The Burrell Collection (Lending and Borrowing) Bill Committee has endorsed a move by Glasgow City Council to allow the city to override the terms of Burrell’s bequest and allow the collection to go on tour.
Worried that the works he had collected might be damaged in transit, Burrell stipulated he would not allow any of the 8,000 works he bequeathed to Glasgow to be loaned overseas.
But the Trustees of the Burrell Collection, Glasgow Life and Glasgow City Council have been involved in detailed discussions about a potential refurbishment of the museum and the Private Bill to change the terms of the bequest.
Joan McAlpine MSP, the convener of the committee, said the “time has come to allow the collection to be seen by a wider audience”.
The bill will now be put before the full Parliament later this month.
Councillor Archie Graham, the deputy Leader of Glasgow City Council and chair of Glasgow Life, said: “We’re delighted that the committee has backed our plans and this marks another huge step towards sharing Sir William’s outstanding vision with an international audience whilst we refurbish the building which has been its home for the last 30 years.
“We have an agreement in place which fully addresses the concerns Sir William had about sending objects abroad whilst recognising that that the shipping and conservation of such precious items has developed significantly in the 60 years since Sir William made his bequest to Glasgow.”
Funds raised from a tour of the collection would go towards a £45m refurbishment of the museum building in Glasgow’s Pollok Park.
Glasgow Life, which manages the collections on behalf of the city, has indicated that the British Museum would be the first stop on a tour which would take in major institutions across the world.
It is anticipated that the museum would close for up to four years from 2016 during the refurbishment.
Worried that the works he had collected might be damaged in transit, Burrell stipulated he would not allow any of the 8,000 works he bequeathed to Glasgow to be loaned overseas.
But the Trustees of the Burrell Collection, Glasgow Life and Glasgow City Council have been involved in detailed discussions about a potential refurbishment of the museum and the Private Bill to change the terms of the bequest.
Joan McAlpine MSP, the convener of the committee, said the “time has come to allow the collection to be seen by a wider audience”.
The bill will now be put before the full Parliament later this month.
Councillor Archie Graham, the deputy Leader of Glasgow City Council and chair of Glasgow Life, said: “We’re delighted that the committee has backed our plans and this marks another huge step towards sharing Sir William’s outstanding vision with an international audience whilst we refurbish the building which has been its home for the last 30 years.
“We have an agreement in place which fully addresses the concerns Sir William had about sending objects abroad whilst recognising that that the shipping and conservation of such precious items has developed significantly in the 60 years since Sir William made his bequest to Glasgow.”
Funds raised from a tour of the collection would go towards a £45m refurbishment of the museum building in Glasgow’s Pollok Park.
Glasgow Life, which manages the collections on behalf of the city, has indicated that the British Museum would be the first stop on a tour which would take in major institutions across the world.
It is anticipated that the museum would close for up to four years from 2016 during the refurbishment.
