A reopening date has been set for The Burrell Collection following a £68.25 million refurbishment project.
The Burrell will open its doors to the public again in March 2022 for the first time since 2016.
Refurbishment on the A-listed building has now concluded and the installation of the works of art has begun.
Work on the building began back in 2018 with repairs to the roof and the installation of modern glazing making the building more air-tight, reducing its overall energy consumption. A combined heating and power supply has also been installed.
A new entrance will bring visitors straight into the heart of the building and a newly created central stairway will encourage people to explore all three floors of the reimagined Burrell Collection for the first time. The outdoor green space has been also been enhanced, creating new links between the museum and its setting in Pollok Country Park.
On reopening, the museum’s gallery space will have increased by 35%, allowing important and unique objects from the Collection, which have not been seen for decades or have never been on permanent display, to go on show.
Nearly half of the funding for the £68.25 million project was committed by Glasgow City Council with significant contributions from the National Lottery Heritage Fund, The Scottish Government, the UK Government, and from many generous trusts and private donors.
Sir William Burrell devoted more than 75 years of his life to amassing one of the world’s greatest, single personal collections, renowned for its quality of Chinese art, stained glass, tapestries, and breadth of fine art.
The gift of The Collection to the city was described at the time as: “One of the greatest gifts ever made to any city in the world.” (Sir Hector Hetherington, Principal of Glasgow University).
Highlights include Chinese pottery and porcelain produced over a 5,000-year period, making it one of the most significant collections of Chinese Art in Europe; paintings by renowned French artists including Manet, Cézanne and Degas; Medieval treasures including stained glass, arms, and armour and over 200 tapestries and carpets, which are among the finest in the world.
The Collection is also home to the Wagner Garden carpet which is one of the three earliest surviving Persian garden carpets in the world, and has rarely been on public display since The Burrell Collection opened, but the refurbishment and redisplay means it will be on permanent display accompanied by new methods of interpretation.
Chief Executive of Glasgow Life, Dr Bridget McConnell, CBE, said: “March 2022 will mark a historic milestone in Glasgow’s story, as the completely refurbished Burrell Collection reopens to the world.
“Very soon, thanks to all the project’s funders, these wonderful works of art, which Sir William Burrell gave to the people of Glasgow, will be enjoyed in a modern, green museum, fit for purpose and for the future.
“Our vision for The Burrell Collection demonstrates the city’s ambition for it to become more widely appreciated and well known around the world and for Glasgow to retain its place as a global cultural leader.”
