National Galleries of Scotland reveals opening date for new art space

The National Galleries of Scotland has revealed the opening date for new art spaces as part of a major £38m refurbishment.

Scotland’s national gallery will unveil ten new, light-filled rooms on 30 September which will be home to key works from the nation’s historic Scottish art collection.

The galleries will be entered directly from the adjoining East Princes Street Gardens with large windows offering spectacular views over the city.

They will be home to more than 130 works of art and five new international hangs at the Mound level this summer, plus two additional Scottish displays, offering over 460 artworks to discover.

Scotland’s artistic legacy will be brought to life through much-loved Scottish Colourist paintings among other major works from the first half of the twentieth century.

What to expect

New ways of looking at Scotland’s built and natural environments will be on offer, with early photographs of Scotland’s capital city shown in the same spaces as grand paintings of majestic Highland landscapes.

Reimagined displays of drawings and sketches will celebrate artists such as Glasgow Style pioneer Margaret Macdonald Mackintosh and David Allan, whose depictions of ‘Edinburgh Characters’ will allow visitors to get up close to street life in the Scottish capital in the late eighteenth century.

‘This project has been driven by an ambition to transform the experience of visiting the National and to show the extraordinary collections of Scottish art with pride in beautiful, new, light-filled spaces’, said director general of the National Galleries of Scotland, Sir John Leighton.

‘We believe that we have created a National Gallery that is more open, engaging and inviting than ever before.

‘Whether immersing themselves in the highly Romantic paintings of the Scottish Highlands, taking part in a family day or just enjoying the views, all are welcome to come and discover.’

How much did it cost?

The total project cost is £38.62m. This has been funded by major contributions from the Scottish Government (£15.25m) and The National Lottery Heritage Fund (£6.89m).

A successful fundraising campaign raised over £16m in donations from trusts, foundations, Patrons, the National Galleries of Scotland’s Friends organisation, American Patrons and a wide range of private individuals.

Complex build

The construction began in October 2018, with the first phase of the project completed successfully in 2019.

This included a new entrance area in East Princes Street Gardens, a new café, refurbished restaurant and shop, an elegant sandstone terrace, and new landscaping and paths to improve access to the gardens and the galleries.

But the construction has been complex. Situated within a World Heritage Site the galleries are part of an iconic A-listed nineteenth-century building with several major modern additions from the late 1960s onwards.

The creation of new gallery spaces has entailed extensive excavation underneath the existing building and its setting on the Mound.

The new Scottish galleries at the National have been designed by one of Scotland’s leading architectural practices, Hoskins Architects.

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