Burrell Collection set to be loaned overseas
New legislation would overturn original bequest
Draft legislation is being prepared for the Scottish Parliament that would allow the Burrell Collection to be loaned overseas, overturning the terms of William Burrell’s bequest specifying that it should remain in the UK.
According to Glasgow Life, which manages the collection on behalf of the city, the building that houses the collection at Pollok Country Park is leaking and in need of refurbishment that will cost millions of pounds.
The Burrell Collection’s trustees vetoed a motion to allow the collection to tour in the 1990s, but chairman Peter Hutchison, said: “The trustees support the application to the Scottish Parliament to enable a major tour… which would not only assist with fundraising, but would also raise the Burrell’s profile and demonstrate the extraordinary range and quality of Sir William’s unique legacy.”
Burrell’s stipulation that the collection should not travel stemmed from worries that it might become damaged in transit, but a spokesman for the museum said that practices had improved since the bequest was made in 1944.
Options being explored for the tour include major venues in the UK, Europe, North America and Asia.
According to Glasgow Life, which manages the collection on behalf of the city, the building that houses the collection at Pollok Country Park is leaking and in need of refurbishment that will cost millions of pounds.
The Burrell Collection’s trustees vetoed a motion to allow the collection to tour in the 1990s, but chairman Peter Hutchison, said: “The trustees support the application to the Scottish Parliament to enable a major tour… which would not only assist with fundraising, but would also raise the Burrell’s profile and demonstrate the extraordinary range and quality of Sir William’s unique legacy.”
Burrell’s stipulation that the collection should not travel stemmed from worries that it might become damaged in transit, but a spokesman for the museum said that practices had improved since the bequest was made in 1944.
Options being explored for the tour include major venues in the UK, Europe, North America and Asia.