Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum
Encyclopedia
The Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum is a museum
and art gallery
in Glasgow
, Scotland
. The building houses one of Europe
's great civic art collections. Since its 2003–2006 refurbishment, the museum has been the most popular free-to-enter visitor attraction in Scotland
, and the most visited museum in the United Kingdom
outside London
.
The gallery is located on Argyle Street
, in the West End of the city, on the banks of the River Kelvin
(opposite the architecturally similar Kelvin Hall
, which was built in matching style some years later, after the previous hall had been destroyed by fire). It is adjacent to Kelvingrove Park
and is situated immediately beneath the main campus of the University of Glasgow
on Gilmorehill.
and E.J. Milner Allen and opened in 1901, as the Palace of Fine Arts for the Glasgow International Exhibition
held in that year. It is built in a Spanish Baroque
style, follows the Glaswegian tradition of using Dumfriesshire
red sandstone, and includes an entire program of architectural sculpture
by George Frampton
, Francis Derwent Wood
and other sculptors. The centrepiece of the central hall is a massive Pipe Organ
installed by Lewis & Co.
There is a popular myth in Glasgow, that the building was accidentally built back-to-front, and the architect jumped from one of the towers in despair, when he realised his mistake. However, this is only an urban myth. The grand entrance was always intended to face into Kelvingrove Park.
and from the old Kelvingrove House Museum in Kelvingrove Park. It has one of the finest collections of arms and armour in the world and a vast natural history collection. The art collection includes many outstanding European artworks, including works by the Old Masters, French Impressionists, Dutch Renaissance, Scottish Colourists
and proponents of the Glasgow School
.
The museum houses Christ of Saint John of the Cross
by Salvador Dalí
. The copyright of this painting was bought by the curator at the time after a meeting with Dalí himself. For a period between 1993 and 2006, the painting was moved to the St Mungo Museum of Religious Life and Art
.
Museum
A museum is an institution that cares for a collection of artifacts and other objects of scientific, artistic, cultural, or historical importance and makes them available for public viewing through exhibits that may be permanent or temporary. Most large museums are located in major cities...
and art gallery
Art gallery
An art gallery or art museum is a building or space for the exhibition of art, usually visual art.Museums can be public or private, but what distinguishes a museum is the ownership of a collection...
in Glasgow
Glasgow
Glasgow is the largest city in Scotland and third most populous in the United Kingdom. The city is situated on the River Clyde in the country's west central lowlands...
, Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
. The building houses one of Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
's great civic art collections. Since its 2003–2006 refurbishment, the museum has been the most popular free-to-enter visitor attraction in Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
, and the most visited museum in the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
outside London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
.
The gallery is located on Argyle Street
Argyle Street, Glasgow
Argyle Street is a major thoroughfare in the city centre of Glasgow, Scotland.With Buchanan Street and Sauchiehall Street, Argyle Street forms the main shopping artery in the city centre...
, in the West End of the city, on the banks of the River Kelvin
River Kelvin
The Kelvin rises on watershed of Scotland on the moor south east of the village of Banton, east of Kilsyth - . At almost 22 miles long, it initially flows south to Dullatur Bog where it falls into a man made trench and takes a ninety degree turn flowing west along the northern boundary of the bog...
(opposite the architecturally similar Kelvin Hall
Kelvin Hall
The Kelvin Hall in Glasgow, Scotland, is a mixed-use arts and sports venue that opened as an exhibition centre in 1927. It has been a music hall, indoor arena and barrage balloon factory, and is currently home to the Kelvin Hall International Sports Arena and from 1987 to 2010, Glasgow's Museum of...
, which was built in matching style some years later, after the previous hall had been destroyed by fire). It is adjacent to Kelvingrove Park
Kelvingrove Park
Kelvingrove Park is a public park located on the River Kelvin in the West End of the city of Glasgow, Scotland, containing the world-famous Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum.-History:...
and is situated immediately beneath the main campus of the University of Glasgow
University of Glasgow
The University of Glasgow is the fourth-oldest university in the English-speaking world and one of Scotland's four ancient universities. Located in Glasgow, the university was founded in 1451 and is presently one of seventeen British higher education institutions ranked amongst the top 100 of the...
on Gilmorehill.
