It was the British sculptor Henry Moore, in his role as a founding trustee, who demanded that “God’s good daylight” should shine into the Hayward Gallery, which is part of the brutalist Southbank Centre complex in London. As a result, the original design was scrapped and a 66-pyramid glass roof was added to the plans. It was a bold decision as natural light in galleries was out of fashion in 1968.
The Hayward, reviled for decades and the subject of many abandoned schemes either to demolish or pimp it up, has become an icon of 20th-century architecture, with its bunker-like spaces and slit windows in once-again-fashionable concrete. But those stylish glass pyramids were leaky from day one. The current project by architect Feilden Clegg Bradley to “let the light in” is a loving restoration rather than a new gallery. Visitors expecting to see a radical change to the interior may be disappointed and staff could find themselves facing “why did it take so long and cost so much” queries.
Although the structural changes are low-key, the place feels transformed. The pyramids have been replaced and sit above deep white sunken panels in the ceiling, which funnel daylight into the top galleries, but do not allow direct sun. Light is controlled by means of translucent glass on the pyramids’ south sides, along with retractable internal blinds. Much thought has been given to thermal performance, sound absorption, cleaning and maintenance. New lighting tracks and spotlights are discreet. The open panels raise the ceiling by more than a metre and, standing below looking up at the sky, it feels like much more.
Other improvements also breathe life into the building. The internal concrete panels, which are a distinctive feature of the stairwells and were cast from rift-sawn pine planks (especially selected by the carpenters who made the original interiors of Queen Elizabeth Hall, which sits next to the Hayward), have been cleaned with latex solution (developed for antique statuary), which is painted on and then peeled off when dry, taking the dirt with it, like a giant face mask. With the tidemark of grime gone the effect is lighter: the fine texture and construction of the casts can be appreciated again.
The impression of lightness is added to by new flooring. Pale grey terrazzo tiles have replaced dark and discoloured ones. The brass handrails on the ramps, now polished to shiny gold from their tarnished former selves, make a slick zigzag of light across the ground floor. A project space newly situated at the entrance to the main galleries will be free to visitors, which is a welcome move. The opening display is of recent acquisitions from the Arts Council Collection. I liked the fact that the space is being used for standalone things, rather than interpretation for a paying show.
This area seems larger than I remember it in its former incarnation as a shop, and bold sculptures, such as Matthew Derbyshire’s turquoise polycarbonate Doryphoros, work well against the white walls and a retained section of original unfinished concrete, which gives it an edgy roughness that the rest of the sleek interior has lost.
Visitor-friendly refit
The visitor facilities have also been rethought. The retail space replaces the cafe next to the foyer (you no longer exit through the gift shop) and the cafe has moved upstairs, giving great views over the river from the Waterloo Sunset pavilion. Neither was finished when I visited, but I enjoyed the wallpaper by Giles Round with its motif of repeated Southbank concrete piers in a 1960s colour palette.
One element that’s missing is gallery seating. The day before the opening no one seemed to know if this was planned. Let’s hope that once the glamorous installation shots of uncluttered vistas are taken, some will appear.
The opening show is the first major UK retrospective of German photographer Andreas Gursky. The works come almost entirely from his own collection and feature new photographs and early ones. His total output is small – about 250 exhibited photographs across his career − of which 68 are on display. There are many familiar images, including giant stock exchange and rave scenes, and the most expensive photograph ever sold at auction for $4.3m (£3m), titled Rhine II.
Some of the most powerful works comment on globalisation and de-individualisation. In Nha Trang, 2004, rows of Vietnamese women make chairs for Ikea. They are clad identically in orange uniforms that Gursky requested for the shoot and his characteristic bird’s-eye view accentuates the contrast between the regimented figures and the messy crafting of wicker.
Opening shots
The intrusions of technology into the natural environment are another long-standing theme. In Les Mées, 2016, solar panels cover rolling hills in a black and white skin against a moody backdrop of Provençal mountains, and become something beautiful.
Gursky is famous for his digital manipulation, whereby multiple images are brought together to make a single work. Instead of a vanishing point, every detail appears in pin-sharp focus across these photographs. The Rhine is cleared of buildings and people to become abstract horizontal stripes of silver, grey and green. Recent works include some fictional scenes. In Review (2015), the German chancellor Angela Merkel and her three predecessors are seated in conference, apparently viewing the vast red abstract expressionist canvas Vir Heroicus Sublimis by Barnett Newman from only a few inches away, as Rothko recommended one should.
The languages of managerialism and romanticism are ironically juxtaposed. Critics have focused on Gursky’s tendency to play a detached god-like figure looking down on the world, as he reduces human activity to patterns of line and colour. Looking for meanings, viewers scan the endlessly replicated detail of goods in an Amazon warehouse or the facade of a Parisian block of flats. We search for the human while admiring the grand design. A bit like the new Hayward, where the uncompromising exterior gives way to a more welcoming, uplifting, visitor-friendly set of spaces.
