a very important moment in the history of Scottish painting.

"Artists such as Peter Howson, Adrian Wiszniewski, Steven Campbell and Ken Currie are very well represented in our collection, and frequently on display.

"GENERATION, a nationwide celebration of 25 years of Contemporary Art in Scotland that took place in 2014, recognised the impact and significance that the work of that generation of artists has had on the generation of artists who have come after them.

"Our contemporary programme places special emphasis on the many artists working in Scotland today, and we remain in close contact with many of the artists who emerged from the time of Vigorous Imagination."

A spokesman for Glasgow Life, said: “In the last 30 years, Glasgow’s reputation as a centre for the creation, promotion and showing of contemporary art has flourished.

"GoMA, Tramway and events such as Glasgow International, have all played a significant part in fostering and showcasing the very best in both new and more established talent.

"From hosting the Turner Prize in 2015 to major retrospectives such as GENERATION, we continue to celebrate our artistic pioneers in exhibitions and through our permanent collections."