Burrell of fun as museum gets a makeover
THE Burrell Collection closed its doors last night for the final time until 2020 to allow for a multimillion-pound refurbishment.
Hailed as one of Scotland’s cultural jewels, the museum hosted a weekend of activities – including guided tours, workshops and live music – to mark the temporary closure.
The Burrell Collection opened to the public in 1983 and received international acclaim.
But the building that houses the treasures, in the heart of Glasgow’s Pollok Country Park, is no longer fit for purpose.
Only 20 per cent of the works – donated to the city by Sir William Burrell in 1944 – are on display as many items have had to be removed to protect them from damage.
The total cost of the project is estimated to be between £60million and £66million.
A new roof and high-performance glazing will make the museum more energyefficient. Two new floors of exhibition space will be created so that 90 per cent of the 8,000 objects can be viewed.
During the refurbishment, some works from the collection will go on display at Glasgow’s Kelvingrove Museum and Art Gallery.
The first of a series of changing displays will be Burrell At Kelvingrove: Joseph Crawhall, which offers the rare opportunity to see 23 of the finest works by the member of the ‘Glasgow Boys’, the radical group of young Scottish painters.
The exhibit will run from today until July. Meanwhile, to support public fundraising efforts, an international tour will showcase treasures from the Burrell Collection, with the aim of raising its profile worldwide and promoting Glasgow as one of the world’s great cultural cities.