A PRIVATE art gallery in Glasgow is set to close after more than 30 years in operation.
The Roger Billcliffe Gallery, an institution located on Bath Street that has displayed contemporary Scottish art since 1992, will close for good on December 31, 2025.
As reported by The Herald, writer and gallerist Roger Billcliffe’s eponymously named premises will close after Billcliffe announced his retirement on Sunday.
A statement read: “I will be 80 in January, and while it has been a difficult and sad decision, after 46 years running a gallery I believe this will be an appropriate time to stand down.
“The Gallery has experienced some wonderful highs, and of course we’ve had our lows. Like many others in the art business, we have witnessed many market moods, none more so than since Covid-19 which changed our personal and business lives in many ways.
“While online selling of art has increased, footfall in Glasgow has dropped significantly, reflecting the demise or relocation of many of the businesses which made our area of the city centre so vibrant.”
Billcliffe confirmed the gallery would be open for “business as usual” until its closure in late December, as well as thanking customers and artists for their “immense support” over the past few decades.
He previously founded the Fine Art Society in 1979 before it was reopened as the Roger Billcliffe Gallery in the early 1990s.
Despite a slump in footfall since the pandemic, a report by The Herald earlier this year also showed that Glasgow was ahead of both the UK and Scottish averages in terms of growth.
Nighttime footfall in the city centre increased by 9.8%, whilst key shopping areas like Buchanan Street witnessed a 10% rise in March of this year.
