The National Galleries of Scotland (NGS) has unveiled 12 new galleries showcasing its collection of Scottish art from the 19th and early 20th century.
Improving access has been a key aim of the Scottish galleries, which open to the public this weekend at the National in Edinburgh.
The £38.62m project has more than doubled the space for displays. The scheme includes an accessible path in east Princes Street Gardens, new lifts, a partial Changing Place facility, an accessible entrance, accessible toilets and a pram store. There will also be a series of new trails and audioguides.
“With this project we set out to transform the experience of visiting the National and to show the world’s greatest collection of Scottish art with real pride and ambition,” said NGS director-general John Leighton. “With the new Scottish galleries, we have achieved these aims and more.
“The gallery is more accessible than ever before and there is a stunning new display of 150 years of Scottish art in all its richness and depth.”
The new galleries display more than 130 items from Scotland’s historic art collection, including works by William McTaggart, Anne Redpath, Phoebe Anna Traquair, Charles Rennie Mackintosh and the Glasgow Boys.
Advertisement
There will also be five new international hangs at the Mound level, offering more than 460 artworks by artists such as Poussin, Gauguin, Monet, Chardin and Canaletto.
The new galleries include three areas specifically designed to display drawings and other fragile artworks, which will change regularly throughout the year.
The project has been backed by the Scottish Government (£15.25m) and the National Lottery Heritage Fund (£6.89m). A fundraising campaign raised more than £16m, with support coming from trusts, foundations, patrons, the National Galleries of Scotland’s Friends organisation, American Patrons and a wide range of private individuals.
Construction began in October 2018 and the first phase of the project was completed in 2019.
This included a new entrance area in East Princes Street Gardens, a new cafe, refurbished restaurant and shop, an elegant sandstone terrace, and new landscaping and paths to improve access to the gardens and the galleries.
The project was first announced in 2014 and was originally going to cost £15.3m and take four years to complete, with costs later rising to £22m.
Advertisement
The construction was complex, with the creation of new gallery spaces involving extensive excavation underneath the existing category-A listed building and its setting on the Mound. The National is also sited above the three busy rail tunnels.
The Scottish galleries at the National have been designed by Hoskins Architects. Exhibition design is by Metaphor.
NGS operates three Edinburgh galleries – the National, Modern and Portrait.
The National attracted 1,277,230 visitors in 2022, up 322% from 2021, according to figures from the Association of Leading Visitor Attractions.
