Dulwich Picture Gallery reveals opening date for redevelopment

The Dulwich Picture Gallery in south-east London is holding a celebratory weekend on 6-7 September to mark the completion of its major redevelopment project, Open Art.

As part of its first revamp in more than 20 years, the gallery is in the process of transforming three acres of green space into a new public offering.

This will include an expansion of the gallery’s Sculpture Garden and a new ArtPlay Pavilion, a permanent timber play space for under-eights.

The pavilion, which will offer sensory play activities, has been designed by the artistic duo Sarah Marsh and Stephanie Jefferies of HoLD Collective, with support from the Julia Rausing Trust. Parts of the space have been inspired by famous paintings in the gallery’s collections.

Elements of the 1811 plans for the building, which was designed by Sir John Soane as the first purpose-built public art gallery in England, will be restored, including a new site entrance on Gallery Road and the opening up of views across the gardens.

The site’s Gallery Cottage will also be extended to create The Canteen, which will serve as a school lunch area as well as a family café and shop on weekends.

These interventions will provide facilities for the 150 local school groups the gallery engages with, offering young children art-based learning experiences.

The redevelopment is being led by London-based architects Carmody Groarke. The venue has remained open throughout the project

Also opening later this year is the Lovington Sculpture Meadow, a key part of the Sculpture Garden.

Designed by landscape artist Kim Wilkie, the meadow will be created in a previously under-utilised field at the south side of the gardens that aims to celebrate the environmental and health benefits of using green space for art.

It will feature an “art forest” of around 130 newly planted trees designed to enhance biodiversity in the area, as well as undulating land art form inspired by the gallery’s star work, Girl at a Window (1645) by Rembrandt van Rijn. The meadow is funded by the Lovington Foundation. 

The Sculpture Garden will play host to a new series of contemporary sculptural installations, which will continually evolve across all of its areas and explore themes of nature and play in connection with the gallery’s collection.

Visitors can expect to encounter interactive sculptures by artists including Amy Stephens and Harold Offeh, alongside existing works by Yinka Shonibare, Li Li Ren, Peter Randall-Page and Rob and Nick Carter. Carter’s Bronze Oak Grove became the first artwork to be acquired by the gallery for more than a decade in 2024.

Jennifer Scott, the director of Dulwich Picture Gallery, said: “What a huge moment this is for Dulwich Picture Gallery as we transform our outdoor spaces. I am immensely grateful to all the supporters who have helped us to make our vision a reality, staying true to the gallery’s founding idea that great art is made for sharing.”

The Open Art developments have cost £5m, with the money raised via trusts and foundations as well as a public campaign. The gallery has £20,000 left to raise of the target.

The project aims to establish the gallery as a “must-visit cultural destination”, expand its reach and double visitor participation.