Main funders Arts Council England; Heritage Lottery Fund Restoration Feilden Clegg
Bradley Studios
Andreas Gursky exhibition
Cost Undisclosed
Main funders Christies; Sotheby’s; Mondrian London
Exhibition build Sam Forster
Lighting Lightwaves
Fit-out The White Wall Company
Design Delvendahl Martin Architects
Graphic design Philip Miles Graphic Design
Interpretation In house
Exhibition ends Andreas Gursky, until 22 April
Admission Free for Museums Association members
Sara Holdsworth is a museum and gallery consultant
The Hayward, reviled for decades and the subject of many abandoned schemes either to demolish or pimp it up, has become an icon of 20th-century architecture, with its bunker-like spaces and slit windows in once-again-fashionable concrete. But those stylish glass pyramids were leaky from day one. The current project by architect Feilden Clegg Bradley to “let the light in” is a loving restoration rather than a new gallery. Visitors expecting to see a radical change to the interior may be disappointed and staff could find themselves facing “why did it take so long and cost so much” queries.
Although the structural changes are low-key, the place feels transformed. The pyramids have been replaced and sit above deep white sunken panels in the ceiling, which funnel daylight into the top galleries, but do not allow direct sun. Light is controlled by means of translucent glass on the pyramids’ south sides, along with retractable internal blinds. Much thought has been given to thermal performance, sound absorption, cleaning and maintenance. New lighting tracks and spotlights are discreet. The open panels raise the ceiling by more than a metre and, standing below looking up at the sky, it feels like much more.
Other improvements also breathe life into the building. The internal concrete panels, which are a distinctive feature of the stairwells and were cast from rift-sawn pine planks (especially selected by the carpenters who made the original interiors of Queen Elizabeth Hall, which sits next to the Hayward), have been cleaned with latex solution (developed for antique statuary), which is painted on and then peeled off when dry, taking the dirt with it, like a giant face mask. With the tidemark of grime gone the effect is lighter: the fine texture and construction of the casts can be appreciated again.
The impression of lightness is added to by new flooring. Pale grey terrazzo tiles have replaced dark and discoloured ones. The brass handrails on the ramps, now polished to shiny gold from their tarnished former selves, make a slick zigzag of light across the ground floor. A project space newly situated at the entrance to the main galleries will be free to visitors, which is a welcome move. The opening display is of recent acquisitions from the Arts Council Collection. I liked the fact that the space is being used for standalone things, rather than interpretation for a paying show.
This area seems larger than I remember it in its former incarnation as a shop, and bold sculptures, such as Matthew Derbyshire’s turquoise polycarbonate Doryphoros, work well against the white walls and a retained section of original unfinished concrete, which gives it an edgy roughness that the rest of the sleek interior has lost.
Visitor-friendly refit
The visitor facilities have also been rethought. The retail space replaces the cafe next to the foyer (you no longer exit through the gift shop) and the cafe has moved upstairs, giving great views over the river from the Waterloo Sunset pavilion. Neither was finished when I visited, but I enjoyed the wallpaper by Giles Round with its motif of repeated Southbank concrete piers in a 1960s colour palette.
One element that’s missing is gallery seating. The day before the opening no one seemed to know if this was planned. Let’s hope that once the glamorous installation shots of uncluttered vistas are taken, some will appear.
The opening show is the first major UK retrospective of German photographer Andreas Gursky. The works come almost entirely from his own collection and feature new photographs and early ones. His total output is small – about 250 exhibited photographs across his career − of which 68 are on display. There are many familiar images, including giant stock exchange and rave scenes, and the most expensive photograph ever sold at auction for $4.3m (£3m), titled Rhine II.
Some of the most powerful works comment on globalisation and de-individualisation. In Nha Trang, 2004, rows of Vietnamese women make chairs for Ikea. They are clad identically in orange uniforms that Gursky requested for the shoot and his characteristic bird’s-eye view accentuates the contrast between the regimented figures and the messy crafting of wicker.
Opening shots
The intrusions of technology into the natural environment are another long-standing theme. In Les Mées, 2016, solar panels cover rolling hills in a black and white skin against a moody backdrop of Provençal mountains, and become something beautiful.
Gursky is famous for his digital manipulation, whereby multiple images are brought together to make a single work. Instead of a vanishing point, every detail appears in pin-sharp focus across these photographs. The Rhine is cleared of buildings and people to become abstract horizontal stripes of silver, grey and green. Recent works include some fictional scenes. In Review (2015), the German chancellor Angela Merkel and her three predecessors are seated in conference, apparently viewing the vast red abstract expressionist canvas Vir Heroicus Sublimis by Barnett Newman from only a few inches away, as Rothko recommended one should.
The languages of managerialism and romanticism are ironically juxtaposed. Critics have focused on Gursky’s tendency to play a detached god-like figure looking down on the world, as he reduces human activity to patterns of line and colour. Looking for meanings, viewers scan the endlessly replicated detail of goods in an Amazon warehouse or the facade of a Parisian block of flats. We search for the human while admiring the grand design. A bit like the new Hayward, where the uncompromising exterior gives way to a more welcoming, uplifting, visitor-friendly set of spaces.
Project data
Cost of refurbishment £35mMain funders Arts Council England; Heritage Lottery Fund Restoration Feilden Clegg
Bradley Studios
Andreas Gursky exhibition
Cost Undisclosed
Main funders Christies; Sotheby’s; Mondrian London
Exhibition build Sam Forster
Lighting Lightwaves
Fit-out The White Wall Company
Design Delvendahl Martin Architects
Graphic design Philip Miles Graphic Design
Interpretation In house
Exhibition ends Andreas Gursky, until 22 April
Admission Free for Museums Association members
Sara Holdsworth is a museum and gallery consultant
