Somerset House is to open a 'London showcase' of photography later this year, in partnership with the National Museum of Photography, Film and Television (NMPFT) in Bradford.
The partnership blossomed from an idea put forward by Michael Wilson, the chairman of the advisory council of the NMPFT, who is also the screenwriter and producer of a number of the James Bond films.
Somerset House Trust, which was established in 1997, is home to three collections: the Courtauld Institute Gallery, the Gilbert Collection, and the Hermitage Rooms.
It also houses some offices of the Inland Revenue. Both the NMPFT and Somerset House spokespeople were low key about the plans, but Museums Journal has discovered that three rooms at Somerset House may be set aside to run four exhibitions a year. It is expected that the exhibitions will be drawn from the NMPFT collection and the rooms may also be used for touring exhibitions.
Colin Philpott, the head of the NMPFT, said: 'The NMPFT is involved in exploratory talks about the possibility of establishing a London showcase at Somerset House for exhibitions and the interpretation of our national collections. Those talks are still very much at an embryonic stage.
As a national museum, we are committed to widening our reach across the UK, through a range of partnerships, and to sharing what we have with new audiences, while developing and nurturing our Yorkshire base.'
A spokeswoman for Somerset House said: 'The Trust is in consultation with the whole of the cultural community, and the NMPFT, to discuss future use of the building.'
Charlotte Cotton, the head of programming at the independent Photographers Gallery in London, said there was an issue of where big touring exhibitions of 19th-century photographs in particular could be displayed in London.
A new gallery will add to the attractions of Somerset House. The Gilbert Collection comprises 800 pieces, given by Sir Arthur Gilbert, including silver and gold snuff-boxes, and the Hermitage Rooms displays exhibitions from the Hermitage in St Petersburg. Both have experienced declining visitor figures.
The Gilbert opened in May 2000 with £30m of Heritage Lottery Fund money and attracted 185,408 visitors in its first year. However, this figure fell to 81,894 in 2002/3.
The Hermitage opened in November 2000, and drew 156,000 visitors in its first full year, but numbers dropped to under half that in 2002/3.
Felicity Heywood
The partnership blossomed from an idea put forward by Michael Wilson, the chairman of the advisory council of the NMPFT, who is also the screenwriter and producer of a number of the James Bond films.
Somerset House Trust, which was established in 1997, is home to three collections: the Courtauld Institute Gallery, the Gilbert Collection, and the Hermitage Rooms.
It also houses some offices of the Inland Revenue. Both the NMPFT and Somerset House spokespeople were low key about the plans, but Museums Journal has discovered that three rooms at Somerset House may be set aside to run four exhibitions a year. It is expected that the exhibitions will be drawn from the NMPFT collection and the rooms may also be used for touring exhibitions.
Colin Philpott, the head of the NMPFT, said: 'The NMPFT is involved in exploratory talks about the possibility of establishing a London showcase at Somerset House for exhibitions and the interpretation of our national collections. Those talks are still very much at an embryonic stage.
As a national museum, we are committed to widening our reach across the UK, through a range of partnerships, and to sharing what we have with new audiences, while developing and nurturing our Yorkshire base.'
A spokeswoman for Somerset House said: 'The Trust is in consultation with the whole of the cultural community, and the NMPFT, to discuss future use of the building.'
Charlotte Cotton, the head of programming at the independent Photographers Gallery in London, said there was an issue of where big touring exhibitions of 19th-century photographs in particular could be displayed in London.
A new gallery will add to the attractions of Somerset House. The Gilbert Collection comprises 800 pieces, given by Sir Arthur Gilbert, including silver and gold snuff-boxes, and the Hermitage Rooms displays exhibitions from the Hermitage in St Petersburg. Both have experienced declining visitor figures.
The Gilbert opened in May 2000 with £30m of Heritage Lottery Fund money and attracted 185,408 visitors in its first year. However, this figure fell to 81,894 in 2002/3.
The Hermitage opened in November 2000, and drew 156,000 visitors in its first full year, but numbers dropped to under half that in 2002/3.
Felicity Heywood