Design and construction
The construction of Kelvingrove was partly financed by the proceeds of the 1888 International Exhibition held in Kelvingrove Park. The gallery was designed by Sir John W. SimpsonJohn William Simpson (architect)
Sir John William Simpson KBE, FRIBA was an English architect and was President of the Royal Institute of British Architects from 1919 to 1921.- Background and early life :...
and E.J. Milner Allen and opened in 1901, as the Palace of Fine Arts for the Glasgow International Exhibition
Glasgow International Exhibition (1901)
The Glasgow International Exhibition was the second of 4 international exhibitions held in Glasgow, Scotland during the late 19th and early 20th centuries.-Summary:...
held in that year. It is built in a Spanish Baroque
Spanish Baroque
Spanish Baroque is a strand of Baroque architecture that evolved in Spain and its provinces and former colonies, notably Spanish America and Belgium....
style, follows the Glaswegian tradition of using Dumfriesshire
Dumfriesshire
Dumfriesshire or the County of Dumfries is a registration county of Scotland. The lieutenancy area of Dumfries has similar boundaries.Until 1975 it was a county. Its county town was Dumfries...
red sandstone, and includes an entire program of architectural sculpture
Architectural sculpture
Architectural sculpture is the term for the use of sculpture by an architect and/or sculptor in the design of a building, bridge, mausoleum or other such project...
by George Frampton
George Frampton
Sir George James Frampton, RA was a notable British sculptor and leading member of the New Sculpture movement.-Early life and career:...
, Francis Derwent Wood
Francis Derwent Wood
Francis Derwent Wood RA was a sculptor, born in Keswick, Cumberland, in England's Lake District.-Early life:Wood studied in Germany and returned to London in 1887 to work under Edouard Lanteri and Sir Thomas Brock; he taught at the Glasgow School of Art from 1897 through 1905 and was professor of...
and other sculptors. The centrepiece of the central hall is a massive Pipe Organ
Pipe organ
The pipe organ is a musical instrument that produces sound by driving pressurized air through pipes selected via a keyboard. Because each organ pipe produces a single pitch, the pipes are provided in sets called ranks, each of which has a common timbre and volume throughout the keyboard compass...
installed by Lewis & Co.
There is a popular myth in Glasgow, that the building was accidentally built back-to-front, and the architect jumped from one of the towers in despair, when he realised his mistake. However, this is only an urban myth. The grand entrance was always intended to face into Kelvingrove Park.
Collections
The museum's collections came mainly from the McLellan GalleriesMcLellan Galleries
The McLellan Galleries are an exhibition space in the city of Glasgow, Scotland. Built in 1856, the Galleries are named after their founder, Archibald McLellan , a coach builder, councillor and patron of the arts...
and from the old Kelvingrove House Museum in Kelvingrove Park. It has one of the finest collections of arms and armour in the world and a vast natural history collection. The art collection includes many outstanding European artworks, including works by the Old Masters, French Impressionists, Dutch Renaissance, Scottish Colourists
Scottish Colourists
The Scottish Colourists were a group of painters from Scotland whose work was not very highly regarded when it was first exhibited in the 1920s and 1930s, but which in the late 20th Century came to have a formative influence on contemporary Scottish art....
and proponents of the Glasgow School
Glasgow School
The Glasgow School was a circle of influential modern artists and designers who began to coalesce in Glasgow, Scotland in the 1870s, and flourished from the 1890s to sometime around 1910. Representative groups were: The Four , the Glasgow Girls and the Glasgow Boys...
.
The museum houses Christ of Saint John of the Cross
Christ of Saint John of the Cross
Christ of Saint John of the Cross is a painting by Salvador Dalí made in 1951. It depicts Jesus Christ on the cross in a darkened sky floating over a body of water complete with a boat and fishermen...
by Salvador Dalí
Salvador Dalí
Salvador Domènec Felip Jacint Dalí i Domènech, Marquis de Púbol , commonly known as Salvador Dalí , was a prominent Spanish Catalan surrealist painter born in Figueres,Spain....
. The copyright of this painting was bought by the curator at the time after a meeting with Dalí himself. For a period between 1993 and 2006, the painting was moved to the St Mungo Museum of Religious Life and Art
St Mungo Museum of Religious Life and Art
The St Mungo Museum of Religious Life and Art is a museum of religion in Glasgow, Scotland. It is quoted as being the only public museum in the world devoted solely to this subject, though another notable museum of this kind is the State Historical Museum of Religion in St.Petersburg...
.
Refurbishment
Kelvingrove was reopened by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II on 11 July 2006 after a three-year closure for major refurbishment and restoration. The work cost over £28m and includes a new restaurant and a large basement extension to its display space to accommodate the 8,000 exhibits now on display.External links
- Museum website
- Preview Photographs of the Art Gallery before it re-opened in July 2006
- Kelvingrove Art Gallery Glasgow Independent article and pictures.