Scotland Guide
Glasgow
Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum
Address: Kelvingrove Park
Opening time: Mon– Thurs & Sat 10am–5pm, Fri & Sun 11am–5pm
Price: Free
Website: www.glasgowmuseums.com
Founded on donations from the city's industrialists Victorian and opened at an international fair held in 1901, the huge, red sandstone fantasy castle of Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum is a brash statement of Glasgow's nineteenth-century self-confidence. Intricate and ambitious both in its riotous outside detailing and within, where a superb galleried main hall running the depth of the building gives way to attractive upper balconies and small, interlinked display galleries, Kelvingrove (as it's popularly known) offers an impressive and inviting setting for the engaging display of art and artefacts within.
Following a massive, three-year refurbishment, the art gallery and museum reopened in the summer of 2006. Kelvingrove lost little time re-establishing itself as the most popular museum in the UK outside London. The wide and sometimes bizarre range of exhibits, from a World War II Spitfire suspended from the roof of the West Court to suits of armour, ancient Egyptian relics and priceless paintings by Rembrandt, Whistler and Raeburn, has led to accusations that the museum is somewhat ill-defined. In contradiction to this argument though, Kelvingrove holds an undeniably rich and deliberately varied civic collection, gathered from legacies, astute purchases and serendipitous good fortune, which principally aims to educate, enlighten and entertain the people of Glasgow.
Most visitors will be drawn to the paintings, most famous of which is Salvador Dalí's stunning St John of the Cross, located on the West Balcony. You can also acquaint yourself with significant Scottish art including works by the Glasgow Boys and the Scottish Colourists. There's a special section of paintings, furniture and murals devoted to Charles Rennie Mackintosh and the "Glasgow Style" he and his contemporaries inspired.